The Story of Hyde Yard
Part 3 of 4: The Machine
And now, here is the "half-turntable multi-stub switch machine" in all of its glory. There are probably countless ways to achieve the same results, but given its 45-plus-year longevity, I'd say this design is a solid success. The principle can be applied to yards of various sizes, from three to perhaps eight or more tracks; the one shown here is six. No doubt the design can also be adapted to most any scale. Most yards are double-ended, so two mechanisms are required. However, only one of them needs to be controlled; the second simply slaves to the first.
- base plate*
- swing arm*
- indexing arm*
- indexing roller
- indexing arm return spring
- indexing cam*
- low-RPM geared motor
- motor mounting plate*
- drive pins
- track mount spacer*
- track mount
- swing arm travel limit microswitches
- track position microswitches (only one of six shown)
Parts marked * are fabricated from ¼-inch Plexiglas.