Taking a layout to shows is a surprisingly tense experience.  There is the joy of the Friday traffic which typically adds 30% to the journey time (or rather more if the M6 is closed as I experienced once!).  But it is the setting a layout up at a show is always a tense moment; typically there is always something that needs a bit of TLC and at Portchullin’s last show (last weekend at Spalding) quite a large dose of TLC became necessary due to these little blighters…..

Innocent looking isn’t?

It probably costs a tiny fraction of a penny but without it the layout is hamstrung because they are essential to the operation of the turnout motors.  Portchullin uses Fulgerex point motors and this is a spring that activates micro-switches in these that change the crossing polarity and act as limit switches to the motor’s travel.

The frailty of the design is that these are only secured in place by their own tension and they are prone to bouncing out.  A long journey in a van is just the type of thing to dislodging them – which is just what happened over the weekend,  Indeed, it has happened before and has occasioned a number of the upside down sessions under the layout that Oly delights in telling you about.

We have now reached the stage where three of the five turnouts have crossing polarity controlled by separate switches.  This creates some excitement for the operators as they have to remember to change both the turnout and the polarity – so much show that they refused to do so for the show!!

So, my fulgerex point motors, your days are numbered………………………….