Garden rail reverse loop with no power

[collectors]

Hi, i am aiming to install a battery RC Garden rail reverse loop set up with no rail power. I have heard you can force the train through the points & not need any electric for the points. Has anyone seen any info/vids on how you do this. I have heard you can fit a very light spring to one side just strong enough to hold the points one way. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Mountain]

One needs a very weak point spring. In H0 Fleishmann points could be pushed through as I came across a 00 gauge garden railway to an end to end design that did not need a single point to be changed as there was a tension loco unskilled and a pair of Fleishmann light action points. I was actually impressed what this young lad had set up as his end to end railway was fixed to the garden fence.

But what one ideally needs is something similar to ones own desired scale and gauge.

I don't know if this idea may help?

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Though I was using stronger springs to return points to one side, the principles can be used. Small elestic bands can do the same, as can a counter balance weight of one should want to design something along that effect.
Peco points can be adapted by either flattening the "Stud" and drilling through the flattened piece, or by removing the stud and drilling a small hole downwards... Either way it can be done. Or use the stud somehow? File a groove in it so the spring won't ping off. Whatever works for you.

I personally thinking up easy ways to hand operate points with little levers that are easy to build, cheap, and easy to use. (Also durable), as I actually like the hands on approach as it reminds me of my time on the real railways. Having automatic uncoupling does not grab me as feeling real. But for many a bit hand does not look real either. Whatever one prefers I think is best. But for your situation a light action spring is best and one may needs to remove any spring already in place before one adds a spring to ones own design. Needs to be light action rather than a stronger spring.

[Bufferstop]

Remove the overcentre spring from Peco points and attach an external spring, elastic band or counterweight to pull the points to one side. With no power to bother about you can then run through the pints against the spring. If your stock is heavy enough you may get away without removing the overcentre spring, but you may need to weaken it a little.

[Richard08]

Time for my old favourite - the guitar string! Use the hole in the tie-bar and plant a bit of a string that holds the points the way you want them as 'normal', but flexes enough to reverse then when run through. A bit of trial an error to find the right combination of length and string gauge perhaps, but once it's done it's maintenance-free - though I suppose they'd eventually rust through.