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Blue Point Manual Turnout Controller    Blue Point Flex Link Starter Kit & Parts    Complete Blue Point Installation Instructions
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If you want to make the operation of your layout a lot more enjoyable, slow things down and have more hands-on control, the Blue Point™ is what you need! Ideal for yards, sidings and anywhere else you don't need a motor- driven turnout controller. These are small and very easy to install. Attach them to the benchwork under the turnout, then use our FLEX LINK™  system to connect the Blue Point™ to the fascia knob. The Blue Point™ includes two sets of electrical contacts-rated at 5 amps. We've also had a number of questions about using the Blue Points™ under 2" thick foam. The simple answer is yes, they work great. The tension and throw adjustment slider provides more than enough range to handle long runs of spring wire. We include .032" diameter spring steel wire with the product, which is quite rigid. You can also slip a brass tube over wire that extends through the foam to provide more power at the throw bar, if needed. Installation Installation is very simple. We have just released our new Flex Link™ system for hooking up Blue Points™ to your fascia. These kits include everything you need.

Specs

We've designed the Blue Point™ Turnout Control to operate turnouts in scales from N through O. The electrical contacts are double pole, double throw (DPDT) rated at 5 amps, so they have plenty of capacity to power a frog or just about anything else you'll want to drive.

DPDT Switch Diagram

The picture on the right has two diagrams. The left diagram shows the numbering of the contacts (viewed from below), while the right diagram shows how these contacts are arranged electrically. When the switch is in one position, contact 5 is connected to contact 4, and contact 2 is connected to contact 1. Move the switch to the other position and now 5 is connected to 6 and 2 is connected to 3.

Typical DCC-Friendly Turnout Wiring

And finally, here is a typical wiring diagram for a powered frog found on DCC-friendly turnouts:

Note: This is a view from above, which is why the numbers are in a different order from the diagrams above (they are views of the bottom).

There are a number of different designs for tunouts, with the wiring being a little different for some of the tunouts. You can find a lot more information about the different turnouts at this link: Wiring Turnouts.

Comparison With The TORTOISE™ Slow Motion Switch Machine

We've had a number of people ask about the price of a TORTOISE™ Slow Motion Switch Machine compared with our Blue Points™, so here is a quick comparison:

Finally, a word about the pros and cons of each. There are times when a TORTOISE™ Switch Machine is your best choice, and times when a Blue Point™ is best. If you have a main-line railroad with CTC and need dispatchers to control turnouts, obviously an electrically-operated turnout like a Tortoise would be your best choice. However, for sidings and yards, or a small layout, we think the Blue Point™ would be your best choice. Once you've experienced the feel of throwing a turnout by hand with our Blue Points™, you'll see what we mean.

* The TORTOISE™ Slow Motion Switch Machine is a trademark of Circuitron, Inc.

Made in the USA

All of the manufacturing of this product is being done here in the state of Washington. We had the molds made about an hour's drive from us and the actual injection molding was done about 45 minutes from here.

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