Where to find spare Plaroad switches

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Hello!
Recently I started with the repairs of Terence the Tractor from Plarail Thomas & Terence Deluxe Set. BUT! I lost the ON/OFF switch so obviously he is not able to run by himself. I tried with some spare switches I have but all of them were too big to fit inside.

Someone knows where to find these kind of switches used for Plaroad vehicles (Bulgy, Bertie, Horrid Lorry...) Or someone who sells them? Thanks!
(01-10-2025, 07:24 PM)MrKirby48 Wrote: Someone knows where to find these kind of switches used for Plaroad vehicles (Bulgy, Bertie, Horrid Lorry...) Or someone who sells them? Thanks!

You're probably going to have to buy a few scrap vehicles and cannibalize them for spares.
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I see... Seems I don't have an alternative. Thank you!
(This post was last modified: 01-11-2025, 04:45 PM by MrKirby48.)
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  • Destination Realization
What about these? The lever lenght looks long enough to fit in Plaroad vehicles.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001207529493.html


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(01-12-2025, 12:22 AM)MrKirby48 Wrote: What about these? The lever lenght looks long enough to fit in Plaroad vehicles.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001207529493.html

Certainly looks promising. Using the words 'mini slide switch', I got a whole bunch of results in ebay as well, including ones using the exact same pictures as your AliExpress suggestion, so just a matter of finding the closest match for the dimensions. Are the ones in Plaroad / Motor Tomica vehicles definitely 3-pole? - I can't remember and haven't checked.  I could use a few of these myself, so I will be investigating further.
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I would be interested in seeing the results of what you all are looking into. 👍
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(01-12-2025, 10:23 AM)chrisjo Wrote:
(01-12-2025, 12:22 AM)MrKirby48 Wrote: What about these? The lever lenght looks long enough to fit in Plaroad vehicles.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001207529493.html

Certainly looks promising. Using the words 'mini slide switch', I got a whole bunch of results in ebay as well, including ones using the exact same pictures as your AliExpress suggestion, so just a matter of finding the closest match for the dimensions. Are the ones in Plaroad / Motor Tomica vehicles definitely 3-pole? - I can't remember and haven't checked.  I could use a few of these myself, so I will be investigating further.
Here have a picture of reference. The image is not mine, because mine had already broken wires when I opened it for the first time.
   
I've just been having a look at some of these vehicles. The first thing to say is that the switches in the Motor Tomica / Tomica World vehicles powered by size N/LR1 batteries are NOT the same as the switches in the Thomas vehicles such as Terence, Jeremy, Bertie, Bulgie and so on that are powered by AAA or AA batteries.  Since the original enquiry was about Terence we'll concentrate on him for the moment.

This is a de-constructed Terence (not quite in focus, but good enough) 

   

The dimensions of the switch are:

L = 8.5mm
W = 4.5 mm
D (not including switch arm) = 4.5mm
protruding length of switch arm = 6mm
legs = 3 (of which only 2 are used)

Now to find a match, (and see if I can get him back together again) ...
(This post was last modified: 01-13-2025, 07:58 PM by chrisjo.)
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😊👍
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For future reference, this is what the gear train should look like with the selector fork (orange bit on the right with the square hole in it that the switch arm goes through) in the 'on' position.

   
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