I am using Peco Code 55 track with medium radius 'Electrofrog' points. There are seven of these, plus a short diamond crossing to make a classic branch line terminus with run-round loop, sidings for cattle, coal and general goods, a bay platform for parcels traffic and a (derelict) engine shed with watering facilities for thirsty locomotives. (I got hold of a 1;25000 OS map of the area and looked at the gradients on my proposed route. Engines would definitely want water on arrival at Belstone.)
The main problem I have found in the past with Peco points is that they rely on a good contact between the switch and stock rails to conduct the current through the switch rails to the frog. It only takes a small speck of dust in the wrong place to disrupt this. So I modify them, firstly by bonding the switch and stock rails together on each side with small strips of phosphor-bronze soldered to the underside of the rails. I then cut an insulating gap across the switch rails just short of the frog, using a thin slitting disc in a minidrill. This needs a steady hand. It means not doing it in a tearing hurry in poor light. Also not picking up the wrong (thick) slitting disc and cutting half way through the rails on the first of your points before you realise what you have done, and not nicking the inner edge of one of the stock rails with the slitting disc. Ahem.
While I had the Dremel out I also cut away the moulded base for the clip-on Peco point motor, drilled a hole just off centre in the tiebar to take a Seep point motor pin (making sure I kept well clear of the over centre spring underneath) and shortened the ends of the tiebar to get rid of the moulded pip and hole. I think the end result looks much neater, even before ballasting: see what you think.
SEEP point motors: these have a single pole switch built in which is in theory ideal for switching frog polarity. The problem is that they have a throw of around 6mm. The throw on the Peco point blades is only 2mm, which means that the built-in switch is acting over only a short part of its travel. As I found on my last layout, this causes problems: even if you manage to get the point motor located dead central, electrical contact at either end of its travel is mainly down to luck.
So I looked at one of these point motors (which I salvaged from the last layout) and came up with a way to reduce the throw. It uses a brass lever with a hollow brass tube soldered to it. At one end is a hole which pivots on an 8BA screw and self-locking nut through a convenient existing hole in the point motor base (with an insulating washer to prevent it shorting across the two circuit tracks either side of the hole). A slot at the other end engages with the actuating pin. This is then cut short and the cut-off end secured inside the hollow tube. Finally a couple of spacers (plywood in this case) are glued to the point motor base so the whole mechanism clears the underside of the baseboard. The photo below hopefully makes this a bit clearer. I now have about 3mm throw at the actuating pin (plus or minus a bit of slop) which means the built-in switch should engage fully at both ends of its travel.
I also added a 6-way terminal block to make it easier to swap failed point motors at exhibitions, which is the only time they will ever fail (I have a couple of spares). I haven't actually tested this mechanism in service yet. I expect that over time the slot will wear, to the point where there is so much slop that the motor no longer has enough free travel to switch the points. The pivot may also wear with the same result. All I can do now is fit them, try them and see what happens.
Tracklaying cannot be far off now. Can it?
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