Which turnouts???
- Thread starter WVrailfan
- Start date
Selector
Well-Known Member
I am quite confident that others will share my opinions about the Peco Streamline Code 83 Insulfrog #6 turnouts. They are very good....really good. And they cost ya. But, they're really good.
If you folks are wanting to take your time, maybe save a few bucks, maybe learn a bit, you really should pause and discuss learning how to make your own turnouts. Seriously, from decision time with agreement, to ordering, to receipt of all your stuff, to taking a first crack at it, to improving, and then to cranking out a turnout every night, you fellas would only need to pause for about three weeks tops. The real bonuses are superbly smooth turnouts AND....you'd never have to buy another turnout again....of any type. You'd be able to use Fast Tracks printable templates and build your own of any frog number, or make customized ones as I found myself having to do. In time, you guys will disperse with the ability to make a turnout in under an hour that will cost you the hour and maybe $4 in materials. How great is that?!
Micro Engineering turnouts are supposed to be quite good, perhaps as good as Peco's Code 83 turnouts in the Streamline versions, but I have no personal experience. I don't really care for the Atlas turnouts I have, but again, I have no experience with the newer Customline items. They look okay.
If you folks are wanting to take your time, maybe save a few bucks, maybe learn a bit, you really should pause and discuss learning how to make your own turnouts. Seriously, from decision time with agreement, to ordering, to receipt of all your stuff, to taking a first crack at it, to improving, and then to cranking out a turnout every night, you fellas would only need to pause for about three weeks tops. The real bonuses are superbly smooth turnouts AND....you'd never have to buy another turnout again....of any type. You'd be able to use Fast Tracks printable templates and build your own of any frog number, or make customized ones as I found myself having to do. In time, you guys will disperse with the ability to make a turnout in under an hour that will cost you the hour and maybe $4 in materials. How great is that?!
Micro Engineering turnouts are supposed to be quite good, perhaps as good as Peco's Code 83 turnouts in the Streamline versions, but I have no personal experience. I don't really care for the Atlas turnouts I have, but again, I have no experience with the newer Customline items. They look okay.
It certainly seems that the FT system is capable of producing some beautiful trackwork. I sort of checked it out a few years back but decided it was beyond me, and more significantly, the jigs were *expensive* - It appeared you needed a jig for each and every geometry at well over $100 each
I'd therefore need, as a start, straight #4 & 6's, a couple of curved options and maybe a xover........
However, your comments about simply downloading printable templates suggests my understanding is wrong
eek:!) - So I had a quick poke at his site and it still seems a jig is needed for each geometry - What am I missing? *If* it's possible to do with just a single jig, the price gets a little nicer and can obviously be justified if you've got "more than a few" to do - Particularly if it can do various different curve designs? I think I'd like TO's with, eg, 18 & 22 and, say, 20 & 24" radii for example - What jig(s) would be needed?Cheers,
Ian
Cjcrescent
Master Mechanic
It certainly seems that the FT system is capable of producing some beautiful trackwork. I sort of checked it out a few years back but decided it was beyond me, and more significantly, the jigs were *expensive* - It appeared you needed a jig for each and every geometry at well over $100 each
This has been and still is one of my biggest complaints against FT. Yes they build up gorgeous turnouts, but I can't afford a jig for each and every TO # or type that appears on my layout. Also I don't like being limited to what I can buy, geometry wise. I have many situations on my layout where there just isn't a commercial TO available in the geometry I need.
I'd therefore need, as a start, straight #4 & 6's, a couple of curved options and maybe a xover........
However, your comments about simply downloading printable templates suggests my understanding is wrong
Cheers,
Ian
What some modelers do to handlay a TO is take a template of what they want, and glue it down on a piece of wood. Then they lay the TO directly on the template, using it to guide them, similar to the construction of balsa airplanes. You place the plans on a flat surface and put a piece of wax paper on it. Then you build the airplane directly on the plan. Same here without the wax paper of course.
When the TO is built, they will solder several pieces of brass, or rail across the top of the rails and lift the TO off of the template and then lay the TO where they need it. Once its completely spiked down, they remove the bracing and then it ready to use.
Having used a FT jig a couple of times, there is some flexibility in placement on the layout. The TO can be "flexed" some to put a slight curve in it. Then its spiked down as you would any FT TO.
But I taught myself to handlay because at the time, (I was 11), I couldn't
afford any brand of TO. I took a couple of 9" straight brass tracks, that cost 10 cents each at the time, bought a couple of gauges and a pack of spikes, taught myself how to solder, how to file the rail and I built my first TO on a flat piece of soft pine. I've been doing it ever since. My techniques have changed a lot over the years and I can lay a straight #6 turnout in about 45mins, start to finish.
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I've done that! [An "enhancement", for planes at least, is a magnetic building board and & bunch of ("special") magnets.]
Anyway, that doesn't sound like it's using the FT system at all?
OK, I guess the filing & shaping tools, but I thought it was those (beautiful!) jigs that were the key? I was hoping for a "multi-jig" I guess - Oh well.....
As for "truly" doing it by hand, firstly, my hats off to you at age 11!... Seems everything written by guys who have done it says "it's easy, you should try!"
Maybe......
Cheers,
Ian
Selector
Well-Known Member
Ian, the jigs are only jigs..and jigs are tools. I didn't have jigs for the curved #10 I found I needed late in my track laying process for this current layout. But, having used the jigs, and having learned what a turnout needs to work properly, I just generalized all I learned from the #8 jigs to a long curved turnout. The parts were the same, just longer and curved...no biggie.
So, as Carey says, the templates are a thoughtful courtesy provided by Tim Warris for those who want to make or sell true #whatevers, but you can build whatever you need, even a #26.75 if you want to. You don't need the points filing jig...although it sure is handy and speeds the process. You certainly wouldn't want a #6 turnout jig if you found you needed three #7.5's...right? So, if the template is there, and you have the know-how and materials and tools, have at it. If there is no template, you make one by overlaying flex along the centerlines involved and drawing them out. At some point the rails cross at an X, and there is your frog. Keep your scale rail gauges handy, check often, watch fingers on the hot end of the soldering iron, and have some fun doing some turnouts. There's nothing like watching your trains running on something you laid yourself.
So, as Carey says, the templates are a thoughtful courtesy provided by Tim Warris for those who want to make or sell true #whatevers, but you can build whatever you need, even a #26.75 if you want to. You don't need the points filing jig...although it sure is handy and speeds the process. You certainly wouldn't want a #6 turnout jig if you found you needed three #7.5's...right? So, if the template is there, and you have the know-how and materials and tools, have at it. If there is no template, you make one by overlaying flex along the centerlines involved and drawing them out. At some point the rails cross at an X, and there is your frog. Keep your scale rail gauges handy, check often, watch fingers on the hot end of the soldering iron, and have some fun doing some turnouts. There's nothing like watching your trains running on something you laid yourself.
