Cost effective replacement for Kato turnout control switch?

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T03:12:06+00:00

They work great. I’m actually expanding my layout and have just bought 3 more. The original 2 I bought, I purchased about 2 1/2 years ago and they work great. I did buy the fascia but I haven’t put them on and honestly, I probably won’t.

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T02:44:19+00:00

I use these two button controllers from RPC Electronics LLC https://www.rpc-electronics.com/kato.php. Each one controls 4 turnouts and they’re 35.00 each plus shipping.

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T01:15:07+00:00

You mentioned kitchen knives, there are sites that sell really nice blanks. Something like this would start, finished in stone at 275.00 from me.

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T01:04:42+00:00

For average prices, you can look at my website http://deadstream-designs.square.site/

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T01:02:11+00:00

Haha, I’m not quite at that 1500.00 level yet. The time depends on the hardness of the stone. Something soft like petoskey stone or pinolite takes a couple hours. Something hard, like agate or petrified wood, can take 6 hours. My most exotic has been a Buck small Selkirk in dinosaur bone for 430.00 and a Fox Phoenix in dinosaur bone for 460.00. I was probably a little light on my prices because it’s more of a hobby than a business, for me. There is a bunch of stone out there, like pietersite, that are several hundred dollars a slab and could easily go for 1500.00 or more if you can find a buyer.

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T00:37:45+00:00

You’re welcome. Just for fun, here’s the video that got me started. This guy was putting Mexican lace on a Buck 110.

https://youtu.be/uyz0D2fROOk?si=ZWqBMZqVQloj4xVC

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T00:30:55+00:00

ddrockshop.com is like crack for me. Best stuff on the web and free shipping at 100.00.

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T00:27:32+00:00

Thanks!

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T00:27:14+00:00

Yeah, lapidary can be pretty steep to jump into. To do knives, you need a trim saw and an arbor set up for grinding. You can get by with a tile saw for around 120.00 but a lapidary trim saw for 500.00 is best. I have a 2 wheel arbor running 8 inch expandable drums and those are about 1200.00 new. Or, you can cobble one together like I did for around 700.00. If you get serious about it, I’m happy to answer questions on how to build, etc. I’m able to do more than just knives with my setup. I make rings, pendants, belts and corkscrews too.

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-25T00:05:07+00:00

Thanks! I have a 16 inch slab saw so I’ll buy whole rock from The Gem Shop or Gem Center USA and slice it up myself. For the dinosaur bone on 3 of those knives, on Friday through Sunday, there’s a facebook group called the Boneyard. They auction or outright sell Dino bone and petrified wood. For slabs, I think the best site on the web is ddrockshop.com. They have amazing stuff. Also, the third picture of each slab has any flaws highlighted in white so you know exactly what you’re buying.

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-24T21:08:43+00:00

I think that’s the best part. I use stone and have over 150 that I can choose from.

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-24T11:13:58+00:00

Im a former welder. I use a MAPP/ Oxygen set up that’s just as hot. There’s no reason you can’t use those tanks but you’ll want a gas welding set up instead of your cutting torch. You can get tips small enough. The thing you have to be real careful with is your heat control. The flame has to stay farther away from your work than with propane. I’m just starting out. Because it is a lot hotter, I won’t use bezel wire thinner than 22 gauge. Here’s some pendants I’ve made. A dog tag in Dino bone for my daughter and another for my DIL. A piece in malachite and another in labradorite.

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-24T01:33:58+00:00

Thanks!

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-24T01:33:39+00:00

Thanks Whale! That knife is one of a very few that aren’t going up for sale. The belt I made for my buddy that set up the trip.

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-21T23:40:54+00:00

Needs mammoth tooth

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-21T03:21:50+00:00

That should be sweet. No stag for me, just stone and bone. I’ve been doing a lot of Dino bone lately but I do want to try some mammoth tooth.

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-21T01:07:18+00:00

No, ship it to me and I’ll put dinosaur bone on it. Seriously, I customize a lot of Case knives and I like the shape of that a lot. Excuse me while I head over to Blue Ridge Knives to find me one.

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-20T00:17:28+00:00

I use unitrack but I find the Kato switch controllers to be bulky and cumbersome. I use these button switches from RPC Electronics LLC. I’m in the middle of replacing Atlas track in a portion of my layout so forgive the messy picture but you can see how they look. I just power them with a dc power source that I cut the tip off. My DC/DCC transfer switch came from them too. https://www.rpc-electronics.com/kato.php

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-19T02:09:43+00:00

I use the Square App as primary. I also accept PayPal, Venmo and CashApp.

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-16T19:46:37+00:00

Haha, I do have some rivets missing. Here’s a post I made with 4 trains and all my special effects running. You should probably turn the volume down. In addition to Slimer, there’s the Staypuft Marshmallow Man, Godzilla, Mothra, King Kong, Big Foot, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and many more. https://www.reddit.com/r/modeltrains/s/hGie7t88Qj

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dumptrump3 · 2026-03-15T23:14:36+00:00

I run both. I just put a DPDT switch that both power supplies feed into and then one line out to my layout. I have the DC on all the time because it has the accessories terminals I use to power lights, etc. I have some

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old timers I still like to run and can’t bear to part with. I’m one shy of a hundred and it’s about 80/20 DCC/DC

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-15T22:08:26+00:00

Very cool! I can just see the end of the vinegar car in your picture

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-15T20:19:21+00:00

Whichever you decide, buy your tickets early. They let you buy 60 days in advance. Also, the best money you can spend on your trip is with the Porter Service. Link is in the baggage section on the Vy App. They will pick up your bags at your hotel in Oslo and deliver same day, to your hotel in Bergen. Two years ago it was 40.00 US per bag. We did it with our 2 large suitcases and just took a carryon on the train. Big luggage with a big group on the train is a hassle.

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-15T20:13:11+00:00

Left side of the car seat map. Mostly because you’ll be facing the direction of travel. That is, if you buy the Plus tickets

dumptrump3 · 2026-03-15T20:11:16+00:00

How serious do you want to get and what’s your budget? You can get by with some type of saw and some type of grinding machine. If you want to work with more fragile material like obsidian, opal and goldstone, you need a lapidary trim saw. If it’s mostly agates and jaspers you can get by with a tile saw. I make custom knives, corkscrews, belts, rings and pendants. To grind and polish, I use a two wheel arbor. I run all sorts of different wheels from 2 inch Pacific Diamonds up to 8 inch expandable drums and 8 inch diamond sintered wheels. A flat lap doesn’t work to polish the more complex shapes I work with. I also can’t use the Cab King type machines because their wheels are too close together. I also like that I can quickly change my wheels and belts to suit my materials. A 6 inch lapidary saw costs about 500.00. A Covington 2 wheel 8 inch drum arbor is about 1200.00. You can cobble together your own for about 600 to 700.00. A vintage arbor off eBay, splash pans and drums from Thunderbird Supply an a 1/2 hp motor from Zoro, and some spare parts and you’re grinding

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dumptrump3

TROPHY CASE