Double crossover

[tbair]

Howdy Folks,

After reeding some posts I have a question concerning double crossovers. Which one should I get for my H.O. layout or should I make my own? If I do the latter what size turnouts should I use? I have a 4-6-4 with lightweight pass cars and a couple newer SD40's.

Thanks,

Trent

[BigDaddy]

Mel built his own, I'm surprised he hasn't stopped by.

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-25-2012-my-double-crossover.html

 

[railandsail]

tbair

Howdy Folks,

After reeding some posts I have a question concerning double crossovers. Which one should I get for my H.O. layout or should I make my own? If I do the latter what size turnouts should I use? I have a 4-6-4 with lightweight pass cars and a couple newer SD40's.

Thanks,

Trent

 

What code track would you be using? If code #100 I have a couple of spare Shinohara ones that I will likely not be using as I plan on using single crossovers that I also have.

Brian

[RR_Mel]

Thanks Henry

 

Been sleeping, us older guys need a nap.

 

I tried every double crossover made and because of my deep flanged Rivarossi articulated locomotives none of them worked without problems.  My articulateds didn’t have any problems going through my Atlas code 83 turnouts so I made my own double crossover from Atlas Custom Line #6 turnouts and powered it with a single Tortoise switch machine.

 

I’ve never had a single problem with it.  I passes all of my locomotives at a creep or wide open long or short rolling stock.

 

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[Steven Otte]

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[hon30critter]

Mel's solution is great if you want the track centers to be less than 3". There is some work involved.

If you can live with 3" track centers then you can make a double crossover using unmodified Atlas Code 83 Customline #6 switches and a 19 degree crossing. The only cutting required is for the straight sections that join the through tracks.

Dave

[RR_Mel]

When I started building my current layout the first piece of track I laid down was a Walthers code 83 double crossover.  That set my dual track mainline spacing at 2”.  As soon as I completed the mainline I ran an SD9 to test my track.  It ran beautifully so I continue on and completed all of the track.

 

A couple of months later I ran my newest Rivarossi Cab Forward and it wouldn’t go through the double crossover because of the deep flanges.  The drivers sparked on both frogs in both directions on both crossings.  Over the next couple of weeks I piddled around trying everything I could think of to get it to work, nothing helped and before long there wasn’t anything left of the Walthers double crossover.  Over several years I tried every brand of double crossover out there and the only one that would work with my Rivarossis was a Fast Track, I didn’t want to do all of the necessary frog wiring so I removed it.

 

One of my goals for my layout was the double crossover. Temporarily I used a pair of Atlas code 83 #6 Custom Line turnouts as a single crossover.  My Rivarossi articulateds had no problems passing through the Atlas turnouts.  That’s when I decided to make my own using Atlas turnouts.  My track spacing was fixed at 2” from the original Walthers double crossover so I drew it up using Atlas #6 turnouts on my CAD to see if it was doable and it was so I built my own.

 

I have never had any problems with my home brew double crossover in the 6 years it’s been in operation.

 

I have full size drawing (DWG) on my Google Drive of my double crossover.

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7gZp9MPvrm3dER0RDh1Tlh5Vnc

 

The drawings on my blog have the measurements for cutting the turnouts and 19° crossover.

 

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-25-2012-my-double-crossover.html

 

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-27-2014-revisiting-my-double.html

 

The only difficult part of making my own was getting the small Walthers/Shinohara track joiners (948-841) on the rails.  There are 12 joiners that need to go together all at the same time.  Cutting the rails and ties was a piece of cake compared to assembling it.

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

[railandsail]

Didn't the OP say he was using Code 100?

Code 100 crossovers are different than Code 83, the flangeways are deeper and wider. My cookie-cutter flange Rivarossi's work fine thru 2 different size double crossovers (Shinohara or Atlas, I believe they were) that I have installed on my old Atlas Central Midland layout....Code100

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/31007?page=2

 

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/31007?page=2#comment-309616

[BigDaddy]

railandsail

Didn't the OP say he was using Code 100?

Not in his post unless he edited it out.

 

[tbair]

I am using code 100.

 

[BigDaddy]

Then message Brian.  He had a post that was deleted that you may be interested in.

 

[RR_Mel]

Trent

 

My problem was not using code 100 double crossover, any manufactured code 100 double crossover should work great.  My problem was my Rivarossi non RP 25 flanges.

 

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[Redvdub1]

Our club set up test boards with Walther's/Shinohara C83 double x-overs (C83) and Shinohara (old double x-bar version and new single x-bar version) and ran all the engines we had through all the double crossover versions noted above with DC and DCC .  The W/S C83 doubles had a little "wobble" with all engines...even those with RP25 wheels...I think the frogs have a little itty-bitty curvature to the flangeways. 

Our Rivarossi engines (pizza cutter flanges 2-8-4s and 2-8-8-2 Y6Bs) went through all the doubles ok.  Our Bowser steam would hang up on the C83 double x-oer at crawl speeds but we could "ram" it through.  Everything went through the Shinohara double x-overs. 

Caveat 1..the Shinohara's needed all 4 switches set to either straight through or x-over...otherwise you get shorts.

Caveat 2..the older Shinohara double x-overs needed some insulation "enhancement" on the K-crossings (the left and right hand crossings).  I started off with India Ink which worked but wore quickly.  I ended up using JB weld which has held up now for over 3 years. 

Good luck.