Head Block Installation to Atlas 2 Rail Track

Dave, I assume that your Tortoise was installed as a direct drive up through the center of the throw bar. As a 3 railer I can't mount my Tortoises that way, and have to mount them off to the side, but I go one step further, and use a bell crank linkage. You could still use your Tortoise. 

I'm guessing that the ties are plastic on the switch in question. Further you need to extend their length to mount the ground throw. I've had to do that on a number of Ross switches on my layout to mount ground throws. New Ross switches have their head blocks extended on both sides, then you can cut off the side you don't need. For a number of older switches, it was necessary to add on in order to mount the ground throw. I just take matching material, and glue it on. By the time you get the ground throw mounted, you really don't notice the seam.

Elliott, 

I appreciate the response. You're exactly right with the drive straight through the center of the throw bar on the 2 rail track. However, I have done exactly what you have with switches on my 3 rail switches as far as the tortoise being off to the side. Please explain bell crank linkage?

Dave

The way the bell crank linkage works is you drill a hole through the layout. In the case of 2 rail, this hole could be placed between the rails, or off to the side, and a short distance away from the throw bar, about an inch away. I then insert a brass tube into the hole and glue it in place. Then you take a piece of music wire, and bend the upper arm of the crank, from the tube to the throw bar. With the upper arm bent and operating smoothly, you bend the lower arm as close to the bottom of the tube as possible. Finally, you bend a loop at the end of the lower arm. Then you mount the Tortoise so the wire comes up through the loop in the lower arm. So when the Tortoise moves the lower arm, the motion is transferred to the upper arm, and moves the bar. This allows you to move the Tortoise away from the throw bar, giving you room for your bridge.

I thought you wanted to hand operate it,but if not, here is another idea using a tortoise, these things are great they work. Look them up. Well thought out and well made I have used them.

Roo.

That's a neat gizmo Roo, but it may not be the the solution for this problem. It provides a horizontal offset for the Tortoise, to the left or right of its original location, but as I understand the problem, he needs to move down the track, away from his new bridge abutment. That requires a different type of linkage. The bell crank method I described will work for that.

Here are a few pics of the area the bridge will be in. The first is an aerial view so that you can see the turnouts. I also have taken a pic of the underside of this area to see where the switch motor was removed and finally the side view where the bridge will be spanning.

Underneath where you see #5 is where the tortoise used to be. I need the underside of this section to be clear of anything so that the bridge sits flush underneath this section. 

You may be able to fabricate a linkage to the switch from a remote head block location.  I used brass wire to connect a standard Atlas switch to a signal stand.