Ohhhhhh! My error, after reviewing the video over n over i now clearly understand, it was my ignorance, U are using electrofrogs, its just that u further add better constant power so that no matter how dirty the inbetween faces of rail get....u still smoothly get thru..forgiv me for wasting ur time with this i trust ur knowledge n knew that id better review vid, now i got it thanx again to ur great instruction..Ralphy
that was a ace video very informitive and corect..you can drill a hole for the wire that comes off the frog before fitting the point to the basebored,and solder a wire to it under the base bored
@ps3nut17 Thanks. I've just had a quick look and the hornby select has 4 sockets on the back. 2 are for the track, the other 2 are a 15v dc supply, you can use that to power the point motors.
@itgamer100 The dcc + - goes to the motor and gives the track power. To make the motor move i use the dc 12v. DCC is AC voltage and must only be used to power the track either directly or through a polarity switch on a point motor. Peco do make points the same size of the basic hornby ones, i don't know if they do electrofrog ones though.
Brilliant explanation. I'm just starting on a layout and will admit to already using your method for constructing the scenery. I've got electrofrog points but wasn't going to motorise them - however now that i've seen this I think I will - particularly as I intend to weather the track and so will be making the switching contact areas dirty! Much appreciated.
See on your switch with the yellow and red wires...do you use black insulating tape at the connectors?, what are those black plasitc sleeves at the joins? I am wiring up lighting for a building and I am soldering the joins and then insulating them with black tape. Also, how did you attach the wires to the spade connectors?
Yes thats correct. I'm slowly working my way around the layout fitting motors to points that have been in place for over 2 years. As long as the hole is big enough you shouldn't have any problems.
Hi Richard first 2 point motors installed easy really thanks to this tutorial :-) 26 more on the fiddle yard :-( to go, will be an expert after this little lot
do you slide the heat shrink on to the cable and once you've soldered the joint, do you slide it over the connection and heat it?...but heat it with what? Really hope you can help!
understood, but on the same piece of track the very next point seep motor was the other way around ie D to 12+ DCC supply and E to 0V - DCC that totally confused me. Is it to do with which way the polarity switch is sitting (left or right) when you first install it?
So as long as I drill the hole before fixing the track down (and keep the hole clear of ballast) I could fit the point motors at any time in the future, is that right?
@slendersausage I did, attaching the wires into the blue crimp blade splicers is wiring them to the rest of the layout. As said 2 wires go to DCC + and - the other 2 are DC + and - to operate the switch. Everyone's layout wiring is slightly different so I focused the vid on the motor itself as this was what most people were asking about.
I don't use a CDU but I do recommend using one. It's unlikely that the CDU will cause the layout to loose power when wired correctly. I'm guessing your layout has a wiring issue somewhere. I would contact the person who built the layout and see if they can help.
Thanks for putting that together... until now i didnt really understand the peco points so i went with Hornby and put the power clips on them for DCC 99% of my layout is Hornby track.
many thanks for the info.I am not electrical minded but I am following your instructions I am not sure regarding the white wire what you mean or where it goes. I think you do a great job explaining on these vids and look forward to some more many thanks
I use peco code 100 track as it works well with everything and is easy to use. I would also recommend code 75 as it more realistic, however older models don't work so well on it.
@hornbyhobby It is possible if (like me) you drilled a hole for the point motor before the ballasting. If you didn't the you can pobably get away with a surface mounted point motor, but i've never actually used one.
The bus wires are the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out or ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stipped the two wires out from inside.
Wonder if you can help? The way i have made my base board in the loft, with lots of strengthening batons underneath it wont be practical to drill holes underneath the board, what sort of electircal points could i use?
HI First would just like to say love the layout and all the vids on here. Just one question on the points i get all the wiring up and how it works i just noticed that half way down the turn out there are two cuts is this to stop a short circuit when the point is changed and one more question on your 3-way point did u use one point motor. Thanks and again great videos cant wait for the next.
@armleyroad Thanks mate, you only need the insulating joiners at the end of the V coming from the frog. Once those are on the point will work like any other.
a very good tutorial video mate.but it seems like to much hard work for me tho LOL!i really like the static grass around the siding of the tmd, i must invest in a grassmaster soon.looking forwards to another update.
I think for a rank amateur like me the point motors are very daunting especially with all the technical information that you have added in here... what I guess I needed was a very simple...." this goes here, this goes here and that goes there" video.... this is still a bit daunting.
Do you cut the factory wires under the point and connect the moving parts to the outer rails? Most articles say you should. I can't see that it is necessary?
I get the smaller wire from rapid electronics. The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out or ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside
I'm not sure if you'll know what I mean by what I'm about to say but it's worth a try. Instead of using the point motor, could you put insulating rail joiners on the end of points and wire up the track after it? And if so will this work for both electrofrog and insulfrog? Thanks
Yes most wire like that will do. I have point motors wired using multicore RS232 computer cables which have fine wire in the cables (only meant for signal or digital pulses not power). Over a long run the resistance of fine wire makes the point sluggish due to voltage drop so use thicker wire for longer runs.
Excellent video. One question though: The Peco Electrofrog instruction leaflet says to cut the two small wires on the underside of the turnout before wiring up a point motor or if there are short circuit problems with DCC. Did you do this before you wired up the motor, or can the wires be left as they are? Thanks.
You will have to drill a hole for the point motor. Using a screwdriver you should be able to carefully get the point off the baseboard. I have managed to remove ballasted track without breaking it many times in the past.
Hi love the video very helpful as I am experiencing the problem (livefrog )which you are illustrating. I am running D.C.C. but operate my points DC. Is it possible to do a similar wiring job as you have described
I have electro frogs and I have now followed your advice, I don't see what difference it could make to cut and then solder new wires to the outer tracks. Surely all your doing is allowing two (correctly polarised) feeds if you don't cut it so, your frog has two chances? It can't short as the polarity switch surely only matches the physical blade?? I think that's right and that way I can run trains before all motors are in... Thanks for your help, great videos!! Always a treat!
Hi there Everard Junction Thanks for that I now understand. I am hoping to have a video up onto you tube at the end of feb or the beginning of march and I will thank you in the video for all your help. I will recommend your channel too Thanks for everything Martin
When I was doing all the Switch Wiring on my HO Layout, I bought a Spool of Computer Wire with 25 wire's Across the Strip they put a RED Wire every FIVE ( 5 ) wires which makes it easy, First at one end I found the red wire which is five lines, I made a small cut and pulled the wire( to save time you can make your Cuts every 5 wires ) for pulling, you might ask why 5, first off they are easy to find and pull, when I have 5 lines I made another cut at 3 which I used for all my switch's very easy with the Center and two sides for Left and Right with the Center being the Common Line. Very easy as long as you KEEP the Line FLAT, At each end I placed a piece of masking tape with R-C-L at each end, very helpful for LONG Wire Run's, Now with the 2 remaining lines I used them for all my AC lines like Light's and What Not's, and the Computer Wire Comes in Very Long Rolls, which will get you to a lot of Point's, like wiring a Yard and More. Don't let the Price Scare you because you will be getting a lot of wire for you money, and it is totally worth it, in wire and trouble, and Have Fun.
Hello Mate, I'm finally getting near the end of soldering droppers onto my tracks and like you, have decided to go with the point motors although I hadn't made up my mind at the start. I will use Seep PM1s as well, but have yet to buy them. Can you tell me please what size hole to leave for the point motor? I've seen motors fitted to the underside of ponts and dropped 'into' the base boards but the holes for these have to be quite large so I would prefer the same method as you. Cheers, Chris
You could do that but... You would have to make a bracket to mount the servo under the board. A lever mechanism attached to the point would need to be fabricated. The server would need to be re-wired with a switch and power feed. It has no polarity switch so one would need to be bought and installed along side. Some way of limiting how far the servo moves would need to worked out or it could break the point motor. I would go for tortoise point motors if you want servo like operation.
Hi, can you tell me the make of points you are using? I totally agree they are far more realistic! I'm just starting out (again) and will be watching your great videos for info. Excellent work Everard Junction!
For your main line track what code of Peco do you use and why did you select this code. What are the pros to this code in your opinion. Thanks for you videos, I always look forward to seeing what you're up to
As always great video Richard. Just one question I dont plan using a switch, I want to use a Lenz LS150 DCC Accessory Decoder 6 Way. Each port has 3 holes. A switch only uses 2 wires how would I wire this please. I pretty much understand the rest
Hornby R8072 and R8073 points are insulfrog I think? I use those points on my layout, so if they are insulfrog points I don't need to worry about the polarity switching? I also operate in DC and have no plans to go DCC until I upgrade from my Hornby tackmat layout. Will this effect how I wire things up?
A quick question (or two) Richard.... are the SEEP point motors smaller than the peco ones? As I have a area under my raised section with track underneath and I need a small point motor due to the limited clearance! Also, what do you cut the point motor rod with, after its fitted? Its obviously too long and needs trimmed, but I am struggling to source the right tool what will allow me to snip it when its already fitted to the layout. I had used a trusty old pair of cutters, but they broke! What do you use? Finally, I have a DCC Concepts point decoder, for controlling the points by DCC if I want to go down that route. Would it matter if I bought a seep with built in accessory switch, but didn't use it, instead choosing to use the decoder (which has a built in accessory switch)CheersDave
+DaveClass47 Hi Dave. The seeps are smaller in height than the peco ones. I don't have one to hand right now, but the are no more that 20mm tall. I use a Dremel with a cutting disk to get rid of the excess rod. Some track cutters might also do it. As for the accessory switch you don't have to worry if you don't wire it up. Seep also make them without the switch if you don't want it. Cheers
***** hi, try rapid electronics. They sell them by the bag load! Crimp blade splices and crimp blade connectors. I use them on my layout too. They are easy to use.
Hi. Great insight to electrofrogs. However I still use insulfrog and was wondering if I can still use these seep motors on dc and not wire the frog and dcc wires. Secondly I've seen that the hole needs to be 9.5 mm wide. However a drill bit leaves a huge hole underneath. So can I effectively just make a hole 9.5 mm wide underneath the tie bar and just make the lenght according to the diameter of the motors bar ?
Hi, Have only just found your video. I'm about to undertake the task of fitting 19 PM1 point motors, and was wondering what size of cable you use. I've looked on Ebay and it seems that 16/0.2 is sold as normal. Great video very useful. Many thanks
I have a DCC bus to my track, but I want to use DC point motors with switches like yours. So far, I have got one ground signal powered from an old gaugemaster controller. So can I use the DCC bus for the red and black connections to the motor and just connect the negative from the gaugemaster? My DCC bus is running at a about 17V.
Hi Richard, do you still need to take the two wires out from the underside of the point just before the frog and make a connection between the two rails, so contact is always there regardless if the blades aren’t connecting properly, as you would with a Peco point motor.
Hi. Very informative video. Thanks. One thing I cannot find in any videos is what happens when a loco approaches the point when it is set against it. On mine it shorts out and I can’t see any way it wouldn’t do this as both rails are the same polarity. Is there a solution to this that you know of please?? Thanks.
This may be covered elsewhere but I was wondering why you don't cut off the bars on the points once the point has a motor. You don't need them anymore and they don't exactly look prototypical. Any reason to keep them?
Hi this might be a daft question, could I wire 2 sets ov points with 2 motors to 1 switch, so both points operated at the same time, ie on a passing loop. Thanks Andy
Hi Everard Junction, Great video, do you have any methods for making the hole for the actuating rod whilst the turnout is in place permanently? I wish I had considered this myself when I started building my layout, because I have always had plans to electrify the switch points on my layout. Thanks R
@bobbysong69 If you are you using dc then terminals D & E of the motor go to the + & - track feed from the controller. All the rest of the wiring is the same. The wire that goes to the centre of the switch and terminal C go to the + & - 12v feed on the back of the gaugemaster controller. Don't use the 16v as this is AC voltage and will not make things work.
Hi, i notice u power the insulated frog with green wire becus it isnt powered, now xcus me if im ignorant about something, but would'nt using the electro frogs eliminate havin to add green wire but still use plastics where u did? If reading this tells u im too far off in my knowledge of all this, I wont blame u for not answering, its jus that it seems to me like i wont hav to add green with electrofrogs..thx, Ralphy
For DC use without a polarity switch you will need to use a Seep PM-2 point motor. You will only need to use terminals A,B and C to get them working. Currently all hornby points are insulfrog.
I have used a similar way but I use just three wires to the motor as I'm just starting out and won't to get it all going so I have the + and - going to the point motor and then the frog wire and it seems to work I need to switch it by hand but it's working and it allows me to upgrade it in my own time
Hi The things is that I am looking to buy some dummy point motors for the surfaace of the point but do not know which ones to get and when they are used on a point. Could you please help? Thank you
Hi I recently received some electrofrog points and I am not sure how to wire them into the rest of my track witch is DCC (1) should they be isolated from the rest of the track .I.E. plastic fish plates. If this is the case how do wire them in Or should they be connected directly to the track with no extra wiring. I am not using point motors at this time
wre do u get the main power from . is it from the two scew type thing that are on the power box ?? some told me that it was 16 volts 1 + 1- becoues i am a newbie to this an i like some workinh lights and frog points but there no one that will tell me on how to wire ,lights for rail yard ,street lamps an other thing plz can u help me if u can or videos on how to do wire thank you i like ur lay out very nice
You can put insulating joiners on the frog (as I did). That will let the point work without a polarity switch. You can then wire up all the rest later on.
You can convert the running track to DCC and still use analogue DC for the points. Alternatively you will need to get an 'accessory decoder' to drive the point motors - they drive up to four each, it is then just connected to the power bus - or install a 'district' for accessories (power booster).
Thanks for the info, However! today I installed my first Seep motor using electrofrog Peco points and for some bizarre reason my D & E connections on the Seep motor are the other way around!, D is to 0V - to the DCC supply and E is to 12V+ DCC supply.....very strange, took me hours to work it out! lol. I wonder if they have changed them recently?. All woks fine now
The instructions on the peco point say that you should cut the underneath wires of the point, did you do that or is it not necessary for the Seep point motors?
Hi Everard Junction I have had great success installing the PM1 motors thanks to your how to videos. I'm looking to go a little more advanced and want to install two motors onto one switch (I've seen you show the finished product in one of your previous videos, but forgot which one). Following on from use the PM1's and a CDU, can you help by letting me know how to wire two motors up to one switch? I've got two points connected together and wanted one point to switch from one operating line to another. Any help greatly appreciated Andy
Ohhhhhh! My error, after reviewing the video over n over i now clearly understand, it was my ignorance, U are using electrofrogs, its just that u further add better constant power so that no matter how dirty the inbetween faces of rail get....u still smoothly get thru..forgiv me for wasting ur time with this i trust ur knowledge n knew that id better review vid, now i got it thanx again to ur great instruction..Ralphy
About 13min in, excellent explanation of how electrofrog point works in terms of wiring and polarity.
Fantastic video, first class presentation. Electrics puts the fear of god into me, but you make it so easy. Keep up the great work. Jeff Rigden
that was a ace video very informitive and corect..you can drill a hole for the wire that comes off the frog before fitting the point to the basebored,and solder a wire to it under the base bored
@ps3nut17 Thanks. I've just had a quick look and the hornby select has 4 sockets on the back. 2 are for the track, the other 2 are a 15v dc supply, you can use that to power the point motors.
@itgamer100 The dcc + - goes to the motor and gives the track power. To make the motor move i use the dc 12v. DCC is AC voltage and must only be used to power the track either directly or through a polarity switch on a point motor. Peco do make points the same size of the basic hornby ones, i don't know if they do electrofrog ones though.
Just found your video. Best one going and it now all becomes clear. Thanks for doing it. Andrew
This just made point wiring and electro frog points a whole lot simpler for me...thank you for sharing.
Adam Goodin Thanks. It can be a bit of a minefield!
Brilliant explanation. I'm just starting on a layout and will admit to already using your method for constructing the scenery. I've got electrofrog points but wasn't going to motorise them - however now that i've seen this I think I will - particularly as I intend to weather the track and so will be making the switching contact areas dirty! Much appreciated.
See on your switch with the yellow and red wires...do you use black insulating tape at the connectors?, what are those black plasitc sleeves at the joins? I am wiring up lighting for a building and I am soldering the joins and then insulating them with black tape. Also, how did you attach the wires to the spade connectors?
Yes thats correct. I'm slowly working my way around the layout fitting motors to points that have been in place for over 2 years. As long as the hole is big enough you shouldn't have any problems.
Hi Richard first 2 point motors installed easy really thanks to this tutorial :-) 26 more on the fiddle yard :-( to go, will be an expert after this little lot
do you slide the heat shrink on to the cable and once you've soldered the joint, do you slide it over the connection and heat it?...but heat it with what? Really hope you can help!
Thanks. Where do you buy the heat shrink for connectors? My insulating tape is peeling off already and I only taped it up 2 hours ago! lol
Good work on this layout. It really is coming along very well. 👍😊👍👍
understood, but on the same piece of track the very next point seep motor was the other way around ie D to 12+ DCC supply and E to 0V - DCC that totally confused me. Is it to do with which way the polarity switch is sitting (left or right) when you first install it?
So as long as I drill the hole before fixing the track down (and keep the hole clear of ballast) I could fit the point motors at any time in the future, is that right?
@slendersausage I did, attaching the wires into the blue crimp blade splicers is wiring them to the rest of the layout. As said 2 wires go to DCC + and - the other 2 are DC + and - to operate the switch. Everyone's layout wiring is slightly different so I focused the vid on the motor itself as this was what most people were asking about.
:) Passionate at modelling with a FLAIR for clear and steady presenting .. quel bon homme!
I don't use a CDU but I do recommend using one. It's unlikely that the CDU will cause the layout to loose power when wired correctly. I'm guessing your layout has a wiring issue somewhere. I would contact the person who built the layout and see if they can help.
Thanks for putting that together... until now i didnt really understand the peco points so i went with Hornby and put the power clips on them for DCC 99% of my layout is Hornby track.
many thanks for the info.I am not electrical minded but I am following your instructions I am not sure regarding the white wire what you mean or where it goes. I think you do a great job explaining on these vids and look forward to some more many thanks
@jasonandjoesrailway You would be best with insulfrog points, and would have to use some sort of surface mounted point motors instead.
I use heat shrink for the connectors. The spades are clamped on using pliers.
THANKS FOR THE POINTS VIDEO AS ALWAYS YOU MAKE IT LOOK SO STRAIGHT FORWARD
@pyronathanpyro The motors are easy to find, wire is from maplins and the switches are from ebay, they are double throw centre off switches.
I use peco code 100 track as it works well with everything and is easy to use. I would also recommend code 75 as it more realistic, however older models don't work so well on it.
@hornbyhobby It is possible if (like me) you drilled a hole for the point motor before the ballasting. If you didn't the you can pobably get away with a surface mounted point motor, but i've never actually used one.
The bus wires are the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out or ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stipped the two wires out from inside.
@jackabeejackson The best size for the hole is probably about the size of a 1p coin. Then the motor can be mounted underneath.
Wonder if you can help? The way i have made my base board in the loft, with lots of strengthening batons underneath it wont be practical to drill holes underneath the board, what sort of electircal points could i use?
HI First would just like to say love the layout and all the vids on here. Just one question on the points i get all the wiring up and how it works i just noticed that half way down the turn out there are two cuts is this to stop a short circuit when the point is changed and one more question on your 3-way point did u use one point motor. Thanks
and again great videos cant wait for the next.
@armleyroad Thanks mate, you only need the insulating joiners at the end of the V coming from the frog. Once those are on the point will work like any other.
@gazclass58 Thanks, if you use insulfrog you don't need a polarity switch and the wiring is more simple.
a very good tutorial video mate.but it seems like to much hard work for me tho LOL!i really like the static grass around the siding of the tmd, i must invest in a grassmaster soon.looking forwards to another update.
another great video your layout looks very realistic
I use sprung centre off switches. The 3 terminals on the bottom make on-off-on as you flick the switch.
I think for a rank amateur like me the point motors are very daunting especially with all the technical information that you have added in here... what I guess I needed was a very simple...." this goes here, this goes here and that goes there" video.... this is still a bit daunting.
Should do, I think the accessory point decoder works with most point motors.
Do you cut the factory wires under the point and connect the moving parts to the outer rails? Most articles say you should. I can't see that it is necessary?
I get the smaller wire from rapid electronics. The bus wire is the 2.5mm solid core wire you get out or ordinary grey building wire. I bought a reel from a diy shop and stripped the two wires out from inside
Great video , better than the professional DVDs I've got explaining this , thank you
Just starting my lay out. Great vids full of loads of good info. Thanks
I'm not sure if you'll know what I mean by what I'm about to say but it's worth a try. Instead of using the point motor, could you put insulating rail joiners on the end of points and wire up the track after it? And if so will this work for both electrofrog and insulfrog?
Thanks
Yes most wire like that will do. I have point motors wired using multicore RS232 computer cables which have fine wire in the cables (only meant for signal or digital pulses not power). Over a long run the resistance of fine wire makes the point sluggish due to voltage drop so use thicker wire for longer runs.
It's wired to switch the polarity of the point, If you just want to change the point then you only need to use the terminals for the switch.
Excellent video. One question though: The Peco Electrofrog instruction leaflet says to cut the two small wires on the underside of the turnout before wiring up a point motor or if there are short circuit problems with DCC. Did you do this before you wired up the motor, or can the wires be left as they are? Thanks.
You will have to drill a hole for the point motor. Using a screwdriver you should be able to carefully get the point off the baseboard. I have managed to remove ballasted track without breaking it many times in the past.
Hi love the video very helpful as I am experiencing the problem (livefrog )which you are illustrating. I am running D.C.C. but operate my points DC. Is it possible to do a similar wiring job as you have described
I have electro frogs and I have now followed your advice, I don't see what difference it could make to cut and then solder new wires to the outer tracks. Surely all your doing is allowing two (correctly polarised) feeds if you don't cut it so, your frog has two chances? It can't short as the polarity switch surely only matches the physical blade??
I think that's right and that way I can run trains before all motors are in... Thanks for your help, great videos!! Always a treat!
BR Blues Thanks, glad you got it sorted. I still have some points without motors and they still work fine. Just keep them clean and you'll be ok.
@maxilfli1 Yeah, they are peco code 100 streamline points, you can get them in insulfrog or electrofrog
Hi there Everard Junction
Thanks for that I now understand.
I am hoping to have a video up onto you tube at the end of feb or the beginning of march and I will thank you in the video for all your help.
I will recommend your channel too
Thanks for everything
Martin
once again a brilliant vid, i am using insul frog with hornby point motors but am liking these points and motors. are they peco points ??
Great Vid and explanation, if the seep motor switches the polarity then you could also install directional signal lights at each point? Steve
When I was doing all the Switch Wiring on my HO Layout, I bought a Spool of Computer Wire with 25 wire's Across the Strip they put a RED Wire every FIVE ( 5 ) wires which makes it easy, First at one end I found the red wire which is five lines, I made a small cut and pulled the wire( to save time you can make your Cuts every 5 wires ) for pulling, you might ask why 5, first off they are easy to find and pull, when I have 5 lines I made another cut at 3 which I used for all my switch's very easy with the Center and two sides for Left and Right with the Center being the Common Line. Very easy as long as you KEEP the Line FLAT, At each end I placed a piece of masking tape with R-C-L at each end, very helpful for LONG Wire Run's, Now with the 2 remaining lines I used them for all my AC lines like Light's and What Not's, and the Computer Wire Comes in Very Long Rolls, which will get you to a lot of Point's, like wiring a Yard and More. Don't let the Price Scare you because you will be getting a lot of wire for you money, and it is totally worth it, in wire and trouble, and Have Fun.
Joseph Meko PC ribbon cable is very useful, I've seen it used on various layouts. Very useful in complex areas.
Hello Mate,
I'm finally getting near the end of soldering droppers onto my tracks and like you, have decided to go with the point motors although I hadn't made up my mind at the start. I will use Seep PM1s as well, but have yet to buy them. Can you tell me please what size hole to leave for the point motor? I've seen motors fitted to the underside of ponts and dropped 'into' the base boards but the holes for these have to be quite large so I would prefer the same method as you.
Cheers,
Chris
You could do that but...
You would have to make a bracket to mount the servo under the board. A lever mechanism attached to the point would need to be fabricated. The server would need to be re-wired with a switch and power feed. It has no polarity switch so one would need to be bought and installed along side. Some way of limiting how far the servo moves would need to worked out or it could break the point motor.
I would go for tortoise point motors if you want servo like operation.
@AdamHorton1234 I use an old gaugemaster controller for power, at present I don't use a cdu.
Hi, can you tell me the make of points you are using? I totally agree they are far more realistic! I'm just starting out (again) and will be watching your great videos for info. Excellent work Everard Junction!
For your main line track what code of Peco do you use and why did you select this code. What are the pros to this code in your opinion. Thanks for you videos, I always look forward to seeing what you're up to
@smithy9148 The seep PM1 is best used with electrofrog, it will work fine with normal points though.
As always great video Richard. Just one question I dont plan using a switch, I want to use a Lenz LS150 DCC Accessory Decoder 6 Way. Each port has 3 holes. A switch only uses 2 wires how would I wire this please. I pretty much understand the rest
Great video am i right in thinking that the 12v on the switch and 0 (c) go to a acceries bus wire?
Hornby R8072 and R8073 points are insulfrog I think? I use those points on my layout, so if they are insulfrog points I don't need to worry about the polarity switching?
I also operate in DC and have no plans to go DCC until I upgrade from my Hornby tackmat layout. Will this effect how I wire things up?
A quick question (or two) Richard.... are the SEEP point motors smaller than the peco ones? As I have a area under my raised section with track underneath and I need a small point motor due to the limited clearance! Also, what do you cut the point motor rod with, after its fitted? Its obviously too long and needs trimmed, but I am struggling to source the right tool what will allow me to snip it when its already fitted to the layout. I had used a trusty old pair of cutters, but they broke! What do you use? Finally, I have a DCC Concepts point decoder, for controlling the points by DCC if I want to go down that route. Would it matter if I bought a seep with built in accessory switch, but didn't use it, instead choosing to use the decoder (which has a built in accessory switch)CheersDave
+DaveClass47 Hi Dave. The seeps are smaller in height than the peco ones. I don't have one to hand right now, but the are no more that 20mm tall. I use a Dremel with a cutting disk to get rid of the excess rod. Some track cutters might also do it. As for the accessory switch you don't have to worry if you don't wire it up. Seep also make them without the switch if you don't want it. Cheers
Cheers, the SEEP might be the answer to getting a turnout in the upper section when it is directly above the tracks below! Dave
***** hi, try rapid electronics. They sell them by the bag load! Crimp blade splices and crimp blade connectors. I use them on my layout too. They are easy to use.
I like the design of the seeps. I heard of people having problems with them and wonder if you have had any problems.
Hi. Great insight to electrofrogs. However I still use insulfrog and was wondering if I can still use these seep motors on dc and not wire the frog and dcc wires. Secondly I've seen that the hole needs to be 9.5 mm wide. However a drill bit leaves a huge hole underneath. So can I effectively just make a hole 9.5 mm wide underneath the tie bar and just make the lenght according to the diameter of the motors bar ?
Hi, Have only just found your video. I'm about to undertake the task of fitting 19 PM1 point motors, and was wondering what size of cable you use. I've looked on Ebay and it seems that 16/0.2 is sold as normal. Great video very useful. Many thanks
I have a DCC bus to my track, but I want to use DC point motors with switches like yours. So far, I have got one ground signal powered from an old gaugemaster controller. So can I use the DCC bus for the red and black connections to the motor and just connect the negative from the gaugemaster? My DCC bus is running at a about 17V.
Hi Richard, do you still need to take the two wires out from the underside of the point just before the frog and make a connection between the two rails, so contact is always there regardless if the blades aren’t connecting properly, as you would with a Peco point motor.
Hi. Very informative video. Thanks. One thing I cannot find in any videos is what happens when a loco approaches the point when it is set against it. On mine it shorts out and I can’t see any way it wouldn’t do this as both rails are the same polarity. Is there a solution to this that you know of please?? Thanks.
Very helpful video thanks. What did you use to cut the point motor rods after fitting ?
This may be covered elsewhere but I was wondering why you don't cut off the bars on the points once the point has a motor. You don't need them anymore and they don't exactly look prototypical. Any reason to keep them?
Hi this might be a daft question, could I wire 2 sets ov points with 2 motors to 1 switch, so both points operated at the same time, ie on a passing loop.
Thanks Andy
question. I love those wagons you have behind the class 33. Could you tell me those would fit in a 1960's era or not?
Does that mean the points work the same as the reverse loop module?. Great videos and very helpful. cheers.
Hi Everard Junction,
Great video, do you have any methods for making the hole for the actuating rod whilst the turnout is in place permanently? I wish I had considered this myself when I started building my layout, because I have always had plans to electrify the switch points on my layout.
Thanks
R
@bobbysong69 If you are you using dc then terminals D & E of the motor go to the + & - track feed from the controller. All the rest of the wiring is the same. The wire that goes to the centre of the switch and terminal C go to the + & - 12v feed on the back of the gaugemaster controller. Don't use the 16v as this is AC voltage and will not make things work.
do you need electrofrog points for this sort of point motor i am using hornby motors but just dont seem strong enough ??
Hi, i notice u power the insulated frog with green wire becus it isnt powered, now xcus me if im ignorant about something, but would'nt using the electro frogs eliminate havin to add green wire but still use plastics where u did? If reading this tells u im too far off in my knowledge of all this, I wont blame u for not answering, its jus that it seems to me like i wont hav to add green with electrofrogs..thx, Ralphy
If I have not got dcc, can you misd doing the two dcc wires to the point motor and the frog?
For DC use without a polarity switch you will need to use a Seep PM-2 point motor. You will only need to use terminals A,B and C to get them working.
Currently all hornby points are insulfrog.
I have used a similar way but I use just three wires to the motor as I'm just starting out and won't to get it all going so I have the + and - going to the point motor and then the frog wire and it seems to work I need to switch it by hand but it's working and it allows me to upgrade it in my own time
Hi
The things is that I am looking to buy some dummy point motors for the surfaace of the point but do not know which ones to get and when they are used on a point. Could you please help? Thank you
Hi there,
I am fairly new to this model railway but i was wondering what is a bus cable and why do you need it?
Hi I recently received some electrofrog points and I am not sure how to wire them into the rest of my track witch is DCC (1) should they be isolated from the rest of the track .I.E. plastic fish plates. If this is the case how do wire them in
Or should they be connected directly to the track with no extra wiring.
I am not using point motors at this time
Hi great video, just a quick question, where do you get you retaining wall from that is also in the background.cheers
What is the part number of the clamps you use to connect the DC wire to the bus wire??
Thanks
Thanks for this Info. Can I just use the two switch (A & B) + The Common (C) with the Frog (F)? Do I have to wire D & E, (What are they for??? John
wre do u get the main power from . is it from the two scew type thing that are on the power box ?? some told me that it was 16 volts 1 + 1- becoues i am a newbie to this an i like some workinh lights and frog points but there no one that will tell me on how to wire ,lights for rail yard ,street lamps an other thing plz can u help me if u can or videos on how to do wire thank you i like ur lay out very nice
Very nice. Can you tell me the name of the switches you have bought. Thanks. I enjoy all your turtorials
Stefan Lucassen I think these ones are single pole, double throw, centre off switches.
You can put insulating joiners on the frog (as I did). That will let the point work without a polarity switch. You can then wire up all the rest later on.
Where do you get the blue things from at 19:20?
You can convert the running track to DCC and still use analogue DC for the points. Alternatively you will need to get an 'accessory decoder' to drive the point motors - they drive up to four each, it is then just connected to the power bus - or install a 'district' for accessories (power booster).
Thanks for the info, However! today I installed my first Seep motor using electrofrog Peco points and for some bizarre reason my D & E connections on the Seep motor are the other way around!, D is to 0V - to the DCC supply and E is to 12V+ DCC supply.....very strange, took me hours to work it out! lol. I wonder if they have changed them recently?. All woks fine now
Hi there. Im fairly young and into N gauge. Mainly modern. I'm just about to start making my layout soon!
The instructions on the peco point say that you should cut the underneath wires of the point, did you do that or is it not necessary for the Seep point motors?
Very informative Richard!
Have been wondering how to do that. Thanks for the info.
Hi Everard Junction
I have had great success installing the PM1 motors thanks to your how to videos. I'm looking to go a little more advanced and want to install two motors onto one switch (I've seen you show the finished product in one of your previous videos, but forgot which one). Following on from use the PM1's and a CDU, can you help by letting me know how to wire two motors up to one switch? I've got two points connected together and wanted one point to switch from one operating line to another.
Any help greatly appreciated
Andy