I have been handlaying the turnouts on my new layout. I started with spikes and homasote, and found that I was not good enough at inserting the spikes to keep the rails in gauge. After trying a few turnouts, I got myself some PCB ties and started soldering the turnouts in-place. This worked reasonably well, but I eventually had to put the layout away (it's modular) and focus on my studies. Finally I caved and bought the fast tracks jig so I could build turnouts off the layout. I got the jig and built my first turnout today, and let me say I am extremely pleased with how it turned out (pun intended). The turnout feels solid and is beautifully in gauge compared to previous attempts. All told, it only took a couple hours to build working alongside the instructional youtube videos. While expensive, I am very excited to continue building more turnouts with this jig, and I just wanted to share my excitement with you all.
Been down this road. When I built my turnouts for my Cajon Layout(1999 issue, Model Railroad Planning) I used paper templates. I used a narrowstrip of blue paingter's tape to hold down the PC board ties. Once the rail is soldered to the ties, they come off the templates. The layout had roadbeds of 1/2" of plywood topped with HOmasote and cork. One half of a strip cork is just right for a single track. Glur the cork to the Homasote with yellow carpenter's glue, and let cure overnight.The next evening use a very very thin layer of the same glue on the top of the cork, and glue down the flex track and the turnouts. Simply weigh down the track (I used something from a fabric store called pattern weights, the glue cures enough in a half hour to hold things firmly.. You can leave the weights on the track and leave them for the glue to grab ahold, about a half hour, and then glue on the next piece. I laid the track on a rather large layout in two evenings. Or, you can dick around for a long time with nails or caulk, but my was is easier and cheaper.
The first one takes the longest, after a while you can build them much faster. The best part is you can get all sorts of sizes from Fast Tracks, the #12 turnouts in a cross-over do not cause the slightest jerk or bounce, ecen long passenger cars glide through like a hot knife through warm butter. By the time you do 50 or so, you get really good at it, by that I mean faster. In my case the first 2 or 3 were not so good, but the 4th unit was a keeper and all of them since have been. So that is about 350 total turnouts on my Santa Fe Winslow to Barstow layout.
I'm in the process of trying the HANDLAYING adventure. Have a couple of guys showing me and guiding me. YES I will admit that FASTTRACKS jig are great. But there are other ways also. I'm seeing that there are plenty of templates to build turnouts available. This way you can build the turnout to fit the situation. Not be restrained by only building what is available. So you need a #11 1/2 frog turnout BUILD IT. The bigger the frog # turnout, the better the Railroad will run. This is especially true if you run, as the INDIANA RAILWAY does, BIG STEAM. Now if some Manufacturer would only put out a C&O T-1 2-10-4 [HINT-HINT]
A friend of mine was able to use the HO scale jig to create a double cross over by simply using the jig to create only the needed elements of the cross over then marry all the pieces together. This was before Fast Tracks offered a double cross over jig. He also made a 5 step yard ladder as a single piece. I don't remember the frog number but it was the smoothest ladder I think I have ever seen a train cross. I cant ever remember a derailment on his yard unless it was over a closed point. You are not limited to just what the jig offers for building, you just have to think outside the box to get it to do more.
I only have 10 code 55 Fast Tracks turnouts so far on my N scale Palisade Canyon layout and they have worked flawlessly. Some of these have been in service now for over 4 years. I did end up creating my own more sturdier throw bars from Clover House PC board ties. I have a post on my blog about this. http://palisadecanyonrr.blogspot.com/2016/01/custom-throw-bar-for-code-55-turnouts.html
Not a typo. Most of them are in the Barstow Yard and then the industry interfaces to Borax excetera. Then the tackage through Flagstaff/Winslow. Not to mention the sidings. it adds up pretty fast.
David, I;m impressed, I remember the huge number of turnouts in my Barstow yard. I discovered that it is possible, using just the paper templates, to make yard ladders as a single piece, with many rails continuous, eliminating many joints. Don't know if that's possible with the jigs. Keep up the good work.
It is possible, I have witnessed it myself with the Fast Tracks jig. It was in HO scale but it was a 5 step ladder that was all one piece. It replaced the Peco made yard ladder on one of our modules.
Bill, The layout was completed a couple of years ago, after the original attempt was lost in a fire. I can not take all the credit, it was a team effort with some buddies assistance. I did the whole yard to scale, in fact the whole layout is 99% to scale. there was compression on the yard tracks. Even the grade levels are to scale. Big shout out to BarstowRick, he was kind enough to send me the map plan of the Barstow yard so I could build it a close as possible. My retirement will be spending a lot of time running on the layout. The layout is on my property just outside of Show Low AZ, in its own building with operator lounge including a pool table and a modest bar. Work just does not allow me to go there as often as I would like. But that will change in the next couple years when I move there permanently.
This is my second one, which I built tonight. PXL_20210319_062636478 by prr2bnsf_sd posted Mar 18, 2021 at 11:35 PM