Controlling Hornby points: R8243 or R8014 + R8015?

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Apologies in advance if this topic has been covered before ...

I'm just finishing work on my baseboard and will soon be laying track. I've started to think about to the control of the points. I've got some research to do (warning: another post about this will be on its way soon!) but the first decision seems to be which control device to use. I'll be surface-mounting whatever I use. Cost-wise, the R8243 looks to be the better bet, but seems less easy to disguise. The R8014 + R8015 combo. looks more elegant, but carries a ~£8 penalty per point, and I wonder just how things would look with so many point motor housing huts dotted about my layout.

Given that the solenoid wiring seems to be the same, I suppose it comes down to personal preference , but I just wondered would other modellers use in their set-ups, and whether there were any other benefits comparing one set-up to the other that I might have missed.

Cheers. Clem

[Brian]

Hi

I have been a solinoid point motor user since the 1960's when H & M were the then Bees Knees of motors (BTW H & M are Hammant and Morgan. Not Hornby)

This last two years I've moved away from solenoids to Servo motors which are slow motion and virtually silent. OK they need electronic boards to operate them but they are more controllable and lower powered than Solenoids

However, if using Solenoids you need to really ensure a few things to make their operation better.
Ideally use a 16 volt AC power supply
Use a Capacitor Discharge Unit (CDU). Only one is normally needed for the whole layout
Only use Momentary passing contact levers or switches (not the Hornby R044 Black lever) Switches are (On)-Off-(On) type sprung to centre Off.
Use as a minimum 16/0.2mm wire throughout.

[Rog (RJ)]

I have a mixture of the two types with the side mounted motors used in more confined areas. The huts do stand out like a sore thumb if there are too many and you may be able to disguise the R8014 motors under buildings, hillsides or platforms by using lengths of stiff wire or wood to connect the point motors to the point.

Edit.

I actually use the Peco side mounted point motors as I think they are less obtrusive and simpler to fit and they fit Hornby points pretty well. The operating arm is a bit loose on the operating arm of the point but work well. The Peco motors are said to be more reliable than Hornby's.

[darkscot]

There is also the Rails of Sheffield option:

https://railsofsheffield.com/collection ... ingle-pack

I have never used these, but they SEEM to be a bit more discrete than the Hornby versions.

[Brian]

Plus of course there is the Gaugemaster own branded PM20 (not cheap though!) https://www.hattons.co.uk/225653/gaugem ... etail.aspx Seen more clearly on the GM web site https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/magen ... -pm20.html

If you're going with solenoids then the Rails of Sheffield one looks to me to be the best option probably?

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Thanks for the replies. I think that I want to stick with Hornby kit, given that I have Hornby points, not forgetting that I'm still a newbie to all of this! That said, I will check-out the other recommendations.

I agree that too many R8014/5s dotted around a layout would be too much, so the R8243 is appealing in that regard. I just can't see how to disguise it easily. A minor hiccup with one of the legs for my layout board means that until a replacement arrives, I can't start work on the track -- grrrr. Still, it will give me time to do some more research.

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Just checked out the Gaugemaster/Rails option. They look quite neat, and I'm tempted to give one of them a go. I just hope that the replacement bits for the layout support hurry up and arrive!