69. Cure For a Sick Tortoise

OK, so you bought a bunch of Tortoise switch machines at the local train show white elephant table and a couple of the SPDT switches don't work right, plus there is a rattle from inside when you shake them. Or one installed on your layout has stopped switching power via the internal SPDT switch. There is a quick fix for this problem that requires only a few small tools and some micro screws. So join me as I share my method for curing a sick Tortoise. Let me also mention that while the above problem may occur on rare occasions I have never had the motor or gears fail. Also, the warranty period is 9 years but you must have a dated copy of the purchase receipt and if it was purchased second hand I doubt you’ll get that. I know you folks want to know more about the screws so here are some rough measurements. First the drill bit was a no. 63 which is 0.037” diameter or about 1 mm. The screws were about 3/16” or 5 mm long. The screws were slightly larger diameter than the drill bit.