cuyama

All Number 6 turnouts are not the same

Hand-drawing track plans can work fine. But general rules-of-thumb for drawing turnouts may not be accurate enough in areas where many turnouts are joined. In this example, three #6 turnouts are combined in an arrangement like a pinwheel ladder yard throat. As can be seen, the dimensions of the combined turnouts differ significantly by brand. So it's important to use templates accurately-sized to the brand of turnouts you plan to use. Note that there is even variability in the Fast Tracks turnouts (designed from the NMRA #6 pattern), depending on whether one builds them to the minimum size possible on the jig (for tight areas) or the typical size on the jig.

All Number 6 turnouts are not the same
cuyama, Mar 17, 2012
    • cthart
      One can of course trim turnouts to fit; the Walthers and Atlas turnouts have quite long "legs" which can be shortened considerably.
    • cuyama
      Yes, of course any pre-fab turnout can be trimmed. But the point of this comparison is that for _planning purposes_ the specific dimensions of the actual turnouts vary enough so that it is always better to use real dimensions than a rough estimate. This is especially true in yards and tight industrial areas.
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    cuyama
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    Mar 17, 2012
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