Add Better Functionality To Model Railroad With Tortoise Motors

November 12, 2012

The tortoise is constructed with a precision gear drive mechanism which is coupled to a low-current motor to stall out safely avoiding coil burnouts and cut-off contacts.

Tortoise motors are slow motion motors that will deliver realistic slow motion movements for your locomotives and their patented technology avoids burning out of the layout. The tortoise motor is an essential accessory in your railway layout if you want to achieve realistic slow motion movement. The gear drive mechanism of a tortoise motor puts less stress on your locomotive’s engine and can prolong the lifespan of your model railroad network with minimum maintenance.

The Tortoise motor is designed to be mounted below a model train layout with a spring wire transmitting linear movement through the layout baseboard and the roadbed to a turnout throw-bar. Your turnouts need to be inspected for free points movement and there needs to be a clear area below the layout so you can mount the machine.

The Tortoise motor is very versatile when mounting it, however it should be noted that when a turnout binds it will not switch smoothly. You will need to make a small hole (or slot) directly below the throw-bar. This hole is usually positioned between the rails, however is could be outside the rails if you prefer. The hole size of should be twice the total turn-out throw (a 1/4-inch size in HO). Also, you will need to drill a small hole in the throw-bar so your spring-wire to get through.

There may already be a rivet in the turnout throw-bar for this purpose. If your turnout already in place, you can drill a tiny (.032 inch to .040 inch) pilot hole in the center of the throw-bar. Also drill through your roadbed and the baseboard. Then calculate the combined thickness of your roadbed and baseboard before marking your 1/4 inch bit with some tape (or you could use a drill stop). The next step is to use your pilot hole as your guide to drill up through the baseboard and your roadbed. Take care not to break through and damage your throw-bar. You may need to bend the throw-bar away slightly from your roadbed to avoid damage. The last step is to remove any leftover roadbed (use a hobby knife) and then clean up the hole.