PECO G45 Points

Don Gilham

Don Gilham

Model railways, Photography, anything lazy
Prior to starting track laying in ernest (nice bloke, Ernest) I've examined the PECO G45 points (or turnouts, if you must) I'll be using and have noticed that the straight stock rail isn't that straight at all.

Each one is bowed, to a lesser or greater extent (one quite markedly), and need a little judicial persuading to gain some semblance of being straight.

Just wondered if anyone else has noticed that this ?
 
Yes Don I have. I've not long taken a brand new set out of it's box for the very first time and it is so. I've put it down partly to the stress of the curved stock-rail and the rest to the very slightly out of true plastic. I've found that it could be coaxed back to straight but will return even over-night. I have now added a fixing pin to the centre sleeper, on the staright side, when laying.

I also noticed as I was wiring it up this afternoon that the over-centre sping was too tough for the LGB point motor and had to be adjusted. Another set that were 'new' s/hand had a bent blade, bent vertically so that it was applying upward load to the crossbar and restricting the movement. Removal and a tap or two in the vice have sorted that one. It was new but sourced s/hand so no comeback as no idea as to when it could have happened.
 
Thanks Bob, at least it's not just me - thought I was going bonkers there for a while ?

Going ?

:nerd:
 
Don Gilham said:
.... thought I was going bonkers there for a while ?

Going ?

:nerd:
Click to expand...
Gone....
 
On checking all five of them, they all have the same problem to a greater or lesser extent. I therefore have no reason to believe that No 6, when I get it, will be any different.

What I need now is an over-centre spring, as one of mine flirted over the fence into oblivion.
 
N8|othing you or I lay is straight anyway, what you worried about? drink another beer it will look great then.
 
Curved point - result!
 
I've noticed this on all Peco points but as my track is flexi its all pinned so it's easy to bend the distortion out when laying them. I've yet to properly fit point motors but some testing suggests that the springs are not needed as the motor will hold them in place.
 
Using the LGB point motors and the Peco adaptor plate, the link is slotted (motor end) so the last part of the movement is imparted by the over-centre spring, making sure the blades meet the stock-rail. The other function of the slot is to allow the motor to gain a little speed before it picks up the slide bar.
 
Took me a while to notice they were bent, thought for a short while and then thought no more.
One thing about mine is the electirical connection strips underneath are very poorly held on, my line isn't electrified so dont care, but straight out of the box these strips were loose. They are quite cheaply made.
Shame they dont do a tighter radius as well
(BTW however gave me the tip of using wd40 on old flexi track...cheers works well then I used silicone lubricant, works even better.)
 
Most likely an old wive's tale, but reportedly, Peco points play havoc, shorting out locomotives with power pickup sliders as they traverse the frog.
 
Lengthen the frog with a piece of black insulating tape, then locos with skate pick-ups are not a problem.
 
bobg said:
What I need now is an over-centre spring, as one of mine flirted over the fence into oblivion.
Click to expand...

If you write off to Peco with a small jiffy bag an an SAE I am sure that they will send you a few FOC. I asked an engineer there about missing ones when I bpvisited some years back and he came back to me with about 3 or 4 FOC.
JonD
 
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