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XTrkCad and Walthers-Shinohara Code 83 DCC Friendly Turnouts

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  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Jarrell, Texas
  • 1,114 posts
XTrkCad and Walthers-Shinohara Code 83 DCC Friendly Turnouts
Posted by Tom Bryant_MR on Saturday, October 15, 2005 2:50 PM
For those of you using XTrkCad and looking for the Walthers-Shinohara code 83 TOs, they are not in the current XTrkCad version, 3.1.4. Only the #8 standard and curved TO are in the parameter library.

Solution: The new Walthers HO 2006 model railroaders reference book, pages 296-300, has all of these TOs defined; Total length, Points-to-frog length and Frog angle. Using the TO designer in XTrtCad, one is able to create the "missing" TOs in XTrkCad.

Page 300 of the new catalogue even has a scale template of all the TOs.

Tom

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Washington State
  • 1 posts
Posted by Lookoutpass on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 11:44 AM
Hi, Tom:

This is good news, as I'm using XtrkCad to design a layout and would like to use the Shinohara Code #83 turnouts.

Off to the LHS I go...

-- Dave
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, June 25, 2007 9:46 AM
Does anyone know where I could find an XTrkCad parameter file for the Walthers/Shinohara Code 83 turnouts?; I can probably create them as custom turnouts using the catalog data as Tom Bryant suggested, but surely somebody else has done this by now--it would be a lot easier just to load the file.  Thanks in advance.
  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Tacoma, WA
  • 847 posts
Posted by ShadowNix on Monday, June 25, 2007 9:30 PM

What about XtrkCad 4.1 ?

Brian

"That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"
  • Member since
    April 2002
  • 921 posts
Posted by dante on Monday, June 25, 2007 9:54 PM

I don't use XTrkCad; I use Empire Express on a Mac.  However, based on measurements of the actual turnouts, I have made grapics of them that I can send you in PDF format that you might possibly use as the basis for a custom turnout in XtrkCad.  They are centerline, single line graphics.

Dante 

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    April 2003
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:41 PM
 dante wrote:

I don't use XTrkCad; I use Empire Express on a Mac.  However, based on measurements of the actual turnouts, I have made grapics of them that I can send you in PDF format that you might possibly use as the basis for a custom turnout in XtrkCad.  They are centerline, single line graphics.

Dante 

This would be really useful--can you send them or post them?  Thanks.

  • Member since
    April 2002
  • 921 posts
Posted by dante on Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:31 PM

Finally uploaded to Photobucket, so here it is.  The headblock ties as manufactured extend on the diverging side of the turnout; however, I also edited units to extend headblock ties to the other side for those applications where I will not have enough room on the diverging side and will have to modify.  The short dashes on each side beyond the headblock ties are planning guides to indicate the closest possible centerline of an adjacent track.

Dante

 

  • Member since
    April 2003
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 29, 2007 8:08 AM

Dante,

Thanks for taking the time to do this--it should help a lot.

  • Member since
    April 2002
  • 921 posts
Posted by dante on Friday, June 29, 2007 9:37 AM

You are very welcome!  Let me know if any problems or questions.  I should note further that the 3-way and DS turnouts were constructed from individual single turnout graphics, but the overall dimensions should be reasonably accurate because I checked them against the actual items.  The double crossover and single "straight" turnouts came from the Empire Express program catalog for Walthers Code 83 and appear to be accurate.

Dante 

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