Great idea and a great price.

Thanks very much for replying to my comment. Like the work you are doing so l subscribe to your channel to improve mine to get some great ideas. Thanks DD.

I think it is all engineering plastic and these have been available for ages. I know folks who use the standard version without the switch built in all,over their layouts and have never seen a failure. However as I said in the video I am not enamored with the switch mechanism itself.

Maybe a little PVA glue on the screw threads would help.

@@TheDCCGuy I'll give that a go. Thanks Larry!

Yes, it sounds like the mechanism Jim Hediger wrote about in MR 20-30 years ago. However it doesn’t provide any power to the frog.

@@TheDCCGuy The point is your slider switch is easy to add as you did with the flop back and forth approach.

They should since that was the turnout I was using for the demo. They might be ok with these since they have a set throw distance. Some Caboose ground throws have a spring built into the throw mechanism but these do not.

Noel-I always tell folks to start with a temp a few degrees above the melting point of the solder they use and working with some scrap wire or track, practice until you get good results, increasing the temp gradually. A quick Google search will give you lists of melting points. This is especially helpful when working with a new iron or type off solder.

You can use either the Caboose ground throws or Blue points to throw the points but only the Blue Points have a switch for frog polarity. I originally used the Blue Point switch machines with Peco turnouts on the modules and did a couple of videos on that installation.

Some folks use auto choke cables and those made for use with Blue Point Switch Machines would work.

As far as I know they all are.

@@TheDCCGuy I'm sorry, I mean the ones you have for sale...my bad.

Do you mean the Blue Point switch machines? I do have those as the individual who initially asked for them backed out.

@@TheDCCGuy Yes sir...sorry, should have been more specific when first asking.

Did you ever get rid of those Blue Point Switch Machines, or are they still available? I kinda lost track of this.

It would not work as the manual method basically locks the throw bar on the turnout in place.

@@TheDCCGuy you are probably right; but I will have to look into it and see what I can come up with later when I have the time to study it and do some sketches to work out a solution.

I wonder how many folks now know what a choke cable is? I actually looked into them when I did the original Blue Point videos and if I remember correctly they were a more expensive option, possibly because few cars have a manual choke cable with a button on the dashboard anymore. I think they are more readily available now for motorcycles.

@@TheDCCGuy Larry, I wonder if bicycle shifter cable might take the place of choke cable? I haven't seen or tried, it, but it might be a possibility. Thanks for the great video!

Any of those should work. You could also use the pushrods and hardware for the Blue Point switch machines.

So you still have any more of those manual throw blue items if so I would l Like to purchase three

Gene, I have someone else interested in them and am waiting to hear back from him so I’ll have to let you know.

Gene-the fellow who wanted them backed out as he has almost 2 1/2” thick subroadbed so was afraid the Blue Points won’t worked. So I do have 11 of them and will sell you 6 for $8 each plus shipping. I will include all the hardware and the pushrods although you may need to modify the pushrods for your layout.

Yes, you could do that but every tome someone forgets to throw the SPDT or DODT switch the resulting short will shut things down and likely be moe annoying than the dead frog.

@@TheDCCGuy I thought that would be the case. But I am a one man show so I would just get mad at myself! You do a great job my friend! Look forward to watching every week!

Happy to have you with us-Larry

Yes, with a DPDT switch one set of poles could power the frog and the others the dwarf signal.

Do,you mean the Blue Point manual ones? How many would you want?

@@TheDCCGuy yes if still available

@@TheDCCGuy looking for about 8. If possible

@@brianmullins5931 did I respond to this? I am afraid it got buried in the avalanche.

You just did. Actually there are only 11 of them and 2 are brand new. Let me come up with a price and I’ll get back to you here today.

@@TheDCCGuy Thank you

@@TheDCCGuy Quick question…I model in N Scale and my base is made up of 1/4” luan ply, 2” foam and 1/8” cork road bed. Will these work properly with the required throw… Thank you

Sorry but my internet was down most of yesterday so did not get to research your question. Hopefully today-Larry

@@TheDCCGuy Larry, Thank you…I believe that the max base thickness for Bluepoint is 1 3/4”…unfortunately my base thickness is 2 3/8”…since I model in n scale the throw rod hole would need to exceed the width of the track to possibly work correctly…that said…I’ll need to withdraw my interest for the 11 Bluepoint sets you have. Thank you again, Randy

Technically it is a turnout although switch is also commonly used for the whole thing. The points are the specific ends of the rails that move. I did a video a few years go on turnouts and the names for all the various parts. In the UK they refer to the entire turnout as a point.

That clears things up a bit. Thanks for these videos btw. I have just restarted this hobby. As a small boy we had a huge setup. My father and i. But in those days i had no idea of money, and how expensive quality model trains are. And so, you can guess where this is going. Not many survived in working condition. I always found a way to burn the engines of the locs. Now a bit older i seriously regret that, but tja, we ain't all born with a fully functioning brain. Either way, now i know how fun it can be, but do have to learn a lot. And your videos help out a lot. @@TheDCCGuy

ps, sorry, but i am going to write you a book. (this comment i mean.) You are free to read or not read. Some people think i am a troll because i write book length comments. Anyways, i am dutch, excuse the grammar and spelling errors. So far for the prologue, here is the book which contains a few questions. I have yet to start buildings a landscape, a layout for the tracks, etc. I have just started collecting the stuff needed for to build something nice. And, as a noob i have obviously already made a few mistakes. Like buying Märklin trains which require AC and a third rail, and expecting them to work on DC rail. I put it on the rail and thought: Doh, it is broken already..... But then i figured it out. And so now i am obviously first going in one direction. The DC route. And lateron bring in the AC Märklin trains. Or Marklin. Or i will resell em, also a possibility. Anyways, the system we had when i was a child, i can recall it to be DC. Simple controllers, simple stuff. But, now we can watch KZfaq and discover that even DC is not that simple. Not if you want more out of it than just running a train around a loop. I also am not an electrician. And so that complicates it even further. But i have seen plenty of videos and still am watching em. And, my brain sometimes does work a bit. Isolation of track, brilliant. Switchboard to switch between the isolated parts. That is something i had thought of and saw in a video. But now here is a question: I could switch all of it to DCC. I have seen that DCC can run on DC track etc. All i need is DCC Locs and controllers to control them, right? But, i was thinking myself.... Why would i even go that route? Why not keep it DC? Isolate parts of the track. A switch board with manual switches to control the electric circuit to switch the blocks of track. And, i was thinking of incorporating timed switches like you can use to turn on and off a lightbulb or what ever appliance. Sure, could become a bulky project if i install dozens of such timers. But i envision it working just as a DCC system would. So the timer controls when the track becomes live. Sending the stationary train that is sitting on it on its way. And if every isolated section is timed in such a manner, i do not need a fancy computer. I could do with the cheap timers which we use to turn on and off a light bulb (or whatever). What are your thoughts on that? Then about the scenery. I have seen videos explaining you should plan everything. The power set up, the wiring i mean. But why not stick a conductive material on a plank of wood, or a board or how you wanna call it. Then a layer of isolation. And then again a conductive layer ontop of that. If you were to put juice on those layers, you only would have to cut out a small portion at any point on the board/plank to have power. Right? So, a huge plank/board with the setup as described. And i would no longer have to think about running wires to specific places to power a small lightbulb. Right? Or do you see a problem in my way of thinking? Another idea: I was thinking of building my own turn tables. So the train will be turned around or set up to drive a different track. I was thinking of using microwave oven motors, those that turn the table inside. Any thoughts on that? As for how to line everything up, i got an idea as well. Small end stops so the turn table wont move any further and the tracks line up. And last but not least: i was thinking of using reed switches and small magnets stuck underneath the train to do some stuff. Switching switches or points for example. So that when one train passes, the switch switches. But when another passes it wont. Depending on if there is a magnet underneath. Etc. All i am interested in is hearing your thoughts on all of this. I understand that DCC might be easier and the way to go. But i like tinkering a bit with it. Thanks in advance if you happen to reply. I can not expect you to read all of this. Noob questions can be boring @@TheDCCGuy

I think they are made of engineering plastic. These have been in use for ages and at least the standard ground throws seem to never fail. However as I said in the video I am not enamored with the SPDT switch but it does work.

I would add some heat tubing at the bottom of the three prongs and the connecting wires.

I believe it is Delrin engineering plastic, strong but also slippery.

Works for me.