[Axel Tillmann]

Hi everbody:
Let me shime in. I have feedback from a few customers indoors and outdoors who not only like it but one guy even improved on it it (It is amazing what our community comes up with). One thing for outdoor use that I recommend is a concrete backboard. The switches need to be 100% level and 100% supported, and I wouldn't trust my skills to achieve this on crusher fines at all.

I totally agree that dirt and crushes fines may pose a problem, but to be quite honest, they do so also on all my LGB and Aristo switches as well. If you put the switch on a concrete backer board, I would only glue cursher fines to the backerboard, but nowhere onto the swithc itself. For one over 80% of the switch's surfaces has to be free for the moving part. Of course this doesn't look very prototypical, but as some write getting a 5 track train yard on shortes distance is with these switches very well accomplished.

When we picked them up and carried them, be preceisly envisioned hidden (or visiable) train yards in particular on indoor layouts where space is at a premium. Once I can actually move myself outside again (that winter here in MA doesn't want to disappear) I will actually replace my stacked up 2 R1 LGB 3-way switches (which are a constant cause of problem) with our new Y5 switch. This section of my layout will lead to my "train-shed" where I park my trains when I am not using them. So I myslef will monitor the maintenance requirment in outdoor applications. But even before that I will write here again regarding long term reports from some European users. They use it predominantly for outdoors use becasue some of their yards would fit in our basements. Sometime we don't know how lucky we are with the space on the outdoors. I feel very blessed to living in this country.

Yes the price on anything we carry starts to bother me myself. Some of you haqve noticed that we kept the rail bender price at $265, but when we set the price the dollar was at 1.20 to the Euro. Imagine a world were it is one to one again and I can offer you the switch for less. I have hopes that the Dollar - Euro exchange will reverse itself - we have seen that currency float many time before.

 

[Axel Tillmann]

Good Morning - sorry for the delay.

So both Y3 or Y5 have a switch for polarity and a momentary switch. If you are e.g. in the middle position and you press the momentary switch, it will either go left or right depending on the position of the polarity switch. It always advances to the next position and locks right there. If Y5 you could advance to one further position with another impulse on the momentary switch, unless of course you changed the polarity.

The next set of switches that come in, I will actually replace both switches with a 2x relay controlled by a decoder and another decoder output for the momentary switch.

Let me know if you need any further information.

 

[Axel Tillmann]

OK - I have confirmation back from the manufacturer. The entier switch electrical or not electrical is made out of rot resistant PVC foamboard (yeez what a smart move - I have buiild a trainstation out of that matrial and it is 4 years now on the outdoors looking lie I put it out yesterday) The motor version uses O-ring to protect against easy water intrusion, which is an identical technique that our switch motors are using.

But of course even with the best water protection I would still strongly recommend two things:

1. drainage underneth the switch area (1' crusher fines)
2. Cover in the winter, because melting snow is like working under water

Feel free to ask any more questions.