# HO Turnout Modification - functional?



## MD. (8 mo ago)

I have some of my father's HO train kits and parts that I am selling off. I came across a bunch of turnouts (Atlas #6) that my father appears to have modified. It looks like he used something like a dremel tool on the underside of the turnout to cut the connectors which tie the switch and closure rails to the stock rails. (see photo)









Are these switches good for anything now? Is this a common thing to do with these for a reason I don't understand? Can these be used as functioning switches for anything, or would they just be good for show and not actually used? 

Thanks!


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

He may have wanted to remove a power-routing feature, dependent on the position of the points. Or, the wheelsets he was using were so wide that he got unwanted shorts from the flange face on the rear of the wheels swiping live rails that were being fed opposite polarity. It's not clear to me why he would do this, but let's assume his effort was carefully considered, since he was damaging turnouts in a sort of way, and that it was correcting a problem of some kind. I have mangled curved Walthers/Shinohara turnouts because their inner curved routes were considerably less in radius than was claimed, and than I needed. It's not for the faint of heart, but once you figure out how mangling them can retain their function, mostly, and not permanently render them 'broken', and at the same time solve a thorny electrical or mechanical problem, you have at 'er. Just never in haste or in anger. 

I'm not a user of Atlas Customline, and haven't researched them. They'll work fine mechanically, but I think he must have powered the frogs and closure rails.......separately?

Someone will comment soon who knows.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

MD. said:


> I have some of my father's HO train kits and parts that I am selling off. I came across a bunch of turnouts (Atlas #6) that my father appears to have modified. It looks like he used something like a dremel tool on the underside of the turnout to cut the connectors which tie the switch and closure rails to the stock rails. (see photo)
> View attachment 583232
> 
> 
> ...


MD; 

Its hard to guess what someone else was thinking, but I have a theory. I will mention, up front, that while I scratchbuild my own (N-scale) "turnouts" (track switches) and know a good deal about turnouts in general, I have not used an Atlas "Custom Line" turnout, since they're not available in N-scale. 

I think he may have been trying to isolate the metal frog, that comes on Custom Line turnouts, from the rest of the rails. This would be an odd way of doing that, but it would probably work. Isolated frogs are most commonly used with DCC control. Do you know if your dad was using DCC? Whether he was, or not, he would likely have needed to power the frog with a separate wire, and some form of electrical switch to change the polarity. It looks like the two moving point rails may be electrically connected to each other. That too would be a bit odd, though it is done on some turnouts. The Custom Line turnout's metal frog comes with a tab on the side with a hole in it. This is used to fasten a frog-powering wire to the frog with a screw, since the metal used in these frogs does not accept solder. I was under the impression that the Custom Line turnouts had insulating gaps cut between the actual frog, and the rails on either end of it. However, that's just my guess. Yes, the turnout can still be used. Depending on the way you want to wire it you may need to add small wire jumpers to replace the metal jumper plates your dad cut.

Good luck;

Traction Fan


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

i used atlas custom line no 6s [in HO], but i added jumpers where your dad cut them out. while none of my loco [mostly geared steam] required powered frogs, i left them un powered as such, and they worked well. i did have to add small strips of styrene [maybe 0.020 inch] to fill in a drop where the frog was located..


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## rrman987 (Aug 29, 2021)

wvgca said:


> i used atlas custom line no 6s [in HO], but i added jumpers where your dad cut them out. while none of my loco [mostly geared steam] required powered frogs, i left them un powered as such, and they worked well. i did have to add small strips of styrene [maybe 0.020 inch] to fill in a drop where the frog was located..


So are you depending on the rail points to conduct the current to the proper rails, or is there an external microswitch or whatever to do "the heavy lifting" directing track currents?


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

rrman987 said:


> So are you depending on the rail points to conduct the current to the proper rails, or is there an external microswitch or whatever to do "the heavy lifting" directing track currents?


no external microswitch or other circuitry, beyond the DCC controller


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

rrman987 said:


> So are you depending on the rail points to conduct the current to the proper rails, or is there an external microswitch or whatever to do "the heavy lifting" directing track currents?


rrman97;

Using the points to switch the track power of a turnout can be unreliable, depending on the turnout brand, and the cleanliness of the point & stock rails. Things like external micro-switches, and "Frog Juicer' commercial circuit boards, are optional. Generally, they are only used when the frog is to be powered. If you install insulated rail joiners in the two short rails coming out of the frog, and feeder wires beyond them, then a micro-switch would not be necessary. For more info on turnouts see the file below.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## rrman987 (Aug 29, 2021)

traction fan said:


> rrman97;
> 
> Using the points to switch the track power of a turnout can be unreliable, depending on the turnout brand, and the cleanliness of the point & stock rails. Things like external micro-switches, and "Frog Juicer' commercial circuit boards, are optional. Generally, they are only used when the frog is to be powered. If you install insulated rail joiners in the two short rails coming out of the frog, and feeder wires beyond them, then a micro-switch would not be necessary. For more info on turnouts see the file below.
> 
> Traction Fan 🙂


Thank you, I was just curious as I am a 3 rail O gauge, so don't have be wary of inadvertent track shorts by turnout points.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

rrman987 said:


> So are you depending on the rail points to conduct the current to the proper rails, or is there an external microswitch or whatever to do "the heavy lifting" directing track currents?


Most experienced model railroaders would add another pair of feeders in each leg of the rail downstream of the turnout, thus ensuring a constant supply of electricity.


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