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Home   Forums   Events Calendar   Sponsors   Support the RRLine   Guestbook   FAQ     Register Active Topics | Active Polls | Resources | Members | Online Users | Live Chat | Avatar Legend | Search | Statistics Photo Album | File Lister | File Library [ Active Members: 9 | Anonymous Members: 0 | Guests: 51 ]  [ Total: 60 ]  [ Newest Member: BandOMan ]  All Forums  Model Railroad Forums  Mike Chambers' Craftsman's Corner  Tortoise Below Mounting - How-to Next Page  New Topic |    New Poll |   Reply to Topic |   Printer Friendly Author Topic Page: 1 2 of 2 desertdrover Engineer Premium Member Posted - 05/11/2012 :  1:23:53 PM     A question on another thread was asked about mounting Tortoise Machines, so I thought I would make this how-to and post it here for all interested members. My staging yard is a flat area with 1”x4” grid work with ½” plywood and ½”homasote screwed down on top of the grid work (similar to the picture below - Thanks to Mike Mueller). Since it was not possible to see the switches from the underside of the layout, I made a jig to line-up/center, and mount the tortoise machines from below. I had already drilled the switch holes through the homasote and plywood dead center under the center of the throw bar. This is the jig I made to make life easier for me under the layout. I hope this all makes sense to you. I took a Kadee height gauge and drilled out a hole in the middle front for a piano wire the same size as the Tortoise wire. Then epoxied the wire to the Kadee gauge. This way the Kadee Gauge sits on the switch after it is in place on the layout, and centers the switch to the middle/center with the wire going through. Then I got under the layout and used the Tortoise template to slip up onto the wire so I could mark the four (4) holes for the Tortoise Machine. It lined up the tortoise each and every time. This method worked like a charm for me. See pictures for how the modified Kadee was made and used to line up the Tortoise wire. Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Country: USA | Posts: 11260 AVRR-PA Fireman Premium Member Posted - 05/12/2012 :  06:33:06 AM       Thank, Louis! That's really first-class engineering. I'm printing it out for my notebook. Don Country: USA | Posts: 4596 desertdrover Engineer Premium Member Posted - 05/12/2012 :  08:36:50 AM     Thanks Don! Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Country: USA | Posts: 11260 railmus Fireman Posted - 05/12/2012 :  08:51:33 AM       Am I missing something here? How do you ensure that the tortoise is not rotated at all? Great tutorial! Country: Canada | Posts: 1623 desertdrover Engineer Premium Member Posted - 05/12/2012 :  3:53:12 PM     quote: Originally posted by railmus Am I missing something here? How do you ensure that the tortoise is not rotated at all? Great tutorial! Thanks John. See the arrow in the Tortoise template? Well, that shows the direction of the track above. You can see from the bottom of the layout through the hole the drawbar direction, so the arrow is placed in the direction of the track, and the Tortoise mounting holes are made. Did I make sense in what I'm saying? I used a picture of a switch (assume it is up-side-down) and I used a red circle to show what you see from the bottom of the layout up through the hole to know the direction of the track. Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Edited by - desertdrover on 05/12/2012 4:23:53 PM Country: USA | Posts: 11260 anubis51 Crew Chief Posted - 05/12/2012 :  4:17:45 PM     Hi Louis, That Kadee coupling gauge modification...Great idea! You keep coming up with all these wonderful gadgets, tools, and critters - it makes me wonder how you have any time left over for anything else.... Thanks for sharing. John Time is the Gauge of Existence Country: Australia | Posts: 932 desertdrover Engineer Premium Member Posted - 05/12/2012 :  4:20:00 PM     quote: Originally posted by anubis51 Hi Louis, That Kadee coupling gauge modification...Great idea! You keep coming up with all these wonderful gadgets, tools, and critters - it makes me wonder how you have any time left over for anything else.... Thanks for sharing. John Thanks much John. This hobby has been a big part of my life from a young age. And, know retirement has a big help on things that just used to be in my head. Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Country: USA | Posts: 11260 MarkF Engineer Posted - 05/12/2012 :  7:04:11 PM       Louis, that is one clever idea! I'm fortunate that I have SteamNut that seems to love installing those damn things, but I'm certain this would make his job easier too. Great idea and thanks for sharing! Mark See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/ Country: USA | Posts: 9270 Orionvp17 Fireman Premium Member Posted - 05/12/2012 :  7:17:49 PM     Louis, What a great idea! I love it! I, too, wondered about rotation looking up from "down under." Seems to me that you could resolve that pretty easily by measuring down from the track to the bottom of the hole and attaching a small length of wire to the shaft perpendicular to the track to give a good idea of the orientation from below. A piece about a quarter of an inch or so long epoxied to the shaft would do it. Cut a slit in the template, send the shaft down the hole, slide the template slot over the perpendicular wire and you'd have a positive indication of where the holes should go. Pete who can never seem to get "comfortable" under the layout in Michigan Country: USA | Posts: 2805 k9wrangler Fireman Posted - 05/12/2012 :  7:30:32 PM     I've gone to using hot glue to attach my Tortoi.. I use a pre-drilled hole in the roadbed below the throwbar, tack the throwbar with the turnout half thrown and then attach the machine with an elongate wire sticking up an inch or so before trimming. I don't have any SteamNuts around here to help me, and mine hurt climbing under the layout... Karl Scribner H.M.F.W.B.I.C. Kentucky Southern Rwy & Associated Lines Sunfield Twp. Michigan Country: USA | Posts: 5886 Frank Palmer Crew Chief Posted - 05/13/2012 :  09:48:08 AM       Switch machines are one thing, but what about that benchwork, it looks like poplar. It's beautiful! That's what I'm in awe of. Frank Country: USA | Posts: 558 desertdrover Engineer Premium Member Posted - 05/13/2012 :  12:52:43 PM     quote: Originally posted by Frank Palmer Switch machines are one thing, but what about that benchwork, it looks like poplar. It's beautiful! That's what I'm in awe of. Thanks Frank, but the benchwork I can't take credit for, it is a job that Mike Mueller is doing. I just used the framework picture for a reference for the switch machine how-to. Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Country: USA | Posts: 11260 desertdrover Engineer Premium Member Posted - 05/13/2012 :  12:53:34 PM     quote: Originally posted by MarkF Louis, that is one clever idea! I'm fortunate that I have SteamNut that seems to love installing those damn things, but I'm certain this would make his job easier too. Great idea and thanks for sharing! Thanks for your comments Mark, and taking a look. Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Country: USA | Posts: 11260 desertdrover Engineer Premium Member Posted - 05/13/2012 :  12:57:58 PM     quote: Originally posted by Orionvp17 Louis, What a great idea! I love it! I, too, wondered about rotation looking up from "down under." Seems to me that you could resolve that pretty easily by measuring down from the track to the bottom of the hole and attaching a small length of wire to the shaft perpendicular to the track to give a good idea of the orientation from below. A piece about a quarter of an inch or so long epoxied to the shaft would do it. Cut a slit in the template, send the shaft down the hole, slide the template slot over the perpendicular wire and you'd have a positive indication of where the holes should go. Pete who can never seem to get "comfortable" under the layout in Michigan Thanks Pete. It's pretty straight forward, once you see the drawbar from below, because you know 90 degrees from that is the track. The holes on either side of the Tortoise are straight with the drawbar side to side. Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Country: USA | Posts: 11260 desertdrover Engineer Premium Member Posted - 05/13/2012 :  1:02:55 PM     quote: Originally posted by k9wrangler I've gone to using hot glue to attach my Tortoi.. I use a pre-drilled hole in the roadbed below the throwbar, tack the throwbar with the turnout half thrown and then attach the machine with an elongate wire sticking up an inch or so before trimming. I don't have any SteamNuts around here to help me, and mine hurt climbing under the layout... Your method is about the same Karl. By me using the modified Kadee guage, it hooks/sets down onto the track switch, and holds the drawbar centered for marking Tortoise placement. Louis Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast Country: USA | Posts: 11260 closetguy Fireman Premium Member Posted - 05/14/2012 :  10:46:00 AM       Hi Frank Yes, the bench work is Poplar. I buy 4/4 at the lumber wholesaler and than rip it to 3 1/2" wide pieces. I use hardened #8 x 2" phillips screw with a self tap tip and nibbed head to attach everything. The nibbed head is self recessing. The Poplar is cheaper than clear pine, and since Poplar is technically a "hardwood" it is some much stronger than pine. The layout you see is being built for a client and is 10 x 14 . Mike M Country: USA | Posts: 1288 Page: 1 2 of 2 Topic    New Topic |    New Poll |   Reply to Topic |   Printer Friendly Next Page Jump To: Select Forum Railroad Line Administrative Forums       Forum News       Administrative Posts General Forums       The Tour Bus       The Arrival Track       RR-L Member Personal Websites       The Crew Lounge       The Classroom       Interchange Tracks       Rail Events       Reference & Research Model Railroad Forums       The Sn3 Branch       Mike Chambers' Craftsman's Corner       HOn30 and HOn3 Forum       Early Rail Forum       The On30 Line       Railroad Photography Forum       Small Scale Model Railroad Forum       Mid Scale Model Railroad Forum       Large Scale Model Railroad Forum       Logging, Mining, & Narrow minded       Model Railroad Construction       Micro & Mini Layouts       Layout Design / Operation Sig Forum       Startin' from Scratch       DCC, Computers and Electronics for Model Railroads Shop Talk       Vehicle and Non-Rail Transportation Modeling       The Roundhouse       Rolling Stock: the Car Shops       The Diesel Shop Company Store       Railroad-Line Swap Meet       New Product Announcements Fallen Flag Railroad Forums       Erie / Lackawanna Railroad Forum       Raritan River Railroad Forum Railroad Software Forums       Atlas Right Track Software       Railroad Line Software Library Model Railroad Club Forums       The Model Railroad Club Forum Sponsor Forums       Rusty Stumps Scale Models       KingMill Enterprises Railroad Line Weblinks       Badger Creek Lumber Co.       Central Missouri & Southern RR       Raritan River Railroad       Thor's All Gauge Page  -------------------- Home Active Topics Frequently Asked Questions Member Information Search Page Railroad Line Forums © 2000-13 Railroad Line Co.
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