What an excellent, informative video! I shall definitely employ your techniques next time that I need to install a point motor. Over the years, I have spent many an hour struggling with them. One of the key things must be to lock both the tie bar and the point motor in their central positions.

This is a job that has very nearly driven me insane. Followed your advice and finally I have a working point. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks for this! Fitting those motors and getting them aligned properly has been the bane of my existence and endlessly frustrating.

I'd like to echo all the previous complimentary comments on this video. It's the only one I've found on the subject that's absolutely idiot-proof every step of the way, and anticipates all the many potential snags. More please.

May I suggest prewiring the point motor and the aux switch before fitting below the baseboard. I leave long (250mm) leads so as to make the final connection (tag strip or choc block) location flexible. I also bond the switch rails to the stock rails on each side and take a pair of dropper wires down below the baseboard too, via a single central hole between the sleepers. By doing this you ensure you are not dependant upon the tiny switches built in at manufacture to make the circuits to the frog, thus ensuring more reliable running in the long term. When using Seep point motors I have jig to identify the fixing holes. These are drilled and counters inked to clear a 4BA set screw. The fixing 😂holes in the Seep motors are tapped 4BA and now all fitting and fixing can be done from above. Finally I mask and mark the location of the screw heads with card ‘drain covers’ painted black or grey. Happy Modelling Tony 🚂

T hank you like your plastic idea. John R from Australia

Many thanks for this, I’ve not touched my layout for nearly two years because I couldn’t get my point motors fitted and working for the same reasons you stated. I’ve been itching to get started on it again but I can’t do anything else until I’ve fitted 13 of them. With any luck this method will get me back on track (no pun intended)👍👍

So glad that found this was getting very frustrated was at the point of giving up but slept on it and tried your method was so much easier and completed it easily many thanks again 😊

Thanks very much Michael. I'll get one ordered. Thanks again. Keep up the good work and videos mate!

Excellent methodical approach. Just goes to show the importance of preparation - i.e. making a simple assembly jig before hand. Many thanks for sharing this.

Excellent video - simple yet invaluable advice. Well done and thank you. Hope to see many more practical time and back saving tips like this one.

Great stuff, thanks lad, handy info there.

I'm with you Michael, fitting motors from underneath is a PITA. I am on my 14th Cobalt and the toughest part is actually screwing the motor from underneath as the flange allowance is vfery narrow (where the screw goes in) and the screws supplied are not great ie dome heads but the grooves arent very sharp. I use your method to centralise the switch rails and drill a 10mm hole so that lines it up and the pilot hole I drill from above through the switchblade tie bar sets the position to drill the larger hole. From the underside, all you can do is hold the motor in place with one hand and drill pilot holes for the screws but because the motor body is so deep facing down, its tough getting the drill chuck in so you have to mark each one. As you say, all in all a PITA. I also agree with you and leave that frog wire lead in place and just feed it below, the less soldering the better.

Fantastic! Great video and just what I was searching for to attempt my instal. My first layout and a very good tutorial for me to learn and apply. Thanks 👍🐨🇦🇺

Saved me a second day of trying to install my motor. This Yank sez thanks!

Excellent. Thank you. I have had the same problems as you, and now I will be under my baseboards with renewed energy. Cheers.

Great,well made,simple and informative.Thanks Michael.

For a mere beginner your video is a great help many thanks to you.

Great video , just getting started on my lay out but I can see this way of fixing points motors will be a great help , many thanks

This is an extremely good,and an excellent how to do video ! Cheers for a great share...Andy

Great explanation. I am doing some what of the same procedure you are doing. For centering the throw bar I am using a piece of 0.25mm2 cable. It works the same as the plasticard.

I liked how you made the jig to keep the pin centered on the motor before pressing it to the board. nice job.

Thanks for your comment, yes all modifications are done before the point is laid and fixed down. Michael

Best method see so far, you could make the cross for location of the motor before the 3mm hole is drilled, centred on a small pilot hole. This would improve the accuracy in the final fitting. great method I will fit all my new point motors this way.

Thanks for this video, very easy to follow and will help me a lot. Cheers

Superb video, I'll definitely be trying this method for fitting points, wish I'd seen this before I did my three way points... cheers

excellent video Michael, I've tried fitting the Peco PL-10E point motors to the underside of my baseboard and have found it to be a bit of a pain. I like the idea of centralising the switch blades and locking the pin in place, brilliant. Also, I know that some people have used the track cutters to shorten the pin & ruined them, I'll invest in a pair of tinsnips. Cheers, Daz

Just about to build my first layout over here in Canada. This has to be one of the best videos I have seen on the subject and removed my apprehension about fitting the 20 or so point motors I have! Many thanks.

Great vid', great quality, great content. :)

Thanks, great video.

Hi just found your channel .....great tips on your vids ....also liked the one on fitting wire coupling ....thanks .......regards fred

That is so helpful. Simply brilliant. Thanks. About to start track laying on my first layout for over twenty years and now can't wait to get going! Incidentally, do you wire the points before laying?

Great explanation, thank you 👍

Great idea about holding the points in centre as well as the pin ( i hated pl10's as much as you did) cheers

Merry Xmas and happy new year michael from us at Tinsley Tmd

Brilliant video this is something I’ve always struggled with and this way looks like a game changer. By the way I love your accent 🙂

Great video! This helps me alot

Wish I had this before I built my layout. Great advice for the future though!

Just come across this video, brilliant idea and will be buying a GM669 Pin Pusher. Cannot understand why two silly people clicked thumbs down...Simon

Excellent video! I am now all out of excuses, the point fitting really had me intimidated but not anymore..... Cheers.... Ian.....

¡Hola Michael! I’m about to fit Guagemaster PM1 point motors to a brand new layout. Watching your video has given sound direction for aligning and securing motors to the baseboard. I think my only addition would be to complete any necessary wiring to the motor before final installation.

Brilliant! Thanks

good video but I can see how that would be so awkward while you are underneath and trying to draw the lines to match up etc . Never the less your hard work is paying off with the layout Michael ,, thanks ,Alan

Thank you for the nice comment Simon. Michael

Very helpful.

Nice informative video - very helpful. Quick question please. What's the tool used to bang in the the track pins and where can I get one from please?

Hi, my point motors are operated by DC so all that is needed is a PSU and a SPDT switch. Michael

To do this job in a lot shorter time check out SPC Alignment tools for Peco & Seep point motors with more procession plus smaller diameter hole.

Interesting. I am just starting in model railways but in N Gauge. I have been playing about seeing how I can fit the PECO 10E points with varying degrees of success, most of which taking ages! I am going to try your method but as you probably know, the fixing hole for the motor pin is on the outside of the points in N gauge, not in the centre as in 00 gauge so difficult to hide. Your method will probably work but I'm not sure how I can hide the hole on the outside of the points. Maybe a small piece of plasticard which would then be covered by the ballast??

Hi Michael can you tell me where you got the track pin insertion tool from? That looks really useful. Must admit, never seen one of those before. Many thanks PJ

Hi any chance you could let me know what size I-Beam you use. Great vid by the way easy to follow will deffo use your method.

Thank you “tin snips” lol

How do you program it with Hornby Elite and the R8274 Hornby Point Decoder?

Hi Nigel Have a question to ask, I have a double/single slip crossings and having trouble understanding the Peco paperwork on how to wire them up; So please can you help me out, The crossings are code 100 insulfrog and do not show any loose wiring like shown on the youtube. just showing the top of the crossing - not the underneath {Please help me out}

Why crawl around on the floor fitting point motors or wiring? If the layout is built in individual baseboard chunks. You simply build two wooden vertical stands with large flat feet. Drill a hole in the centre of each end of the baseboard, and bolt the board between the vertical stands. Then you can turn the board over and over as required to install point motors etc.

I got lot of lights

TOY TRAIN SET OR PROFESSIONAL LAYOUT STANDARD ??? Never use SOLENOID POINT MOTORS they'll eventually rip out the Peco hair spring or break it. Use a nice easy screw under the baseboard "Slow action Motor driven type" such as Fulgurex. They last for Decades even on heavy duty exhibition layouts, and come with free built in switches for live Frog's or signal interlocking or whatever you fancy. And are aimed at Professionals !!!

Most people don't know that the point motor mounts directly to the point. No need to mount it on a bracket and try to line it up, cut a rectangle hole in your board, fit point motor to point and it just doesn't get any easier. My father has been modelling for over 20 years and he didn't even know this till I brought it to his attention.

surely a far,far more easier way would be to just attach the point motor directly to the bottom of the point itself then cut a small square into your baseboard and simply then just fit the point and its attached motor assembly straight into the small hole ??

Electrofrog is wonderful. Insulfrog is rubbish.

Fell asleep waiting to see but it’s been done before