Which type of turnout motor is best for my model railway?

If you are thinking about installing turnout motors (also referred to as point motors) on your layout, you may well be wondering which type is best for you.

Firstly, it would be fair to say that no particular type of motor can be declared the absolute best because thanks to their basic design they all work relatively well. So that just leaves whether or not different types of motors have any operational, fitting or aesthetical advantages that would be better suited to you and your layout.

The first choice you should make is whether to go for surface-mounted motors or a traditional under the baseboard design. Surface-mounted motors certainly have their place. For robust family layouts designed with playtime fun in mind, they are perfect, easy to install and allow you to get on with business. They are also used by modellers who don't have clearance underneath their baseboard as a make-do solution. The drawback for these types of motors is that it's hard to disguise their presence unless you like lots of platelayer's huts on your layout.

Under the baseboard turnout motors are a more traditional way of motorising points. Don't be put off by their industrial appearance, they are about as basic as a motor can get! These types of motors will require a hole being cut into the baseboard to allow the motor access to the turnout. But many modern designs of motor such as Gaugemaster's Point Motors and Peco's Twistlock Turnout Motors are designed specifically to only require a small hole to achieve this.

The next thing to consider is whether or not you require your motors to act as a switch as well as operate your points. At first, you may be thinking why would I want to do that? But many modellers do require this as a function of their motors. The reason for that is usually to switch the polarity of Electrofrogs or a return loop. The function can also be used to introduce interlocking to a layout whereby signals are triggered by the points changing. If that is something you may desire in the future, you will need to install turnout motors that either feature an integral switch or have the facility to add one on later.

Finally, you need to decide whether or not you want to use regular solenoid motors or slow action motors. The difference between the two is mainly in how they operate. Solenoid motors snap the point blades from one side to the other, which doesn't cause any damage or wear but is considered by some as un-prototypical and annoying. Slow action point motors are operated by a servo motor so don't possess that characteristic, but they are more expensive so remain second favourite amongst many modellers.   

As for wiring, all turnout or point motors require a degree of wiring, so don't let the industrial appearance of some motors fool you into thinking they are going to be significantly more difficult to install than a neat surface-mounted cowling-covered design. If wiring or soldering is daunting to you, then aim for a motor with wires already attached or use a motor where an accompanying purpose-made wiring harness is available.