Can anyone tell me what size curved turnout would be used in a 22" radius turn? I hope there is an easy answer and not a lot of math! I am retired!
Also, what is a good manufacturer of curved turnouts, are they available?
Jake,
Is the 22" radius curve going to be the inside or outside track? And have other have found out, the # of the curved turnout may not be a good indicator of the actual radius. I think you will need to provide some additional info:
A standard turnout does not match a certain radius. Are you trying to lay a turnout into a 22" radius curve?
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I am working in HO scale with #83 track. The mainline radius is 22" and I am trying to lay the turnout into a curve to take it to the center of the layout. I will post the prelim layout below.
I would like to start that inner track on the lower right corner of the 22" curve to give me more room on the right side of the main line. Hope that helps explain what i have in mind?
Thanks, Jim for answering.
If I read you correctly, you're not going to like this answer:
Turnouts do not have "curved" sections to them (except for the toy train-set types, like Atlas Snap-switches, which are intended to fit 18" radius curves).
A standard TO placed into a curve will not be smooth because of this; the diverging leg is actually straight.
You need a 22" radius curved TO (of whatever # will fit your space) to do the job.
Ned - sounds like I might be able to make that work. Who sells Shinmara? I don't think my LHS?
BTW, do you have the specs on a #5 curved?
jake9 wrote: Ned - sounds like I might be able to make that work. Who sells Shinmara? I don't think my LHS?BTW, do you have the specs on a #5 curved?
A commercially available #5 curved turnout does not exist because the inner radius would be too small. A straight #5 turnout has about a 26" radius in the curved section, aka the closure rail. When you curve the straight leg of a straight turnout, the curved leg becomes that much sharper unless the entire turnout is lengthened. The Walters/Shinohara curved turnouts have actual inner leg radii sharper than published; the #6.5 has been measured at about 18" radius average on the inner leg.
To see how long curved turnouts must be to have respectable radii and get adequate separation between the 2 routes, overlay a section of 18" radius snap track over a section of 22" radius.
IIRC, Peco makes curved turnouts in code 75 and code 100 that have constant radius curves. You might check their web site for actual radii of these turnouts. I believe they typically have 24" radii or larger, but the Set Track (train set) line probably has sharper available.
Another consideration is curved turnout reliability. Unless you are laying your own, the sharper curves will likely be more derailment prone as your rolling stock and wheels are pushed closer to their limits of successfully tracking. I would recommend using curve radii in a curved turnout larger than the rest of your curved track.
Another possibility is to lay your own turnout to the desired radii. If you are thinking about going down this road, Steve Hatch of Railway Engineering has some pretty good pointers on laying out custom turnouts. Or he'll custom build one for you.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
Peco makes these, but only in Code 100 for HO. If you can live with that, they are pretty good. I've got 3 of them on my layout, and they work very well. Their ST-244 and ST-245 (Right and Left, respectively) claim to be 18/22 radii. I think those are the ones I've got, and they are more like 17 1/2 and 21 1/2, so they aren't an exact drop-in replacement for a snap-track section, but easy enough to adjust a flex track curve to.
If it makes you feel any better, these don't match up perfectly to my code 100 track, either. The rails are just a bit thinner, so the Peco rail joiners won't go over the adjacent Atlas track.
These guys list these turnouts: http://www.treatstation.com/peco.pdf I've never ordered from them, but their price is pretty good.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Fred - you made a lot of good points and have pretty well convinced me that my idea won't work.
I have one Trainmaster, 6-axle that does not like 18" or #4TOs very much so I don't think I can change the lower curve enough to put in a section of larger radius? I may try to go to someone like Railway Engineering but I think the price to build one would be prohibitive.
MrBeasley - thanks for the link. Those are prices I can live with but the only thing that might work are 60-30" and that seems impossible for my table.
Maybe it is just my track laying skill, but I have a curved Peaco turn out and if I head into the points I derail. I had three of them and my Dash 9 could not make it around them either, I sold them on E-bay.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Atlas used to make a turnout that is 22" radius on the outside and 18" radius on inside part #163 & #164 (you want the left hand #163). It would fit the curve well but you would have to cut one of your existing 22" tracks since the turnout is a full 30 degrees of curvature (instead of 22.5" like a normal 22" sectional track). They no longer make this piece but they show up from time to time at used markets and swap meets. I picked up a bunch last spring.
Model Power made a similar turnout. The problem there isn't just finding one in the used market but finding a nickel-silver one instead of brass.
Peco makes one that will work. I think the part number is ST245. It won't fit quite as exact because it isn't really exactly 22" but close enough.
jake9 wrote:Can anyone tell me what size curved turnout would be used in a 22" radius turn? I hope there is an easy answer and not a lot of math! I am retired! Also, what is a good manufacturer of curved turnouts, are they available?
Don't know about commercial turnouts. I can tell you all of my curves with easments are 24", using #5 Fastracks turnouts. Built a bunch of crossovers with the #5's and have no problems and I'm told they dont look out of place at all. Six axle loco's go thru the turnouts at almost full speed without any problems, including cross overs. If your going to use more than about 10 turnouts you may figure they are a lot cheaper. Mine were cheaper, at least at the price I paid for the first 9.
Jules
Jules - I too am building #5 Fast Track turnouts but have not tried a curved variety. I hate to think about buying all the jigs just to build one!
My latest brainstorm after reading your post was maybe I can fit a #6 wye in that lower curve, as it is much shorter and then take off both curves from there. Does that sound too wierd?
???
cudaken Derails at the frog of Peco C100 turnouts are often caused by the guard rail being too close to the frog, allowing the wheels to pick the point of the frog. Peco C100 turnouts are for HO & OO size.
The fix is simple: a) make sure the track is in gauge with the NMRA track gauge. b) use the same gauge and the "wheels" notches to be sure of your wheelset spread. c) using the same notches as for the wheels, lay the gauge across the frog and check on the distance to the far side of the guard rail. You will likely see the point of the frog peeking into the notch while the other notch is placed where the back of it's wheel would be against the guard rail. If so, simply glue a 10-thou strip of styrene to the full length of the far side of the guard rail. I use Ambroid "Pro-Weld" for glue.
You'll probably notice that a wheelset that is a bit narrower than standard would never have derailed at that frog, whereas one in proper spec would be nipping at it. I've done this fix to all my Pecos with great success; even my decapod handles them. Try one or 2 switches and decide for yourself.
Have fun.... George
I have built the curved fast Tracks turnout both by hand and using the jig. They all perform flawlessly. I built 3 curved turnouts in place on the layout for my yard lead track and ladder. I used the jigs for the other 'stand-alone' locations. Fortunately I had enough places elsewhere that I could use curved turnouts that the jig was worth the money.
Check on e-bay. There is a gentleman who builds code 83 turnouts, he might be able to build a code 83 #6 24/18. I build code 100 #6 50/30 so I can't help you.
johncolley : Yep, the learning curve is alive and well everywhere. Apart from that 1 thing, I like the Pecos; they are rugged and reliable.
Anyone know if the new C83 switches from Peco are also OO rated, or are they HO only?
George
Are there any curved turnouts that have a inside radius of 22"?
thanks
Kevin
jake9I have one Trainmaster, 6-axle that does not like 18" or #4TOs very much so I don't think I can change the lower curve enough to put in a section of larger radius? I may try to go to someone like Railway Engineering but I think the price to build one would be prohibitive.
i don't know why you think it won't work. I have had curved TOs that did work. Just because someone says that it isn't possible doesn't mean that it isn't. If you have to use a code 100 instead of an 83, simply shim the track.
Roger Hensley= ECI Railroad - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/eci/eci_new.html == Railroads of Madison County - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/ =
Gerhard-
Thanks, That was very good info.
I have a Walthers 948-8827 C83 #6.5 right-hand curved turnout on a 22" radius curve main line and it fits the curve perfectly. The diverging route is done with flextrack into track that runs parallel with the main line for a short distance before curving away in another direction. I've had no operating problems with the turnout. The turnout is actually a Shinohara product but Walthers sells it in their catalog under their name in their C83 product line.
Hmmm ............... I have those: they are labeled 24"/20" and measure 24"/18". I checked by laying out curves on a board at different radii, 2" apart. Their #7 measures 28"/22".