Turnouts

Kick Switches

Rick White wrote on Discover Live Steam Yahoo group:

One type of kick switch at Jack Haskins's Able Springs & North Texas Railroad. These work well by foot, and he has dozens. The car wheels will also move them over when you trail through a switch that is not set for your direction of movement.

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  A kick switch on Jack Haskins Able Springs and North Texas Railroad. Photo by Rick White.

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  Switch mechanism, pointer moves with points and pin is on a lever that moves to the left as the switch points are moved.

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  Pointer moves with points and pin is on a lever that moves to the left as the switch points are moved.

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  The pointer is dead center and the lever with the pointer on it has rotated away from the bar holding the points in gauge.

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  Pointer to the right and the lever with the pin on it has moved back. Note wear mark on the left under the lever that holds the pin.

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  Pointer to the left and lever with pin attached is again at the rear.

George Erhart posted photos of the Colorado Live Steamers kick switches on Discover Live Steam Yahoo group.

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  Colorado Live Steamers kick switch. Photos by George Erhart.

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Switch Stands

• LittleEngines switch stand1.JPG

  Little Engines switch stand drawing. From eBay.com, August 2013.

• LittleEngines switch stand2.JPG

Expert Advice

Bill Koster wrote on Yahoo LiveDiesel:

If you hold the gauge to 7 1/2 inch (or 7 1/4 inch) at the points, the points should not have to travel more than 3/8 inch. Make the points as easy as possible to move. Bill Hays suggests using the "Goldsby bump", putting a slight downward bend to the points so they just barely clear the ties, only touching at the ends of the points. I don't have a number or size of the spring I have used handy but it is about 5/8 inch diameter and a couple inches long. When I didn't have a spring handy I even used a bungee cord as a spring.

Bruce Mowbray wrote on Yahoo LiveDiesel:

I would like to add that you don't need much pressure. Only the amount that will pull the points back against the rail. Too much pressure and unloaded cars will tend to climb up the back side of the point and derail. I did some trial and error experimentation with some air powered switches and found that more than 5 pounds of air in a 3/4 inch bore cylinder caused these type of derailments with light weight cars. It only took 2 or 3 pounds to pull the points in tight, depending on how clean the stainless steel point slide plates were. Dirty and wet took more pressure to move the points.

Jay wrote on Yahoo LiveDiesel, Sept 2014:

I use the following springs from McMaster-Carr:

• Item: 9657K158 (Steel Compression Spring 2.5" L,.438" OD, .048" Wire, Packs of 12, $9.52)

I have used these springs with great success on all my switches.

References

• "Turnout", Robert W. Maynard, Live Steam, April 1972
• "Building a Switch Stand", Alfred W. Frese, Live Steam, May 1972
• "Turnout Design and Fabrication Part 1: Design and Layout" I. Douglas Alkire, Live Steam, September 1974
• "Turnout Design and Fabrication Part 2: Fabrication" I. Douglas Alkire, Live Steam, October 1974
• "Turnout Design and Fabrication Part 3: Frog Assembly Drawings" I. Douglas Alkire, Live Steam, November 1974
• "Turnout Design and Fabrication Part 4" I. Douglas Alkire, Live Steam, December 1974
• "Turnout Design and Fabrication Part 5: Switch Points" I. Douglas Alkire, Live Steam, January 1975
• "Turnout Design and Fabrication Part 6: Switch Points" I. Douglas Alkire, Live Steam, February 1975
• "Turnout Design Consideration: In Depth Look", I. Douglas Alkire, Live Steam, April 1982
• "Permanent Way: 3-way Stub Switch", Tom Stamp, Live Steam, November/December 1996
• "How I Built a Bryant 7.5 inch Gauge Turnout", Douglas Wan Veelen, Live Steam, July/August 2005
• "Power-Actuated Kick Switch", Ron Trenhaile, Live Steam, January/February 2007
  • See also Live Steam, July/August 2001
• "Park Gauge for the Beginner on a Limited Budget: Building Switch Stands", Malcolm Mackey, <iLLive Steam, January/February 1999
• "New Switch Stand", Scott Pointon, Live Steam, March/April 2000
• "Track Accessories: Switch Machine, Bench, Fuel Tank", Dan Foltz, Live Steam, September/October 2005
• "Special Switches Solve Layout Problems", Steve Booth, Live Steam, July/August 2006
• "Turnout Construction", Illinois Live Steamers
• "Switch Building at Maricopa Live Steamers", DiscoverLiveSteam.com
• "Backyard Railroad Standards", Chaski.org
• "Switch frog info", Chaski.org