Hi All!

I hope some kind soul can help me ASAP!

I'm new to this!

I am about to lay my Peco Streamline Code 80 track and points and understand that if I am going to add under-board long arm Peco point motors later ('Peco Products PL-10E Point Motor with Extended Pin'), I should drill a hole in the board for the arm of the point motor, ready for when I install them under the board.

I am not using the kind of motor where the entire motor is fixed directly under the point and requires a rectangle be cut out of the board for the motor.

Anyway - due to muddle    - I do not have any point motors yet and cannot determine how and where the long arm version connects to the point and by the same token therefore - where to drill the hole! Peco says a 9.5mm hole as I recall, but centred on what?

Please share your wisdom ASAP as I am trying to do this as we speak! 

Thanks for any help - Jeff 

I made the mistake of not drilling holes prior to laying track and it was a nightmare retrospectively, I used Peco points ST5 & 6 and also SL385 &. 6 if I recall. The point has two pilot holes drilled to accept the PL10E so the 9mm hole should be under whichever side hole you want to fix the motor, mark thro the hole when point is in both positions and drill centrally, alternatively leave pencil point in the hole and move point to create a line, centralise for the 9mm hole and drill.

Loosely position the point to roughly where it will be finally located.
Mark the baseboard with a fine point pencil through the hole at one end of the, (moveable), tie-bar. Remove the point and drill through the baseboard with the pencil mark as the centre of your 9.5mm hole. The motor's extended actuating pin will then pass up through the baseboard hole and into the hole in the tie-bar when the point is refitted.

Hi
I find it best to loose lay the point in it's final position then with a sharp pointed pencil mark through the holes on both ends of the tie bar. 
Remove the point and drill a 2mm hole through baseboard on the 2 pencil marks check under the baseboard for the 2 holes with a ruler I then draw a pencil line intersecting the 2 holes check which is the best of the 2 holes for the centre pin of the point motor avoiding cross members and other point motors open up the hole your going to use with a 9.5 - 10mm drill.

The pencil line I use to give me the correct alignment of the point motor by using it as the centre line for mounting the point motor. (because when your lying on your back under the layout it's easy to lose orientation!)

Don't forget to align the throw of the point motor by holding the point in the centre position I do this using 2 small crocodile clips 1 each side of the of the toe end to hold the tie bar centrally between the stock rails then centre the point motor using the peg method before inserting the pin through the tie bar.

Tony

A 9mm hole is excessive (unless you are wildly inaccurate with your drilling and tracklaying) and will leave you with a problem balashing over a large unsightly hole! providing you are accurate, you don't really need more than 4-5mm - the actual movement of the point blades is less than 2mm...

The 9mm hole allows a little movement for error I usually but a piece of card or plasticard over the top of the hole and ballast over it. I learnt through frustration when I used to drill smaller holes after I had loose ballast fall down into the hole and jam the pin.

Tony

Hi All:

Many thanks for all the tips and for the different approaches to the project.   

This forum is a marvellous resource and a gathering point for so many helpful experts, with speedy replies. I shall order at least a few motors and PL-9 mounting plates at once to get the hang of it before doing all 15 points!

9mm is excessive IMHO - but what also helps if alignment later is not to be an issue is to file the hole square.

Quote from: PLD on April 16, 2014, 07:52:15 AM
A 9mm hole is excessive (unless you are wildly inaccurate with your drilling and tracklaying) and will leave you with a problem balashing over a large unsightly hole! providing you are accurate, you don't really need more than 4-5mm - the actual movement of the point blades is less than 2mm...

Agreed I always work on a 6 mm hole which is quite large enough