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Designing a Wye

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  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Nevada
  • 825 posts
Posted by NevinW on Thursday, December 18, 2008 7:16 PM

tomikawaTT

Nevin,

My choice would be to have the wye project into the room - on a drop-down leaf.

By using those long antique barn hinges, you could offset the hinge point well behind the front edge of your shelf to protect the desert scrub from damage when the leaf is in the fully dropped position.  A slight bevel in the edge of the non-moving part will prevent interference and allow the two to meet in a barely-perceptible line.

Just my My 2 cents, other opinions will differ.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in a Clark County, NV, garage)

 

 I really like that idea. -  Nevin 

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Nevada
  • 825 posts
Posted by NevinW on Thursday, December 18, 2008 7:15 PM

lvanhen

If space is the issue, a turntable will take up a lot less room, and fit on your shelf.  MyMy 2 cents

 

You are right, and there is currently a turntable in place, but I am modeling the Nevada mining railroads before WWI and turntables were very scarce in Nevada.  The T&G had one in Goldfield and that was the only one.  Wyes were definitely the way they turned engines in Nevada except at Ludlow CA on the Tonopah and Tidewater, which used a balloon track that looped around the entire town just like a model railroad. -  Nevin

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Southwest US
  • 12,914 posts
Posted by tomikawaTT on Thursday, December 18, 2008 6:34 PM

Nevin,

My choice would be to have the wye project into the room - on a drop-down leaf.

By using those long antique barn hinges, you could offset the hinge point well behind the front edge of your shelf to protect the desert scrub from damage when the leaf is in the fully dropped position.  A slight bevel in the edge of the non-moving part will prevent interference and allow the two to meet in a barely-perceptible line.

Just my My 2 cents, other opinions will differ.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in a Clark County, NV, garage)

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: northern nj
  • 2,477 posts
Posted by lvanhen on Thursday, December 18, 2008 5:57 PM

If space is the issue, a turntable will take up a lot less room, and fit on your shelf.  MyMy 2 cents

Lou V H Photo by John
  • Member since
    November 2007
  • From: Traverse City, MI
  • 266 posts
Posted by camaro on Thursday, December 18, 2008 12:54 PM

Another variation is the Grantham railroad wye that is used in the UK. I'm not sure if it got much use in the states.  The nice thing about this is that  it keeps the entire wye to one side.  If you need to, you can cross the main line slightly or curve the mainline away from the wye.

 

Larry

 

 

 

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Nevada
  • 825 posts
Posted by NevinW on Thursday, December 18, 2008 7:35 AM
Those drawings are exactly what I needed. My layout is a 16 inch wide shelf so there is no way I can fit it into the corner. I can extend into the room and it looks like the minimum extension length is about 3 feet. It definitely could work. - Nevin
  • Member since
    November 2007
  • From: Traverse City, MI
  • 266 posts
Posted by camaro on Thursday, December 18, 2008 7:29 AM

pcarrol brought up the use of a sissor wye in the Model Railroader Forums.  It can be a space saver since the tails are not moving in totally opposite directions. The entire thread can be found on this website.

 

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern CA Bay Area
  • 4,387 posts
Posted by cuyama on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:28 PM

The curved wye can be a bit more compact overall, but may not fit as well in the narrow shelf style of layout that the original poster was building (if I recall correctly). It could fit well, as mentioned, around a curve in the main track.

Byron

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • 947 posts
Posted by HHPATH56 on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 9:58 PM

The purpose of a wye is to reverse the direction of travel of trains approaching the wye from  at  least two different tracks. Two parallel tracks on opposite sides of the narrow shelf form an 18" radius loop at the widened end, and then cross each other, at an X to form two opposing reverse loops. This will accomplish the same purpose. It will require four switches, an X cross over, and either DPDT toggle switches, or auto reverse loop modules). On my layout, I have another set of opposing switches,at the top of the loop,  to form train length spurs, to allow priority trains to pass, to serve industries, or store freight cars for later pick-up.      Bob Hahn

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Colorful Colorado
  • 8,639 posts
Posted by Texas Zepher on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 7:23 PM

NevinW
I am thinking about adding a wye ... so I am thinking about #4 turnouts and 18 inch radius.

The smallest wye that is possible is made with 18" radius curves and three wye turnouts.  If you use Atlas #3s this will fit into the corner of a "L" that is 18" wide.

It would be wye turnout, 1 section 18" radius curve, 1 section 1/3 18" radius curve, wye turnout - repeat.

I've built this using 22" radius curves and it fit into the corner 24" wide.  It is shown in the upper left of the photo below.  The aqua/green GN box car is sitting on the closest turnout of the wye.   The end of one of the other legs is where the tall smoke stack is.


 

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern CA Bay Area
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Posted by cuyama on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 12:31 PM

In the classic "wye" shape, it would protrude about 3 feet into the room, as seen here with a 1-foot-long "tail" beyond each turnout. Different turnouts would change the dimensions a bit.

If your equipment is shorter, you could decrease the length of the tail ... you just need clearance beyond the points for your longest engine.

Keep in mind that you can bend a wye around a turnback curve or even make a "scissors" version with a crossing to change the overall shape a bit. Although for your prototype, simpler is probably better.

Byron

Tags: ho , Atlas , wye
  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Nevada
  • 825 posts
Designing a Wye
Posted by NevinW on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 9:45 AM
I am thinking about adding a wye to one end of my HO railroad instead of a turntable. I have relatively small steam engines 4-6-0, 2-8-0. etc so I am thinking about #4 turnouts and 18 inch radius. My question is if anyone has build such a wye, how much space did it take? What were the dimensions of your wye? Mine would have to extend into the room where it might interfere with my exercise equipment. Thanks - Nevin

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