Stepper motor turnout control

SEVERAL turnouts on my compact ‘N’ gauge layout Dudley Heath are manually operated for various reasons. Turnouts in the freight yard are thrown using ground throws because operations are localised on that area of the layout, a method which worked well since the layout first became operational. Common crossing or ‘frog’ polarity is switched through a solid state frog juicer for seamless operation. A second area of the layout fitted with manual turnouts is the fiddle yard where trains are staged in readiness to enter the scenic area of the layout. Stall motors such as Cobalt and Tortoise are used on the rest of the layout, both of which are relatively expensive and relatively bulky, so use of those was restricted to the main line and in areas out of reach of the control panel.

Fortunately, the fiddle yard turnouts are within reach from the main control panel, so reaching over to throw them by hand is easy, assisted by the centre-over spring fitted to Peco Streamline ‘Electrofrog’ turnouts. The spring ensures that the