Turnout Manufacturers

[Benjamin Maggi]

I am new to G scale, and along with some of my other G scale projects discussed below I thought I might want to purchase some track to actually run my 44 tonners!

I have skimmed the Model Railroader's G scale track comparrison, and now know NOT to purchase Bachmann or Lionel track. I have heard rumors that Aristocraft switches were not up to snuff, but I think that was several years ago. So, without considering rail material type (which is currently being discussed and seems to be a very opinionated subject), here are my questions:

1. What other manufacturered (not kit) turnouts are equivelant in quality to LGB, which from what I have read is the standard for durability?

2. If I do decide to go stainless steel for track (based on the other topics posted) will I be able to find reliable turnouts to match my rail?

3. Are there any published articles, maybe in Garden Railways, that covered this?

Thanks guys!

[cacole]

I have both brass and stainless steel turnouts made by AristoCraft and have had only minor problems with them from the standpoint of dirt getting into the throwbar and causing it to jam.  I throw all of them by hand, so it's a simple matter to push the rail over if it has jammed up.  Some type of weatherproof lubricant might solve this problem, but I don't know what to use.  I have one LGB turnout and it exhibits the same behavior.

 

[two tone]

Hi, All my track is LGB and turnouts    I use the brass track as in England I find it is the best stainless steel my not need cleaning as mach as brass but from what I hear is it does not last as long. My turnouts are all motor driven as with the outher points of view the only problem with any points are bits of grit getting in the blades this will happen on all layouts as birds ect love to scatter ballest. hope this helps

[devils]

Aristo are slightly more prone to problems than LGB but nothing a quick on the ground clean and service won't sort out, in my experience this isn't a frequent problem and I have LGB switches that have seized up too. Aristo do make the US style track that is better for 1/29 scale stuff than their narrow gauge or LGB's.

Peco is the only other manufacturer of assembled Standard Gauge 1 track I know of although it has British style chairs and fixings. The track is much finer scale (although no problems with flanges) and the pick up skates can short across the  frogs so some form of electrical switch is best used to switch the polarity of the frog at the same time as the rails.

Paul

[Anonymous]

I have a number of sets of points in my layout and they are all LGB 16000 series, electrically driven. I do have trouble with them from time to time; the motors fill up with fines during monsoonal weather but apart from that i cant say a word against them.

The person that has ideas of using brass points with SS track or vice versa ought to read up on what i have said about electrolysis. before they go in this direction.

Ian

 

[ttrigg]

Nothing but LGB, I did not care for the looks of the LGB "rerailer", did not like the color of track on the Aristocraft "rerailer" so I took off the aristo track and put in the LGB track.

[kstrong]

Ian... Can you point a link to what you've said about brass/stainless electrolysis, if only to save a few hours of searching? I'm curious because that seems to be counter to what my experience has been with the two materials.

I've not ever had trouble with that combination. Aristo uses stainless screws in their brass rail--have been since day 1. Split-Jaw and Hillman's both use stainless screws in their brass rail clamps, too. Dad's had stainless screws outdoors for 26 years, holding brass or nickel fishplates (made from old HO code 100 rail) to aluminum rail with nary a problem. The copper fishplates on the aluminum rail all but corroded away in short order due to electrolysis, but everything else has held up very well.

Again, I'm not discounting your experiences--I'm curious as to the environment and the situation, and a quick search proved fruitless for finding specific references. I'm working on an article on switches at the moment, so this would be very timely.

As for the switches, the LGB 1600 switches are about as bulletproof as you can get, but in today's market they're considered a tight radius switch. Granted, I haven't run electricity through rails in over 20 years, so I can't comment to conductivity issues, but for operation, the LGB 1600s are rock solid. I never had much trouble with the Aristo switches, either, though there are reports of problems with derailments through the frogs due to poor clearances. I never experienced any troubles, but--like Ian's experience with electrolysis--that doesn't mean they don't exist.

If you're looking for something different from what the "big two" offer, you owe it to yourself to check out the smaller switch manufacturers such as Parker and Co., and Old Pullman. The Parker switches have a very good reputation. I've run on them on a few different railroads, and never had issues. The owners seemed quite happy with them as well.

If anyone's looking at smaller rail switches, I've been very happy with my Sunset Valley code 250 switches.

Later,

K

[cacole]

From one with a background in electronics and electrical engineering, my belief is that electrolysis having any ill effects on our garden railway track seems to be a non-issue.

Electrolysis works two ways -- a battery generates electricity through the process of electrolysis, and two dissimilar metals such as brass and stainless steel, when allowed to touch, can be eaten away if they are immersed in a liquid and a high electrical current is passed through them.  In order for electrolysis to damage track, a higher voltage and amperage than we use would be required, and the rail would need to be continually submerged.  Unless you leave your track powered 24/7 and it is submerged in salt water, any electrolysis that does occur would be so insignificant that the track will last longer than any of us.

For those who would like to read a really technical definition of electrolysis, read through the articles about it on Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia, by typing the word "electrolysis" into Google.

.

[piercedan]

LGB, Aristocraft, and USA trains all make R1 turnouts.

LGB R3 (16000 series) is 8 foot diameter, Aristo wide is approx. 10 foot diameter.

USA has a large switch with their own controller.

LGB has the R5, approx 12 foot diameter and is approx. 24 inches long

Aristo has the 36 inch long switch.


All my R1's are LGB and I have only 1 Art wide.  I beefed up the wiring under this switch before installing it and it has been working for 3 years outdoors with an EPL LGB drive from the 55475 ART receiver.  Many R3's and 2 R5's are outdoors and I just have to do some cleaning to keep these units switching properly.

[Benjamin Maggi]

Piercedan, you have saved me lots of looking amoungst websites to find turnout size information. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

K and cacole;

It is true you will get materials eaten away when you pass an electric current through dissimilar materials. However it is not true that they need to be immersed in water or even salt water. The level of voltage and current only  will have an effect on the time taken to eat these materials away. !2 V DC with a minimal current flow will do the trick as it has happened to me and this well below what i have in my layout. However to be fair my layout is in the tropics. 

It will certainly happen if you pass DC especially, through dissimilar materials, it is just a matter of how long and how much and to my mind why do it unless it is absolutely necessary.

One of the worst cases i have seen is when i was a young man training to be a tecommunications technician in Sydney. We had to do a stint working with a lines section and mine was in Sydney's eastern suburbs, where at that time they still had trams.You had lead sheathed telephone cables running alongside a tram track, say about 5 metres away. When the line ran around a corner the earth return current of the DC from the trams took a short cut; it would enter the lead sheath and then leave it again and you regularly got a hole you could put your fist in and globules the size of golf balls on the other side.

No water was involved and the cable had its own little tunnel which was not damp in any way that i can remember.

This is an exaggerated case but never the less electolysis is very real and should not be encouraged unless their is no alternative.

 

Rgds Ian

 

 

 

 

 

[jerryl]

I replaced all of my Aristocraft switches with LGB. My Lehmen Porters would constantly derail on the Aristo. ones & also all of the screws & springs were steel. The springs fell apart in one year & the screws were completely rusted. Don't know why they went that route when the track screws are stainless steel. In all fairness, they may have corrected this problem & I have had no problem with thier track.   Jerry

[Greg Elmassian]

Weird, thought all the Aristo screws for joiners were SS. Mine are.

I have as many of the Aristo #6 switches as will fit. I have modified all of my Aristo WR switches and they all work fine now (details on my site www.elmassian.com under track)

Regards, Greg

[Anonymous]

My LGB/Lehmann 0-4-0s will go through Aristo turnouts OK, as will my Lionel "James", but my B'mann mining mogul pogosticks sideways off the rails every time. Since they don't cost all that much more (at least not used), I intend to go with the LGB turnouts on the new indoor pike.
Just my 2c