Woofda wrote:How do I build a ladder with no. 6 turnouts on a no.5 angle? I understand why to do it I just dont understand how to do it.
Use #5 turnouts?
They are different angles of divergence. Think of a knight in a chess game. It moves 2 two squares down and one over. The path the knight takes would equal a number #2 turnout.
Therefore a #5 turnout would move down 5 squares and over 1.
A number six turnout would move down 6 squares an over one.
As you can see, if your train were a knight moving down the chessboard, it would end up in a diiferent place if it took a #5 route than if it took a #6 route.
You simply cannot do what you are suggesting.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
No, Chip, it can be done. I'm trying to remember which book, I've seen it in. I'll look when I get home. But the trick is a small curved section on the diverging leg of each of the turnouts to get the ladder tracks parallel, if I remember right. So the angle of the ladder is at a #5 angl3 (what I can't remember is if it uses a #5 switch, or a 6 and a curve to get there), but the turnout frogs are all number 6. So you get longer ladders at the expense of a small curve at the start of each one. I'll look it up tonight, if no one else has jumped in. I think it is in Andy Sperandeo's Freight Yard book, but it might be somewhere else.
Jeff But it's a dry heat!
Vail and Southwestern RR wrote: No, Chip, it can be done. I'm trying to remember which book, I've seen it in. I'll look when I get home. But the trick is a small curved section on the diverging leg of each of the turnouts to get the ladder tracks parallel, if I remember right. So the angle of the ladder is at a #5 angl3 (what I can't remember is if it uses a #5 switch, or a 6 and a curve to get there), but the turnout frogs are all number 6. So you get longer ladders at the expense of a small curve at the start of each one. I'll look it up tonight, if no one else has jumped in. I think it is in Andy Sperandeo's Freight Yard book, but it might be somewhere else.
V&S:
You start with a no. 6 and a curve, because everything has to go through that switch, so it shouldn't be sharper than the others.
There's actually a description of how to do this in one of the Kalmbach books - the Model Railroader's Guide to Freight Yards, I think... IIRC, Andy S. was the one who wrote the article. He sometimes lurks around the forum, maybe he'll see this thread and chime in.
Anyway, it is possible, and the reason for doing it is to "cheat" a little bit to make the ladder slightly shorter. Basically what you do is insert a short curve section of track on the diverging side of the first turnout (the one on the main) to "bend" the ladder leg "open" a little more from the standard #6 angle of 9.5 degrees to the #5 angle of 11.3 degrees. You'll also have to insert a short section of curved track (in the opposite direction) on the diverging side of each ladder turnout to keep the yard tracks parallel to the main. Hope that made sense...
Dan Stokes
My other car is a tunnel motor
I got the Idea from reading MR guide to Freight Yards. They menion the idea for using no 6 turnouts at no 5 angle this will allow longer body tracks in a given length. The idea is to set the ladder at a steeper angle than the frogs and continue the curvature of the turnouts past the frogs.
Autobus Prime wrote: Vail and Southwestern RR wrote: No, Chip, it can be done. I'm trying to remember which book, I've seen it in. I'll look when I get home. But the trick is a small curved section on the diverging leg of each of the turnouts to get the ladder tracks parallel, if I remember right. So the angle of the ladder is at a #5 angl3 (what I can't remember is if it uses a #5 switch, or a 6 and a curve to get there), but the turnout frogs are all number 6. So you get longer ladders at the expense of a small curve at the start of each one. I'll look it up tonight, if no one else has jumped in. I think it is in Andy Sperandeo's Freight Yard book, but it might be somewhere else.V&S:You start with a no. 6 and a curve, because everything has to go through that switch, so it shouldn't be sharper than the others.
That's what I would have guessed, if backed against a wall!
There I go, wrong again.
I was pretty sure I was right too. Just goes to show ya. Ya can't trust nobodies.
SpaceMouse wrote: There I go, wrong again.I was pretty sure I was right too. Just goes to show ya. Ya can't trust nobodies.
I just read too much!
Basically what you do is insert a short curve section of track on the diverging side of the first turnout (the one on the main) to "bend" the ladder leg "open" a little more from the standard #6 angle of 9.5 degrees to the #5 angle of 11.3 degrees. You'll also have to insert a short section of curved track (in the opposite direction) on the diverging side of each ladder turnout to keep the yard tracks parallel to the main.
So there are 2 curve sections involved correct? one before the trunout and one after the diverging leg to keep the yard tracks parallel. I think I understand and thanks to all for the help.