Turnout arrangement - possible issues?

[DeadheadGreg]

Hey, so I was just checking out the new photos of the Wisconsin Southern, and came across this photo: 

 

 

What I'm curious about, however, is the two turnouts in the foreground lined up points-to-points.  I'm assuming that its obviously okay, since the MR people laid it out that way, but what I'm wondering is whether this would pose any problems for an engine or train coming from the diverging end of one turnout, and then continuing onto the diverging end of the next turnout.  It wouldn't be an S-curve....  more of a sideways U-curve, I guess. 

I just think that running a train through both diverging routes would have problems.  If its okay to do this, then I can save myself some space and add extra length to one of my run-arounds/passing tracks.

[mls1621]

As long as the lead entering the turnout is longer than your longest piece of rolling stock, it shouldn't be an issue.  Running through the turnouts (diverging track to diverging track) would be no different than going through a curve of the same radius.

Looking at the picture, you have to take one thing into consideration.  The camera has a tendency to compress distance.  The far lead into the turnout is longer than it appears.

[dehusman]

You have to also ask what the two tracks are.  Is it a through route that trains will travel from diverging route to diverging route or is it a crossover next to an industry track where the only moves will be low speed switching moves?

Dave H.

[cuyama]

If you refer to the trackplan in the Jan 2008 MR, a couple of things become clear. The diverging leg toward the camera in the picture is the lead to the engine house, so there probably aren't any issues with the S-curve. The "main" track toward the camera looks like it's primarily the end of a runaround. In fact, the camera viewpoint is essentially the end of the shelf layout, so probably only light engines negotiate this area, and only when running around. That alone helps makes any s-curves less serious. If this same area saw passenger traffic; or if strings of mixed-length cars were being pushed through here, it might be more troublesome.

The designers/builders also used a wye turnout for the connection from the yard ladder to the two turnouts in question. This saves some space, eases some pesky angles, and helps lessen the s-curve.

So there are subtleties here that aren't apparent from one slightly foreshortened camera view.

Byron
Model RR Blog

[tomikawaTT]

Judging from the distance between frogs, there appears to be more than one carlength of tangent between the left hand facing-point turnout and the trailing-point wye turnout.  If that's the case, there really shouldn't be any issues - especially at the speed normally run in an engine servicing area.

The fun comes in when some misguided soul connects snap-switches diverging route to diverging route, then tries to run full-length pullmans with body-mounted couplers through them.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Johnnny_reb]

If you refer to the trackplan in the Jan 2008 MR, a couple of things become clear. The diverging leg toward the camera in the picture is the lead to the engine house, so there probably aren't any issues with the S-curve. The "main" track toward the camera looks like it's primarily the end of a runaround. In fact, the camera viewpoint is essentially the end of the shelf layout, so probably only light engines negotiate this area, and only when running around. That alone helps makes any s-curves less serious. If this same area saw passenger traffic; or if strings of mixed-length cars were being pushed through here, it might be more troublesome.

The designers/builders also used a wye turnout for the connection from the yard ladder to the two turnouts in question. This saves some space, eases some pesky angles, and helps lessen the s-curve.

So there are subtleties here that aren't apparent from one slightly foreshortened camera view.

Byron
Model RR Blog

You are correct Sir.

The turnout arrangement at this point will not cause at problem. As anything using both turnouts will be going to, or from the enginehouse and should be at low speed.

Now with that said, if this turnout arrangement were to be put in a mainline with high speed traffic it would cause a problem. But at low speeds and with one or two pieces of rolling stock it should be just fine.