Hello All,
My question Du jour is:
I’m building a crossover with four Atlas code 100 #4 turnouts.
Can anyone tell me what angle the crossing should be between the stock #4 turnouts?
I’ve guesstimated, with a protractor, the 30-degree crossover would work. I also see that there is 25-degree crossing.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
I believe it's the 25 degree one. My Atlas books are packed away still, they list all that stuff in them, at least the older ones like I have did. There's some info online, and it says the #4 is 12 degrees 30 minutes, meaning 25 degrees for 2 of them - and then I found this line that I missed when scrolling through:
For double crossovers use the 25° crossing with #4 Custom-Line
So there you have it, straight from Atlas.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks again Randy.
You’ve been a great resource.
Incidentally, using a 19 degree crossing with #4 turnouts results in a 3 inch centerline for parallel tracks affected by this combination.
Rich
Alton Junction
rrinker For double crossovers use the 25° crossing with #4 Custom-Line
19 degree for the #6. CLosest one for the #8s is the 12 1/2 degree buit it's not completely right. The old Atlas Custom Line book won;t have #8's in it, didn't have them back then.
Thanks, Randy.
So is it correct to say that the matching crossing should be double the frog angle of the turnout?
Pretty much. Any other combination will result in there being kinks or S curves introduced. Atlas was pretty smart when they came up with that sectional track, making all the pieces needed to fit together. There's always a little slop, which is what catches novices - all the error ends up in one track joint because all the others are pushed tightly together, so there's a kink and/or a large gap and just one connection. Guess where trains always derail? The error needs to be distributed so multiple joints have tiny meaningless gaps and there are no large and problem causing ones.
rrinker Atlas was pretty smart when they came up with that sectional track, making all the pieces needed to fit together. There's always a little slop, which is what catches novices - all the error ends up in one track joint because all the others are pushed tightly together, so there's a kink and/or a large gap and just one connection. Guess where trains always derail? The error needs to be distributed so multiple joints have tiny meaningless gaps and there are no large and problem causing ones. --Randy
Atlas was pretty smart when they came up with that sectional track, making all the pieces needed to fit together. There's always a little slop, which is what catches novices - all the error ends up in one track joint because all the others are pushed tightly together, so there's a kink and/or a large gap and just one connection. Guess where trains always derail? The error needs to be distributed so multiple joints have tiny meaningless gaps and there are no large and problem causing ones.