Hi. I'm just wondering what's the best use for a curved turnout? When should 1 be used?
To squeeze ever last bit of extra length into a siding, by starting it on the curve instead of waiting until after the track becomes tangent (straight).
To reduce the S curve effect of a crossover - by putting the crossover party on a curve. I don't have a handy picture, but there's a picture of how to do this in John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation.
To fit a pinwheel type yard ladder around the inside of a curve.
I'm sure there are others.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I generally used all of my curved turnouts on curves.
You can see two curved turnouts in this pic.
One here to the right of the roundhouse.
Three in this photo.
I like them, when you are short on space like I am they help you squeeze out the use of every inch.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
HeavyFeather I generally used all of my curved turnouts on curves.
Typically, the outside curve is nothing more than a short segment on a longer mainline curve. It is normally the inside curve that is more critical to reach a yard or spur or siding. Over time, on my various layouts, I did not start out to use a curved turnout, but as the planning stage progressed, I sometimes realized that a curved turnout was essential.
Rich
Alton Junction
Sometimes I have use Curved and Wye turnouts just because I like the way they look and they add variety to the trackwork.
.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
engineh23 Hi. I'm just wondering what's the best use for a curved turnout? When should 1 be used?
Generally, especially in our confined spaces, curved turnouts work well along curves where you want to start a siding or a spur. On my second layout, I used a handlaid curved #9 turnout to do just that. And one of Walthers/Shinohara #7.5 got me to my yard from the other end of that same curve. IOW, the points faced each other with about 36" of flex between them.
At the end of the long siding started by the handlaid turnout, I used a W/S curved #8, again at a point along a curve.
In additon to what Randy said, on my last layout I used a curved turnout on one end of a runaround siding that needed to be long enough to hold a 62 inch long train. Curving the tail track into a half loop provided an engine escape.
- Douglas
I have two curved (Shinohara #8) turnouts on my layout. In one case it was primarily to increase the length of a spur and the other case was to maximise the potential length of the staging tracks inside the upper return loop.
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
Onewolf I have two curved (Shinohara #8) turnouts on my layout. In one case it was primarily to increase the length of a spur and the other case was to maximise the potential length of the staging tracks inside the upper return loop.
Same here, increase length of staging tracks or siding tracks.
Two Shinohara #8's and a Peco curved here in the staging yard ladder:
Here is another, bottom right:
Maybe not easy to see but in the top left, there are two Walthers #8 curved and at the other end of the yard, another.
I like the #8 because I am trying to keep my minimum radius as broad as possible. The Shinohara and Walthers #8 curved are nominally 32" inner and 36" outer, althought the inner is a bit sharper than labled by the manufacturer.
Shinohara closed down and due to this I don't believe their code 100 track is made anymore and only available as leftover stock or maybe on Ebay or secondary market. Shinohara (correct me if I'm wrong) manufactured Walthers code 83 under contract and Walthers has gone to a new supplier and AFAIK, #8 curve turnouts are not in their list so far.
I wanted the DCC friendly version so I sold my older #8 Curved Walthers and hunted a couple of the newer versions down on Ebay before they became much more scarce.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I don't think prototype railroads would normally use them, but we have different constraints and sometimes find this kind of unusual trackwork useful.
I have four of them. They all help do something that would not otherwise fit, or save significant space and allow longer sidings.
They all work perfectly, incidentally.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
They are not common on the prototype but I can think of two main track curved crossovers that I have seen on the B&O.
One was at Glenwood Junction near Pittsburgh,Pa. and the other at Grafton, WVa.
Mark Vinski
I want to thank you all for your replies to my question. I think I am going to use 1 to come into a small yard I have & probably can find other spots too now that I know what they are used fo thanks to you all. Modeling the Erie Lackawanna in western ny from late 60's to early 70's.
riogrande5761 Walthers has gone to a new supplier and AFAIK, #8 curve turnouts are not in their list so far.
They are coming out in April with a #6.5 20 & 24" and a #7 24 & 28" which by the html addy, they are calling a #7
https://www.walthers.com/code-83-nickel-silver-curved-track-7-turnout-left-hand
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddy riogrande5761 Walthers has gone to a new supplier and AFAIK, #8 curve turnouts are not in their list so far. They are coming out in April with a #6.5 20 & 24" and a #7 24 & 28" which by the html addy, they are calling a #7 https://www.walthers.com/code-83-nickel-silver-curved-track-7-turnout-left-hand
That link doesn't work. "Looks like you got off track" is the message I get.
Conspicuously absent are the #7 1/2 and #8 curved from Walthers list. Don't know if those are in the plans or not.
Anyway, those are not the droids I was looking for - *Jedi hand wave*
I was talking about the #8 curved, which is the only Walthers curved turnout I have ever used so far. The #8 curved also tend to be the hardest to find so I'm glad I hunted a couple down for reasonable prices before they got much more rare.
I sold my DC Walthers #8 curved and replaced them with the DCC friendly version before the prices went thru the roof. Now even the DC versions on Ebay are priced at "Micky taking" prices.
Now that a couple of years has passed since Shinohara stopped making curved turnouts for Walthers, the code 83 curved prices are shooting up pretty high. Good old supply and demand economics.
I was able to include 2 reversing loops (via crossovers on this modest 5' x 9' dogbone layout by using #7-1/2 curved turnouts for the crossovers. You can see one crossover in the front right here. The 2nd crossover is in the rear right but you can't see all the track.
20190712_083658 (2) by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
The PECO HO Code 83 curved turnouts are signficantly more compact than the Walthers equivalents and offer fairly broad radii on both legs. Well worth considering.
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
cuyama The PECO HO Code 83 curved turnouts are signficantly more compact than the Walthers equivalents and offer fairly broad radii on both legs. Well worth considering.
The reason the Walthers are so long, especially the broader radius versions, is that the inner and outer radius's are much more similar to each other than the Peco curved.
So if you want a compact curved turnout, they will sacrifice the inner radius to be much much smaller than the outer.
For example the Peco #7 code 83 curve has an outer radius of 60 inches, and an inner radius of 36 (nominal).
On the other end, Walthers inner and outer radii are much closer together, nominally 4 inches different. #8 is 32 inner / 36 outer by way of example, although the inner is a bit smaller than labeled by the manufacturer.
Anyway, the main take away is, you want to buy curved turnouts to fit your track plan curves, most of the time, rather than how long a turnout you would like to have.
I refer to these curved turnouts as 'double curved' turnouts,...it just computes better in my mind,....and Peco also uses that same terminology.
I'm using almost exclusively Peco code 100 turnouts on my new layout. When I first began to explore dble-curves with my drawn plans (not computer drawn), I randomly selected some curved turnouts, but when I went to mock-up the ideas with full size templates I began to discover many discrepancies with the way manufacturers had labeled their product. For the most part they did NOT admit the correct radi of their product, particularly the SMALL radius size, ...they were much tighter than labeled,..not good for my bigger steam engines.
Turns out I had some where in the past purchased a whole bunch of Pecos. When I looked thru my collection I discovered I had a bunch of these rather 'wide' double curves,....30" inner radius, 60" outer radius. I thought to myself, these are NEVER going to find use on my relatively compact/small layout,...not with that 60" r !!
BOY was I wrong ! I love these turnouts. I have found numerous places to use them. I forget the total number I have in my plan now, but it exceeds a dozen I believe.
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
Depending on what your normal curve radius is, a curved turnout can also serve as a transition/spiral at the beginning of a curve. If your standard curve is 24” radius, one of those Peco 60/36” switchs might help a good bit to ease your trains into the curve. Not as good as a more professional spiral but a lot better than nothing.
railandsailI refer to these curved turnouts as 'double curved' turnouts,...it just computes better in my mind,....and Peco also uses that same terminology.
Maybe you are a Brit kidnapped to America?
Well, remember the saying, British and Americans are two people separated by a common language.
While I am married to a Brit, for train terminology I still just call them plain old curved turnouts. Maybe I'm stubborn and set in my ways. It does seem most of American's prefer shorter, more abreviated terms anymore.
As the bounty hunter says in The Mandalorian: "It is the way!"
b60bp Depending on what your normal curve radius is, a curved turnout can also serve as a transition/spiral at the beginning of a curve. If your standard curve is 24” radius, one of those Peco 60/36” switchs might help a good bit to ease your trains into the curve. Not as good as a more professional spiral but a lot better than nothing.
When I asked the owner of the layout why he built the curved double crossover, his reply was 'To see if I could do it. Now that I've done it, I'd never do it again'. It is a beautiful piece of handlaid trackwork.
Research; it's not just for geeks.