I FINALLY have some time off from work, so I sat down tonight to work a little more with my Fast Tracks tools. I sodlered the points I made last week, plus made another set - I think I finally figured out what I was doing wrong, I was trying to make it PERFECTLY flush with the tool edge. The last set, I stopped when it was smooth and level but it wasn't perfectly smooth - there was still a bit of a bum above the PointForm edge - the fit together just as snuggly and are sharp just like the previous set. Soldred those together as well.
Then it was on to soem of the other parts. Since I figure the first one is pretty much goign to be a throw-away, I cut the PCB ties and soldered on the straight rail as well as the curved diverging rail. And then added the frog. I cut and bent a couple of pieces of rail ro make closure and wing rails, including filing off of the rail base so the wing rails fit in properly next to the frog. I didn't solder these in place, I'm not goign to used hinged points so the real thing will have to contain the point as well. But sitting all this in the fixture, I was able to roll a truck with P2K wheels through both sides with hardly any bump Deliberately twisting is would not make it derail, and that's without the guard rails. The whole thing is not as good as it could be, but it works. Considering I've never used anythign other than commercial turnouts and flex track in the past, I'm quite amazed. And I'm sure my next try will be that much better. Now I need more rail.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
So, having squeezed through the partially collapsed tunnel, you've discovered that the light at the end was NOT made by Pyle-National. It's all downgrade from here. (But not, "All downhill from here." Your objective was to get through the ridge and reach the valley on the other side.)
I know how satisfying it is to have all the loose ends come together in a piece of hand-fabricated specialwork. Great, isn't it?
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with hand-laid specialwork)
Randy
For $200+ for one size turnout they should build themselves!! For less than $10 for a CVT kit and less than an hour each I get the same results not even a click of a wheel through the frog. I can have 20 switches with different frog angles and rail codes for the price of 1 tool.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
locoi1sa Randy For $200+ for one size turnout they should build themselves!! For less than $10 for a CVT kit and less than an hour each I get the same results not even a click of a wheel through the frog. I can have 20 switches with different frog angles and rail codes for the price of 1 tool. Pete
I can build my switches for $5 a piece with ties and when I install them they work flawlessly and have no clicks either also I dont have those awful filled in frogs.
Congratulations on your first handlaid turnout! No matter what road you take to get there, the 1st is always special - especially when it works. The Fast Tracks jigs and tools do help a lot to make sure the first one comes out right, and will make things a little faster in the future.
Just like so many other aspects of model railroading, there are nearly as many different ways to hand lay track as there are hand layers. Some of them are convinced their way is so superior that instead of congratulating you, they tell you how you should have done things their way. As you become more comfortable with handlaid track, you will end up selecting the methods and techniques which best suit you.
Whether you go on to handlay everything, or just a couple of special turnouts - congratulations!
Fred W
ford86 I can build my switches for $5 a piece with ties and when I install them they work flawlessly and have no clicks either also I dont have those awful filled in frogs.
You mean those unprototypical "filled in frogs" like this one?
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
In quantities the cost per turnout is not much different. Building just 1 or 2 from Fast Tracks is kind of silly. I also think rail soldered to PC board ties will hold up more over the long run that rail glues to plastic ties.
I am still working on my first one. If I can;t get that one right what woud be the sense in making another 60 of them.
I am having a problem with the frog. I just can't get it close enough, like the one in that prototype picture.
It has to be as close as possible, so that the wheel rides from the point rail to the frog rail without dropping down in the slot. That is the secret of prototype frogs. The wheel is always supported on rail on either side of the gap. There should be no clunk sound. When you think about, the lowly frog is what made railroads possible.
I am going to file back the flanges on the frog rail to see if I can get them to fit together more closely.
Here is an idea I have:
Because Atlas rail and the ME rail are slightly different sizes, and since my skill isn't too good at pinching the Atlas joiners just right to get consistent contact. I came up with this solution -- add an additional copper tie at the diverging rails and solder a small wire from the bottom of the rail to the bottom of the tie for the common rails of the divergent route. This means that anytime any of the 3 pairs of rail are powered, all rails on both sides of the frog will be powered.
Here is a picture:
I don't know what anyone else thinks of this idea, but given 3 chances to make good contact allows even me to get power thru the turnout. (Let me know if I didn't explain it well).
One other thing - where I have turnouts joined to each other, I use Pecos joiners which give a very tight fit.
Glenn -- PRR in Georgia
BigRustyI am having a problem with the frog. I just can't get it close enough, like the one in that prototype picture.
What I do is lay track using spikes.
I lay the stock rails first. Then I lay the point rails next, spiking the straight side to gauge and then sliding it until the tip is just shy of gauge for the curved stockrail. Then I do the same with the curved side point rail.
I bend the wing rails and spike the straight route wing rail to gauge from the straight stock rail. I then slide the wing rail towards the point until it is properly spaced for the check gauge to the curved stock rail. The process is repeated for the curved route wing rail. It is spiked ingauge to the curved stock rail and then slid back and forth until the check gauge is correct to the straight stock rail.
That whole process takes only a couple minutes and everything is in proper gauge.
BigRusty I am still working on my first one. If I can;t get that one right what woud be the sense in making another 60 of them. I am having a problem with the frog. I just can't get it close enough, like the one in that prototype picture. It has to be as close as possible, so that the wheel rides from the point rail to the frog rail without dropping down in the slot. That is the secret of prototype frogs. The wheel is always supported on rail on either side of the gap. There should be no clunk sound. When you think about, the lowly frog is what made railroads possible. I am going to file back the flanges on the frog rail to see if I can get them to fit together more closely.
Just some rough fitting with mine gave a pretty continuous support of the rail. They key is filing back the flange on the portion of the wing rail next to the frog, so it can fit in nice and close with no more than the proper flangeway gap. The mark for the bend is critical, but if you simply bend at the indicated spot, the rail won't fit snug against the frog. Also you can't solder the outside of the frog at that point, or the solder will cause the wing rails to bump up. The trick there I think is to solder the frog from the underside for a solid rail to tie joint. This is mostly a guess on my part as I did solder the outside of the frog and now I will have to file that down if I intend on pressing through and completing this one instead of just starting over again.
dehusman I lay the stock rails first. Then I lay the point rails next, spiking the straight side to gauge and then sliding it until the tip is just shy of gauge for the curved stockrail. Then I do the same with the curved side point rail. I bend the wing rails and spike the straight route wing rail to gauge from the straight stock rail. I then slide the wing rail towards the point until it is properly spaced for the check gauge to the curved stock rail. The process is repeated for the curved route wing rail. It is spiked ingauge to the curved stock rail and then slid back and forth until the check gauge is correct to the straight stock rail. That whole process takes only a couple minutes and everything is in proper gauge.
I'm sorry dude but thats way confusing.... So, after getting both stock rails and beginning with the straight-route point rail, you slide the rail TOWARDS the frog, until the END of the rail (which is actually the closure rail) is just shy of being at the correct guage width, in respect to the curved stock rail?
DeadheadGreg I'm sorry dude but thats way confusing.... So, after getting both stock rails and beginning with the straight-route point rail, you slide the rail TOWARDS the frog, until the END of the rail (which is actually the closure rail) is just shy of being at the correct guage width, in respect to the curved stock rail?
No problem dude. A picture is worth a thousand words so in 7000 words or less................
Spike down the closure rails:
Spike down the frog rails:
Spike down the wing rail in gauge to the straight stock rail:
Slide the wing rail towards the frog until it is in check gauge to the diverging route and spike down:
Spike the other wing rail in gauge to the diverging stock rail:
Slide the wing rail towards the frog until it is in check gauge to the straight route and spike down:
Done.
This should be archived as a classic response. Dave gets an A+.
-Crandell
I'm in th eplanning stages of my layout and choosing a track system is one of the considerations. This thread was timely and answered most of my questions (pictures always help!). Whether I go with Fast Tracks will depend a lot on return for investment, not sure how many tunrouts I will have in the new layout.
Thanks
Ricky
Try here. It's a similar posting. My last response might be interesting to you.
Nicely done Dave.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/