Model Railway Forum

Hi

I'm fairly new to this so bear with me.

My initial experience has also been with Kato N Unitrack which is marvellously plug and play when it comes to turnouts.

I'm building a small N scale diorama shelf layout of 140 x 25 cm. Fairly simple shunting with 4 turnouts.
I'm using Peco Code 55 rail and Peco Unifrog turnouts.

I already had some small Gaugemaster Seep motors (GMC-PM1) so I'm using these with a simple toggle switch on the front facia to control the turnouts. I've even wired them to switch the frog polarity to try and get smooth shunting.

I've just got the first one installed.
I'm powering it with 16V AC from the accessories connection of a Z gauge Marklin transformer.
When I press the toggle switch I'm getting movement on the turnout but not enough to throw the turnout.

Does anyone here have experience with something similar?

The Peco turnout has quite a strong spring to hold it in position.
I'd rather not remove this spring (so I always have the option to throw manually) but do you think the spring is so strong it's preventing the seep motor throwing?
Or is it likely the 16V transformer is a bit light in power? I appreciate a capacitor discharge unit would be ideal and give a nice burst of power to help the turnout throw but I can't find anywhere that ships to my location (I'm in Portugal) without import grief. (Since Brexit getting anything shipped from the UK is not so simple).

Thanks

You need to add a CDU (capacitor discharge unit) to the set up and ensure you are using on-off-on momentary switches as it’s not clear from your comments which type of toggle switch you are using.

As Steve quite correctly says, you really need a CDU to be charged by the 16v AC power supply you already have. One CDU will usually be for the whole layout.
Your switches MUST spring back to the centre Off position. If they remain in one of the two On positions, they are the incorrect type of switch and should not be used.

Additionally, all wiring from the CDU output terminals to the point operating switches and the two wires from the switch to the motor and the return wire all need to be ideally wired in 16/0.2mm flexible wire (0.5mm2 or 20AWG)

This company in Portugal sell the Peco CDU. Unfortunately not translatable to English but seem to be in stock?

@Steve M, @Brian

Thanks guys, good advice.

I'll organise a Peco CDU and fit it - not exactly a major investment.

Yes, my switches are sprung On-Off-On. Only sending current momentarily.

I've used 0.14mm wire. The runs are only 10 - 15 cm. Hopefully that's not a problem.
Though I could increase the Ø on the three remaining seep motor connections.

Thanks again.

Rick

Rick wrote:I've used 0.14mm wire

Are you sure of that decimal point? that seems tiny. For comparison, 20AWG is around .81mm diameter.

I've used 7/0.2mm (1.4mm) wire for point motors before, on up to about a meter length with no major issues, but it certainly isn't ideal.

I recently bought some of this :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B089D6C7R7? ... tails&th=1, which is reported as 20AWG. The strands are very fine, which does allow it to be quite flexible, and it seems to take solder well.

I also used 7/0.2 wire for my point motors and it's no surprise that a couple at the furthest distance from the switch are not as reliable as they could be. 16/0.2 is a much better choice. One day I will listen to my own advice.

I started off (a couple of years back) in Z gauge.
I made a table top sized layout and found the .14 wire through a Portuguese supplier.

Since I moved to N I've kept using the same wire.
I now get to from a German specialist
https://www.dm-toys.de/en/product-detai ... 51023.html

I'm only doing short runs and I've not really considered anything else.

Next time I purchase I'll up the spec:
https://www.dm-toys.de/en/product-detai ... 51194.html

Rick wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:08 pm I started off (a couple of years back) in Z gauge.
I made a table top sized layout and found the .14 wire through a Portuguese supplier.

Since I moved to N I've kept using the same wire.
I now get to from a German specialist
https://www.dm-toys.de/en/product-detai ... 51023.html

I'm only doing short runs and I've not really considered anything else.

Next time I purchase I'll up the spec:
https://www.dm-toys.de/en/product-detai ... 51194.html

Hi
You can always double or even treble up cores! So as two (or three) equal lengths of the same wire are used for each feed or return and are joined together at both ends.

Even the 0.25mm2 (lower link) is half as small in size than I recommend for solenoid point motors minimum wire size - 0.5mm2 is about the minimum size, which is roughly equal to UK 16/0.2mm