How do I power a Tortise switch machine

12v dc wall wart is the easy way, and you probably have a few of those laying around your house.

If you already have one, the instructions have diagrams of how to hook them up using Ac or DC. you can also search YouTube for Tortoise Switch machines, and you will find a lot of helpful information.

Same as posted above, I use an old surplus 12VDC wall wart to power my 17 Tortoise operated turnouts. I have an old HO Power Pak as back up. Tortoise suggests 12 volts maximum so a fixed 12VDC  wall wart will work perfectly for your chute.

I used an old Tyco power pack to power mine.

You can use the 14VAC accessory lead with a pair of diodes. This will allow you to use a common ground for multiple machines and save on wiring hassles. The instructions can be found at https://www.azatrax.com/install-tortoise.pdf (Azatrax also has a selection of sensors and control modules).

We use this method. Also, the Tortoise machines have an internal resistance of about 600 Ohms so you can put a bi-color two-lead LED in series with the motor to indicate the turnout position on a panel or at the track or both.

Thanks guys

Just to clarify...you must use DC to power a Tortoise machine. They will not work using AC current.

A Double-Pole, Double-Pole (DPDT) toggle switch is then used on your panel to reverse its direction.  The DPDT switch will have 6 terminals on it. Here's how you wire the DPDT Switch:

The "X" in the middle are two wires connected as shown to the "corner" terminals of the switch.

Feed the 12 volt DC power in on one end and power the Tortoise from the middle terminals.

That is correct that Tortoise motors are DC. However, the diodes in the configuration below rectify the AC into forward or backward DC as required and allow for "common ground" configuration of the machines using only a single wire from the control panel. We've been running this for years. It also means we just have to use a single wire from the transformer to the control panel (which houses the diodes) and allows the control panel LEDs to indicate the selected routes using bi-coler LEDs. That configuration also makes the configuration less expensive and easier to wire as you only SPDT switches.