20 years later, and a few days...

[Mike Shrode]

Still hard at the dicission phase. Have decided to model HO as apposed to HOn3 as a result of product avaliabilty,among other reasons, and will still be able to model early mountain railroading. Plus my dad has some HO cars and a switcher he built from kits over 50 years ago. This stuff came out once a year around the Christmas tree. He's hoping to see it operate again. I've decided to hand lay code70 track and have ordered some beginning stuff ie rails,ties,(Micro Engeenering) gauges, ect...Here's my question...Switches. Iv'e looked over some of otions for switches. Micro Engineering, BK, Central Valley. They all seem like quility and economical products, but I would truly like to stay with my "scratch build" theme. I've even considered purchasing a quility switch just to disect it. Your help, again, will be highly appreciated as before...Thanks...Mike

 

[Hawkeye251]

If you've got enough cash, these are really, really neat:

http://www.proto87stores.com/p87stores/swrk.htm

I'm planning on using them to hand-lay the turnouts on my future Proto:87 layout. At the bottom of the page you can order the materials for individual switches, but it would probably be possible to get the ties, rail, frog and points elsewhere for quite a bit cheaper.

Edit: forgot to mention they will work for standard HO.

 

[jbaakko]

OH WOW Hawkeye251, thats NICE, I'm going to conbine them with CV kits and some prelaid ME switches on my layout now! Thanks for linking that, allows me to make Concrete tie switches...

 

[SP4439]

I have never heard of concrete ties for switches from what I understand is wood is the norm for switches even on concrete tie trackage it seams to be at a maintainence thing due to needing to adjust various parts of a switch or even replacement of parts too. I may be wrong though

 

[jbaakko]

Here ya go, this company makes the ties & even makes switch ties. I saw a picture a while back with a "panel track" switch section with concrete ties.
http://www.lbfoster.com/cxt/cxtrailroadproducts/railroadproducts.html

 

[Mike Shrode]

Thanks Haweye. The Switch Works looks like a nice product. I've also found Fast Tracks http://www.handlaidtrack.com/index.php They have a jig that allow you to use all Micro Engineering rail. No plastic parts. Also, when you finish with their supplied tie kit parts,and PC board ties, they could easily be replaced with scratch built products. As far as this concrete tie business...what do I know?...Thanks..Mike