PORT LINES HOBBY SUPPLIES

E-Z AIR  &  DEL-AIRE PNEUMATIC CONTROLS

The Del-Aire pneumatic control system has been around in model railroading for over 50 years, but is currently out of production ! 
The E-Z Air system is relatively new, but very similar in design, and fully compatible with Del-Aire.

Air motors (also called pneumatic motors) are about the same price as electromagnetic switch machines, but offer far superior performance (not to mention that they don't dim the lights on the rest of your layout while being energized).

Here's why they perform better.  Air-motors are continuously applying a force to the points — either by the air pressure pushing one way, or by a spring pulling the opposite way.  Therefore, the points are held against the rails at all times regardless which way the switch is thrown.  Using air motors, you will never have a derailment caused by wheels having to "pick" which side of the points they will go.

Another advantage is that pneumatic motors typically use a #030 toggle switch, not a push button, so the direction of the toggle can also serve as an indicator of the position the turnout is in.  If you still like to see red/green indicators as to which way the switch is thrown, no problem.  Just add the #033 red/green  air indicator. to your control panel!

Using air-operated switch machines requires an air source,  but you don't have to buy an expensive air compressor.  All you need is a portable air tank of some sort.  This could be something as robust as a compressed air tank sold at Wal-mart, etc., or as simple as an empty 2-liter soda container.  An inner tube even works just fine as an air reservoir and will last for weeks between refills.  When you need to refill your air "tank," just take it to the neighborhood gas station and pump it back up again.  A pressure of about 40 psi is all you need. If you choose to use a portable air tank, we offer the  #014 regulator and pressure gauge that attaches to your air tank.

Still More Reasons

Not convinced yet? There are still several additional advantages of air-operated switch machines over electromagnetic ones that we haven't covered yet.

• First, you can add slow motion.  Slow motion is easy, inexpensive, and done very well with air power.  All it involves is adding a simple #031 regulator between the air toggle and the air motor.  You simply turn the knob to make the adjustment as to how fast or slow you want the motion to be.   In slow-motion mode, the air motors have plenty of force to overcome typical friction.  The best part of this is that you can add the slow-motion feature later without having to mess with the actual air motor (because you can add it anywhere along the air line). 

• Second, there are no coils to burnout.  You can expect air motors to last your lifetime... and then some!  Even if excessive use has worn the motor out, repair is simply a matter of replacing a #120 small rubber "O" ring.  

• Third, with traditional switch machines, it's a time consuming art to get adjustments just right so that the points are against the rails either way the switch is thrown.  That's because the range of the throw in a traditional switch machine throw was just about the same distance as the movement of the points.  Once you got it right on one side, throwing the switch the other direction would not put the points against the rails.  With air-operated motors, the throw range is about 2 to 3 times the range that the points move.  Most of the time after installing the air-motor, you don't have to make any adjustments at all. 

• Fourth, ease of installation.  With air motors, only  1/16"  #055 plastic tubing is used to route power.  (Note: the E-Z Air system offers white urethane tubing instead of clear plastic tubing.) As a result, you have no maze of electrical wire running under your train table. Using a # 035 manifold, you can even control multiple turnouts from a single toggle !  Manifolds are also available with  8 outlets (#036 manifold).  Use  #037 barb caps  to seal unused manifold nozzles.

• Fifth, air motors can be used for much more than switch machines.  For example, you can use an air motor in combination with a slow-motion control valve to cause crossing gates to rise or fall slowly.  Or, you can use it to pull down a gate to allow pipes to roll onto your flatbed.  The possibilities are endless. We use it on our club layout to operate a rotary coal dump !

• Sixth, durability.  The pneumatic motors have only one moving part internally.  The only part that can wear out is a replaceable #120 rubber "O" ring.  These pneumatic motors can even be used outdoors.  All air motors and accessories we sell are of such high quality, they have a factory permanent guarantee!  This means that if any part EVER fails, it will be replaced or repaired for FREE!  

• Seventh, convenience.  These motors mount to your table with only 2 screws.  Connecting the air supply is just a matter of pushing the tube onto the barb... no tools necessary.  Moreover, the length of the throw and the flexibility of the throw rod is much more forgiving than other types of switch machines.  Mounting these pneumatic motors under the table is quicker and easier than mounting conventional switch machines on top of the table!  Adjustments are often not necessary with the air motors.

Disadvantages?

So what, then, are the disadvantages of using air-powered switch machines?  The only disadvantage we can think of is that compressed air is less convenient to acquire than electricity.  For electric switch machines, powering it is just a matter of plugging in the transformer.  For air motors, powering it might mean having to take an inner tube to the gas station, inflate it with a bicycle tire pump a few times a year, or refill your air tank from a compressor periodically.

STARTER KITS:  Try it yourself.  Try a starter kit  which has everything you need to try it on your own layout.  Each starter kit includes air motors, toggles, and the essential accessories to make it work on your layout  (less the compressed air source), and full instructions. 

DEL-AIRE COMPONENT PRICES:                                                         E-Z AIR  COMPONENT PRICES:    

(NOTE:  "QOH"  =  Quantity On Hand)

Del-Aire components limited to what's on hand; they are no longer available.
EZ-Aire components are readily available; if not in stock, we can deliver within 10 days.

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