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.

[Bigmet]

Did this project happen? I didn't spot this thread at the time discussion was active or I would have suggested that no moving parts are required, and this approach is much simpler when no track power is required. The primary restriction is that trains will only be able to go one way around the loop, because all the mechanical guidance is by fixed check rails. It is simplest to have the loop entry straight ahead on the 'divergence' note, not a point though it looks much the same, while the loop exit can be from the curve of the loop.

Alternative schemes involving raised guidance on the divergence, which guides a pin on every vehicle underside are possible, some may remember these from youth having seen this method on pressed tinplate shunting novelties for a guided clockwork loco and an unguided wagon.

[Phred]

Haven't had any posts from Richard08 on here for a very long time. I used to enjoy his threads. Hope he's still around.

[Bigmet]

Neither has 'collectors' posted anything since starting this thread in 2023.

[Phred]

That'll teach me to read things properly.
Well, no, it probably won't teach me anything.
I saw Richard08 in the post above yours and... Oh, you know how it goes.

[Bigmet]

...I saw Richard08 in the post above yours and... Oh, you know how it goes.

Certainly do, I had one of those in the office; a problem report that was a maximum priority of the position I held appeared in the system, and I was right on it for 2 days until it transpired - when the distant problem location returned to work after a national holiday - that this was an old report prior to my time, and it had reappeared somehow when some system upgrades were made immediately ahead of the national holiday. I had flown straight over the dates, day and month were fine, didn't notice two years earlier...

But for this thread I thought it worth adding the thought that a 'divergence' is a good solution, especially for a 'no track power' scenario; first saw one on a steam operated back yard 45mm narrow gauge system of an American colleague on the 'balloon loop'.