R3 Points - Change in Spec or Manufacturing Error?

Ralphmp

Ralphmp

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A few months ago I bought some new LGB R3 points. When I came to install, I wanted to swap the side the motor was attached. Although the motor appeared to mount OK, when I tested the point movement by hand it was very stiff. I refitted the motor to the side it was on when I took the points out of the box and they were fine - smooth and no resistance.

On closer inspection I noticed the bar which the motor connects to does not lie at 90 degrees to the rails (see photo 1 below) so when I swapped the motor to the other side, the motor operating lever could not engage without putting the bar under tension. This didn't seem right so I checked against an old set of R3 points. On these older points, the operating bar is installed at right-angles to the rails so that correct engagement with the motor happens whichever side the motor is installed (see photo 2 - this shows the motor on the side I want to use on the new points).

I wondered whether anyone else has encountered this issue or maybe someone knows if the "non-perpendicular" bar is within spec. If not, any suggestions on how to achieve a friction-free link between motor and points operating bar (I'm not keen about enlarging the slot on the bar as this is likely to weaken it and may cause the points to fail, but maybe I'm being too cautious).

Appreciate this is only a minor thing to many, but even so, I thought it worth mentioning so folk can inspect any R3 points they are buying to check the alignment of the operating bar before parting with hard-earned cash.

Thanks
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Assuming the rail is the correct length and fitted correctly at the pivoting end, then it's been assembled wrongly where the little rivet thingy goes through the tiebar?

If it were brand new I'd say take it back. If that's now not a possibility, then probably you can drill out the little rivet and engineer some sort of replacement that fixes the problem?
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

The only issue I can see with taking them back is that they are no longer "brand new". I've had them installed for a few weeks and it was only after some initial use I decided it would be better to switch the motor from one side to the other. It's worth a go, of course, as it's not something one necessarily checks when buying points (and I've also spent a fair bit at the particular shop over the years!)

As regards a fix, I don't think I'm skilled enough to drill out the rivet(s) without damaging the points :(:(. I did wonder about shortening the point bar and fitting some kind of new "link" to the point motor operating lever - something that overcomes the mis-alignment. If this doesn't work, I guess the worst case is I have to keep the motor where it is on the "not ideal" side.
 
Ralphmp said:
The only issue I can see with taking them back is that they are no longer "brand new". I've had them installed for a few weeks and it was only after some initial use I decided it would be better to switch the motor from one side to the other. It's worth a go, of course, as it's not something one necessarily checks when buying points (and I've also spent a fair bit at the particular shop over the years!)
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Shouldn't make any difference, they should still be under warrantee, especially so for a valued customer? Plus, it's the only way that LGB/Marklin are going to know about a possible problem so that they can do something about it. Might save others suffering difficulties in the future and protect their reputation?
 
Excuse me if I have this wrong.But looking at your picture with the motor on the right of the Point, if you turned it round so that the top of the motor was at the bottom of the picture, you wouldn't have the 4th sleeper pushing the motor out of true (?) The extension part of the motor would be on the straight (Fishplate end)
 
Mel

Accept your point (sorry!) and will be revisiting shop soon so will explain problem.

Rod

Interesting thought. I hadn't considered rotating the motor, just moving it from one side to the other. I'll do some tests tomorrow to make sure I've understood this correctly.

Thanks both
 
I do not use LGB R3 switches, but considering that these are built on a jig, I would suspect that the movable point blade/rail has possibly shifted during assembly, causing the tie-bar to lay askew. Is it possible to reposition the movable blade to align the tie-bar with the point motor operating pin? Is the movable point blade screw mounted at the other end (closer the frog) or does it fit inside a rail connector?
 
Rod Fearnley said:
Excuse me if I have this wrong.But looking at your picture with the motor on the right of the Point, if you turned it round so that the top of the motor was at the bottom of the picture, you wouldn't have the 4th sleeper pushing the motor out of true (?) The extension part of the motor would be on the straight (Fishplate end)
Click to expand...

Don't think this works, Rod - surely if you flip the motor round but keep it on the same side, you'd end up with the motor's actuating rod between sleepers 2 and 3, instead of between 1 and 2 as it needs to be....?

Jon.
 
Yep he's mounted the motor correctly, I've swapped side with no problems loads of times and its the tie bar at fault. It certainly should be under guarantee as they are designed to swap over and it tells you how in the book, no warnings not to do it yourself.
Have you got a pic of the point right side up as it looks like an assembly problem to me as well.
 
I had a similar issue some time ago. Neither the turnout nor the drive were new. But the pin that engages the throw bar, would not line up correctly. I cannot remember which side I had the drive on, that it would not engage the slot in the drive bar without forcing it out of skew. And for the life of me I can't recall what I did to remedy the problem. Sorry I couldn't be of any help :confused:
 
I've found this problem on a few mates' railways over the years.
I concluded that the tie bar can't move exactly parallel to the sleepers due to geometry and that's the reason for a slot rather than a round hole in the tie bar to engage with the point motor pin.
Here's a couple of photos I took a few years ago. A point motor would work O.K. fitted to the left hand side but not the right.

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One fix, if the problem isn't too extreme and swapping the point motor to the other side isn't an option, is to elongate the slot in the appropriate direction with a small file. Fine if the point is well out of warranty but in your case I concur with the advice to change it at the shop and closely inspect the offered replacement before accepting it.
 
I had an issue with a Peco point a couple of years back. The problem only came to light after it had been installed in the garden. It turned out another 3 of my points had the same issue and all were replaced under warranty quickly without question.
So in your case as these things arn't cheap, take it back to the dealer first!
 
Just one to consider if you tighten the two screws to much it will pull the motor up at an angle....loosen them of just a bit and should it allow it to work.....
made that mistake myself , if you look at the pictures both show the tie bar at an angle but one is more acute than the other also the point lanterns seriously cause issues if not exactly lined up:wits::wits::wits:
 
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