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Coal Trestle Switch Ground Throw

While this detail is rightfully part of the turnout, I included it here mostly because it's a non-functional detail item. The turnout is designed to operate purely as an exercise; the coal trestle was modeled as being abandoned, so the turnout will never be thrown. Thus the rails are locked in place, and a dummy ground throw was installed.

This was one of those detail items that seemed to take forever just to get started. A good bit of time was spent just deciding what materials to use. When I settled on mixed media—styrene and brass wire—I was finally able to get to work. Real ones come in a variety of sizes and styles, so I didn't bother measuring one; eyeballing the general proportions would do, and the practical limits of the materials used would more or less determine its finished dimensions.

The throw is comprised of nine parts. The main body is 1/32-inch styrene rod stock rounded off with sandpaper and drilled endwise with a #80 bit; a second hole was drilled in its side for the throw lever. A base plate was made from .010-inch thick sheet styrene. Two bits of .010 brass wire form the throw rod/indicator mast, and the lever. A tiny bit of styrene was added for the lever weight. And four excruciatingly small bits of .005-inch thick brass form the indicator.

As is always the case for making tiny objects like this, fabricating the parts is relatively easy, as compared to handling them once they're finished. I start with relatively large pieces of material, and only cut them down when I'm nearly done. The worst by far were the four indicator pieces; however, since these indicators are very often pretty beat up in real life, I wasn't too worried about getting it precise—indeed, I deliberately left it a little wonky for effect.

The assembled ground throw was brushed with Floquil Weathered Black and then dipped in Doctor Ben's Weathered Rust. The indicator was touched up with red and green paint after the throw was installed on the layout, since by then it was nearly impossible to handle. Also, the throw rod was painted after installation, as that was the "handle" used during final assembly and painting.

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This very generic little ground throw is quite a challenge to make in Z scale.

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Styrene rod is rounded off and drilled endwise.

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Except for the indicator, all of the parts are ready for assembly.

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The parts are bonded together, and the excess wire is trimmed off.

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The finished ground throw is installed and final touch-up paint is applied.

Oh, and yes, I realize that there are a couple of parts missing—the latches that hold the throw in position. I'll add them when the mood strikes... maybe.

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