Turnouts

I'm absorbing a ton of great info here, thanks again. Here's my next new guy question; What is the advantage to handlaying your turnouts? Is manufactured track not available in the shape you want, not of the quality you want, what drives the issue? I thought all the prefab rail you needed was available, you just fit the appropriate pieces together to go where you need it.

Russ

 

I hand lay. You have the quality, low price and you can say "I did it myself". You also don't have to rebuild them once a week to make them work.

 

With hand laying you can make the turnout fit the track, where as with commercial stuff, sometimes you have to make the track fit the turnout. Most of the time, it isn't an issue. Also one big reason for using commercial turnouts is the time factor. Some of us want to get something up faster and the time it takes to build 50 plus turnouts is time we don't want to spend.

 

Another issue is cost. I can build a turnout for around $2 as opposed to buying a commercial turnout for $8 (Atlas code 55 n scale at mailorder prices). Multiply that times the number of turnouts that you need and it becomes a major expense. You do have to weigh the time you have against the cost savings, but that is a personal decision. Also, to get the $2 a turnout price you need to build about 10 or so turnouts. There are initial costs to acquire all of the materials needed to hand lay. But in the long run, you can get excellent quality turnouts, built to your exact track configuration, at a cheap price - IF you have the time!

 

How hard is it to build a turnout, ie keeping rails parallel and correct distance etc. It sounds on the surface like a very compicated process or am I reading too much into it?

Russ

 

Just like everything, it takes practice. I like to build my turnouts at the workbench. I make a template for each turnout using a CAD program but you can make them by hand or you can buy them. I mount the template on a scrap of Homasote with tape and then build the turnout on top of the template. When I am finished building the turnout, I solder several brass strips across the top of the turnout, remove the spikes that I have used during the building process, and then take the turnout to the layout. I install the turnout and then remove the brass strips that were holding everything together.

The way you keep everything straight (or curved as appropriate) and in gauge is to have a track gauge and to do things in order. You always lay the straight rail first and then build from there. Again, it just takes practice and time.

 

I have done a couple of "hand layed" turnouts, just enough to know it can be done in N-Scale. The time factor enters in a little bit, but it is passed over by the idea that I could build a #10 turnout. I am in the layout design time plan right now. Because I can see where I want to go with the INDIANA RAILWAY. I am giving the idea of hand laying my track work so that I can get detailed trackage I want and not be limited to #4, #6 and #8 ready made turnouts. This does not mean that I will not use ready made turnouts, just that I can design and build a railroad that is much more operational minded.

 

The first time I tried to make an HO turnout, my Dad made me file it to shape by hand the "Good old German Way".

He gave me a set of real blue prints for a real switch and I had to convert all dimensions and spike the rails to wood ties, I was 12, (in 1942). He taught me as I went, of course.

Then he had me figure out how to make some simple tooling to mill the switch points and frog point rails on his milling machine. Next was a soldering jig. We made 2-1/2, 4 & 6 degree frogs.

After that I had the confidence to look at a factory ready-made turnout and judge how good or bad it would perform before having to try it out.

It was easier back then because the extra long European flanges had not started over here until after the War (WW II).

I still have some old Varney, Megow, Globe and Lindsay trucks with flanges that today the NMRA claims are their RP-25 style contour.

Now, this late in life I just buy Peco turnouts and go on laying track. My interest has settled to enjoy running my trains, much more than how they look, or my takeing pride in having made it from scratch or kit bashed it.

If you have the skill and craftsmanship to make your own switches, I suggest you at least make one. That will do more for your ego than owning 25 BRASS engines you simply had the money to buy.

The whole idea is to enjoy your hobby your way, do what you want to do, it does not matter what anyone else wants to do.

If you are good at what you do, you will feel better about yourself if you try to help teach another person who wants to learn, than you will by belitteling his lack of knowledge, and you will have also made another friend.

Don't be afraid to try something new to you, and don't be afraid to fail either, that is also how you learn to succeed!

 

Give it a try russ, When I started building my layout I wasn't sure if I wanted to try building my own turnouts. I decided to try making a test turnout which I did using a 1x4 as the base, old brass rail from some flex track, small nails because I didn't have any spikes, and a small block of wood which I filed two groves in to makle a track guage. I built the turnout using an atlas one as a guide. When I was done I tried it out and was amazed how smoothly it ran. It worked even better than the atlas I copied and all on the first try with substandard tools and materials. I now handlay my turnouts and find that the flexibility just can't be beaten. I don't worry about putting a turnout on a curve. I can put it anywhere I please.


Here's that test turnout

[ 15. January 2003, 06:46: Message edited by: Paul Davis ]

 

As far as tooling goes, you only need to buy one thing besides a soldering iron or gun. Buy a new 6" mill ******* file. Now, just use this file to do track work and keep it in the plastic case when not in use.