there must be an easier way than this!

Once you get the hang of it, it is really easy. I use a straight edge on top of the board to mark a line directly through the tie bar, across the point and extended out by about 10mm either side. I also hold the tie bar in the centre of it's throw, drill through the hole in the tie bar with a drill small enough to go through, and drill through the board to make a mark underneath, do the same near the end of these lines and then find them underneath. With the same straight edge, I mark out underneath where the tie bar is, using these holes as my mark. Then remove the point and drill a 8 or 10mm hole through the centre mark (drill hole). Using a pair of pliers, bend over the tabs on the solenoids (the ones that are meant to go through the holes in the point) so that they face outwards at right angles, replace the point when the hole is cleaned up, put the pin up through the hole in the tiebar and line up the centre of the solenoid with the lines you've drawn. Move the solenoid left and right until you've found the position where it moves the point fully and easily, then screw it up by trapping the bent over tabs underneath self drilling button head screws.
Believe me when I say that I can fit a point motor quicker than I typed this.

...you telling me? I have mounted 21 of'em and now have a sore back.

The point is bad planning. Believe me I have learned a lot on my layout, and it was all the hard way.
I have found out you have to plan everything, and I mean everything, beforehand. The to do firsts,seconds,thirds,.....etc all should be planned. Doing things simply by relying on your intuition works to a certain degree but leaves you with a sore back like mine.

Actually this subject would be a valuable thread on its own such that; when starting a layout, in what order should one proceed.

Anyway, if I could've start all over again I would mount all my points at the specified places on the baseboard (marked beforehand), do all the wiring etc , than mount the baseboard to the supports saving me the trouble to work under the layout .

Baykal with a very sore back

There is some very valuable advice here and so I really must thank you. Plan, plan and plan!. I have stumbled from one aspect of the layout to another and I thought I had a plan when all I really had was a track layout drawn on pieces of paper plus a few buldings and a bit of scenic work.

The straight edge idea is very good, thankyou. I will have to improvise a bit on that because, of course, all my track is in place with all points pinned down. although I had drilled the 10mm holes beforehand.
Wiring proceeds with, as you say, a sore back and and a pain in the neck because I had not worked out the feeds etc.

You are absolutley right about how to go about getting a layout up and running but no one actually sets down the procedures by which they construct their layouts. I read all the articles in the magazines but so many of the basics are skipped over. "The baseboards are 9mm what not and the electical work was all done et al"

Well anyway thanks for the guidence all contributions welcome this is may first major layout and I seem to have spent most of the time underneath the layout in the dark! Literally and metaphorically and still with nothing running on deck. It's a wonderful hobby!

Edwin has the right idea.

Check out Iain Rice's book on building Finescale trackwork?

I have gone off the idea of building a baseboard, THEN laying complicated trackwork....I know it seems nice and easy to firstly build the table, then plonk down the trackwork..but.....if you firstly assemble your complicated pointwork on a track SUB-BASE.....for example, a thin piece of plywood.....complete with motors, etc...all done on your favourite workbench, in comfort...painted and ballasted too if you like...then assemble the track sub-base onto your baseboard framework?..[open frame baseboards???].....its a bit like building your own jigsaw puzzle....

Of course, if your board is a nice, cheap, B&Q interior door, the sub-baseboard motors are a no-no.....so these have to be positoned ABOVE the surface..which introduces the problem of disguising the motors.... an excuse for looking for a mechanical means of point blade operation?

I never liked the idea of cutting gert big 'oles under points.........messes up future changes.....Edwi's suggestion of tipping boards up seems best???

This is the method I've used to set up Peco and SEEP motors for years, though nowadays I prefer to use Lemaco or similar slow motion motors.

First [as others have said] you need to mark out the positions of the tie bars before laying the track and cut the hole for the operating pin. Rather than drill a large hole I chain drill a series of 3mm holes and combine them into a slot, its much neater. (A Dremel or similar with a burr is very handy for this and can, with care, be used to modify the slots from below after the track is down.),
Once the point is laid get two small pieces of plasticard with a thickness about half the blade throw and placing one between each blade and its adjacent stock rail, lock the point at half throw. (RFS's idea of blu tac is probably just as good, though it could lead to contact problems if you don't get it all out).
Cut a piece of card of a width that pushes tightly between the inner coil ends of the motor and make a slot in it that fits the point operating pin so the motor is also locked at half throw.
Offer up the motor to the baseboard and line it up with the tie bar, then trying not to force it in any direction mark and start the screw holes. If using a slot rather than a round hole move the motor each way at right angles to the tie bar until you hit the edge of the slot and mark the position, then set between the marks, this should ensure the pin doesn't foul in the slot. Finally install the motor and serve
Where possible I mount the motors with the baseboard upside down so gravity helps.
Finally if using Peco's bases to mount the motor don't have an over-centre spring in both the point and the motor base.

Jerry.

Hello all,

I have just installed (sucessfully) 8 SEEP PM1's today. I used a similar system to the one Jerry described accept that i use a piece of cork to centre the drive pin between the two solenoid motors and to centre the throwing arms of the peco point. I also temporarily remove the latch spring(I find pushing the spring together to release some of its tension helps overall operation anyway). I pilot drill through the centred mechanism and then drill a 10mm hole drilling from above. I then from the underside use a hot glue gun to temporarily fix the units in place. This allows a little time to ensure the motor is square with the point above. I then test that it operates correctly before piloting the fixing screws. If after gluing the motor is not operating perfectly it can be pulled off with very little force and so far in my experience, no damage to the ply board or motor. Any remaining glue just peels off. Then re-glue and try again. Must say that the other half of my board i will do as David suggests - with board upside down as it will be even easier on the neck!!

Regards Dave

QUOTE But then again, I haven't tried yet and who am I to questian IR anyway

you're YOU, lancashire fusilier....and IR does need questioning...he simply puts forward HIS view....doesn't really set out to create tablets of stone....

What i was suggesting was to create the pointwork, on the bench, on a sub-base of some sort [ply, thin, is fine......] which is then secured to the baseboard framework.....assembling the assemblies like a jigsaw.

scenery doesn't require such support.....

BUt Monsewer Rice isn't teh ONLY one to go that route.....

I've found this which perhaps goes some way towards explaining things?

http://www.s-scale.org.uk/gallery17.htm

The ply track bases...[note, 9mm ply isn't an 'absolute'...just what was to hand].....although screwed down here...with the templates stuck on top, complete with sleepering.....could just as easily have the P&C work, and plain track, assembled AT THE BENCH...then screwed into place......obviously creating the sub-bases first, and assembling them onto the boards, once their shape has been decided upon [by experimentation with a full-size template??}..then removing them to one's comfort zone, building the pointwork, and 'linking' plain track, then re-assembling onto the base framework...............................if careful with the screw locations, each sub-base could be removed for maintenance, no more difficult than separating a whole base board of a trans-portable layout [as for exhibitions?}???

BTW, this baseboard illustrated was made up in a furniture workshop.....spare time 'n all that....hence the posh tools and marvellous workmanship?