I can kill two birds with one magnet

Very nice idea Bob! I'm going to implement it tomorrow on a particular Micro Engineering turnout with a problematic over-center spring. I recently bought some of these tiny neodymium magnets to allow trackmen figures to ride on rolling stock, so I've already got them on hand. 

I've tried a couple of other approaches when an overcenter spring gets out of adjustment. Once a turnout is glued down I'm reluctant to tear into the spring compartment from the top, so I've been adding another spring (bent piano wire) to help restore the intended action. Your method seems to provide a more directly controlled solution, and seems to be easier to conceal. 

Stacking magnets to provide adjustable force is very elegant!

Jeff Allen

Strength of the magnets

Not to mention but these neodymium magnets are surprising strong for their size.  I have seen one jump 3/4" of an inch to attach itself to another magnet.

If you have a plastic tweezers it works so much better in handling them, especially when gluing them to the throw rod.

Got Tortoises already but...

I will be very interested in the switch stands and ground throws.  Your idea is superb!  Great out of the box thinking!

Nick

Great idea...

I like this idea. Will you add magnets and a post to the other side of the switch for the normal position, or are you leaving it as is for some reason?  

There is a real need for scale size ground throws too. I'll be interested in seeing those. The caboose hobbies throws are gigantic, and a real pain with which to work. 

Jeff, fwiw, I've changed the springs on Peco switches glued-in place and it was relatively easy to do.

Randy

The other side of the switch

Yes I added the magnets and pin to the other side after I produced the blog.   I only demonstrated for one side as doing the other is essentially the same steps.

wow

what creativity!

I would be concerned about

I would be concerned about the force on the throw bar to move it away from the magnet. That extra load may cause a failure of the throw bar before long as the additional force is going to be focused on what ever is moving the points and the attachment point usually a hole in the throw bar.

Any problems with coupler trip pins?

This is genius! Thanks for sharing!

Just wondering if you've noticed any issues running cars with the metal coupler trip pins through that section of track, i.e. unwanted uncoupling in the vicinity of the magnets?

Coupler trip pins

The magnets have no affect there is way too much mass in the pin, the distance is too far, and the field strength of the magnet just isn't there to mess with the coupler pins.

Wear from resistance form the magnets

This is exactly what I thought when I read the initial post here. Most turnouts don't have very strong throw bars and it's be easy to mess them up over time with something like this.

Hmmmm

I’ve reworked all my older Shinohara turnouts by soldering pc board ties (throw arms) and points together and beefing up the Tortoise throw rods.  I wouldn’t expect the magnets to be a problem if only the throw arms were upgraded with silver solder.  The beefed up throw rods on the Tortoises exert some real force on the points.  If I didn’t have Tortoises already, I’d be starting to use the magnets already.  

The size of the magnets is so small that I wonder if the destruction of the turnout is a real concern.

Nick

What about both directions?

Answered

He answered that in his prior post:

Then let's see it!

Then let's see it!

What additional considerations are needed to get a full solution instead of half a solution?

Micro Engineering?

Great idea Bob. As my Atlas code 83 turnouts continually destroy at the points (very loose to begin with) i've had to bring out those Caboose Hobby ground throws I haven't used in 20 odd Years. I've yet to see a prototype for them and we tried n scale ground throws back in the day to little or no result. So you're magnetic solution could be the answer to the remaining Atlas I have...And apart from the ground throws, i've had to use push pins in the hole in the switch point cross bar to secure the points in the even more problematic turnouts as I work towards replacing them with Micro Engineering turnouts or abandoning a spur altogether. Turnouts are pricey! 

That said, have you tried Micro Engineering turnouts? Sprung points and prototypical looking. I know overseas they can't get them but perhaps can be ordered? My regular shop doesn't keep them on hand but there's a quick turnaround when I do order them.

Thanks,

Brad 

Forced needed to move the points

I devised a simple apparatus to measure the force needed to move the points.   I used fishing line with one end looped around the magnet on the throw bar, lead to a pulley mounted on an axle that led to the line draping over the fascia.   On the other end I added split washers until the force directed along the fishing line pulled the points across.

The resulting weight was 1 oz.

Hope this helps.

Bob

Magnetic point locking - the complete solution

Joe:

I have this is place for about 1/3 of my manual operated turnouts.   It takes about 20 minutes per turnout not including waiting for the epoxy to dry.

Here is a video clip of a turnout with the magnet solution on both sides.

Very cool idea!

Thank you! With this idea, I could use Atlas switches in stead of Peco!

Thank you very much!

Ah, that's what I wanted to see. Thank you very much!

What if the post that the

A tip of the hat to Bob Morning

My problem with a Micro Engineering turnout with a misbehaving overcenter spring has been quickly and easily resolved with this clever approach. 

I'd already been playing with small magnets towards another goal (also discovered on this very fruitful forum!), so I had some on hand. I drove a small brad into the homosote roadbed so the head just sticks up to tie level, then clipped the head off another brad and glued it to a socket drilled in the throwbar. I used thick CA to glue a magnet to the post. To my eye these are much less obtrusive than top-mounted overcenter springs, which has been my remediation strategy for troublesome turnouts in the past. 

I quickly discovered that small chunks of metal, small magnets, and blobs of CA can be a bit complicated to tweeze into position, so on a flyer I ordered a set of non-magnetic tweezers ($12 for 9 types plus a nice pouch). Wow, these are nice. 

Most of my commercially manufactured turnouts have overcenter springs, but a few don't and I plan to build a few special turnouts - this will be a very nice technique for giving the points gentle but positive snap. 

Thanks Bob!

Jeff Allen

Very good idea.  It should be

Very good idea.  It should be possible to mount the magnets to the underside of the throw bar before installing the switch. Then the setup could be entirely hidden.

Mark Vinski

What about hand laid turnouts?

I noticed that the turnouts pictured are of the hinged point rail variety.  How would these work with hand laid turnouts that don't  use hinged points such as those by Fasttracks or scratchbuilt ones?  I scratchbuild mine and do not hinge the points.  The rail itself is flexible enough but when soldered to the throwbar, they become more rigid.  Granted the throw is very short like 1/16" give or take.  

Any thoughts?

@ Nelson

I would venture to guess that a small magnet or two mounted on each end of the the throw bar and a larger magnet buried beside the switch in the ground might create enough force to keep the switches closed enough to provide electrical continuity too.  As you probably know the neodymium magnets are pretty strong. 

Maybe a WAG but might be worth a mock up.

Nick