I read about this in Garden Railways a long time ago (April 2010). This is the link to the online article:
http://grw.trains.com/en/Product an...0/02/Adaptive Thermal Solutions switch heater
In case you don't have an account, here is the whole article. Hopefully, I am not breaking any copyright laws.
Adaptive Thermal Solutions switch heater
A thin pad to place under your switch to keep it free from ice and snow
By Kevin Strong
Published: February 19, 2010
Adaptive Thermal Solution switch heater
Photo by Kevin Strong
Switch heater
Adaptive Thermal Solutions
400, 4570 Rhodes Dr.
Windsor ON N8W 5C2, Canada
Price: $17.95
Web site:
http://www.adaptivethermal.com/ < Link To www.adaptivethermal.com
Heater for keeping track points clear of ice and snow; size: 4.5" x 10"
Pros: Thin profile fits easily between subroadbed and switch without raising track
Cons: Instructions are a bit vague concerning how much snow must first be cleared off the switch for the unit to operate properly
Photo by Kevin Strong
Photo by Kevin StrongSnow and ice can cause problems for all outdoor railroads, regardless of scale. On many full-size lines in the northern climates you'll find switch heaters, which keep ice and snow from forming between the moving parts of the switch. On our garden railroads, we're no strangers to breaking out an old paint brush to sweep snow off of our switches, but now we can have switch heaters, too!
Adaptive Thermal Solutions makes thin-film heaters for a variety of commercial applications, such as keeping pools, spas, satellite dishes, and other items ice-free. Evidently, someone there decided that garden-railroad switch points were worthy of similar protection. The heater measures 4.5" x 10" x around 1/8" thick. The company's web site describes it as "either a polyester or polymide substrate printed or laminated with conductive carbon, silver, and copper." Essentially, it's a flexible, rubber-ish heating pad.
According to the literature, the pad is designed to be powered by either 12, 18, or 24 volts. I don't know if this means specific voltages or anywhere within that range. Since the unit is designed to be run off of track power, I would think that it's a range. My power supply was 14 volts, and seemed to work well. If you're running track power (either analog or DCC) you can just hook each pad up to the rails and let rail power keep things warm. If you run battery, you'll have to wire the pads to an external power supply.
Here in Colorado, it's never too long of a wait for a proper bout of the white, fluffy stuff to provide an adequate test. I didn't have the chance to physically install the pad on my railroad, so I set out a switch and a length of track on my back patio with the pad underneath. The instructions recommend putting a 1/4" piece of Styrofoam between the pad and the ground, but since it didn't require it-and I didn't have any foam lying about anyway-I opted for the direct approach.
I set the pad and the track out when it first started snowing and waited until the next morning to test it. The light, fluffy snow had accumulated to around a 2" depth. I hooked up the power supply and waited. . .and waited. . .and waited. After 15 minutes, I could see no discernible difference. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting to, but the instructions don't say anything about actually operating the unit, just how to install it. I didn't know if it produced enough heat to melt an accumulation of snow, or whether it was just designed to keep the points clear of ice and snow once the modeler cleared things off with a plow or broom. Evidently, it's the latter.
I cleared the snow off of the switch, just even with the top of the rails. This left about 1/2" of snow between the top of the rails and the heater. (It was still snowing at a good clip at this point, too.) After about 10 minutes there was a noticeable melting of the snow around the points, while the snow was definitely still accumulating on the non-heated track section. Continued operation over the next hour kept the points snow- and ice-free while the snow kept falling.
I must admit, this is high on my list of "I would never have thought of that" products. At the same time, if you routinely run in the snow, you know that ice build-up in the points is as much a problem for models as it is for the prototype. Why not have a way of melting it? This product is worlds safer than a hair dryer.
So that's where it is!
