Looking at trying to build my own turnouts using a fasttrack jig. I need to build 23 number 6's, two 6.5 curved, 3 number 4's, a #5 and a 6.5 three way. I will use the paper jigs for all but the #6's, which is worth buying the jig plate for those.
I'm trying to figure out how much rail to buy. I am thinking 3 of the 18" 33 yard bundles should do. At $50 a bundle, I hate to purchase more than I need. Not knowing for sure how much is used per turnout, I guessed a little over 36" per turnout.
I'm going with the 18" rail because it saves $8 on shipping cost ( buying from proto.87, $6 shipping, $8 more if you buy 36" rail due to the cost of the shipping tube ). Building only turnouts, I dont see the need for 36" rail, unless it turns out to be cost effective.
Also, I guessed 1500 of the larger turnout ties ( 3 bags of 500 ).
So, I am asking...are my guesses close enough?
BUY EXTRA!
You will always need extra. Add this, change that, you'll need guard rails, and can use the stuff on railside accuterments.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Hi,
May I suggest........ buy enough at first to make 2 or 3 turnouts. IF they come out OK and you enjoy building them, then buy the rest of the supplies.
Doing this will keep your out of pocket costs to a minimum, and also give you a very good idea for how much you need should you decide to continue.
I have a good friend who has used fast tracks and even though he is a very skilled modeler, the process turned out to be just "not worth it". Of course that doesn't mean it will be - or not be - great for you.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I started doing the same thing last year. I wasn't sure how much I would need or if I'd enjoy the process, so I bought just enough materials from FastTracks to qualify for free shipping -- rails, PC board ties and gauges. I used their paper templates and made about ten turnouts out of one bundle of 18" rails (roughly similar #5-7 range as what you intend to build). You can also make your own ties using balsa or basswood of the right dimensions, probably cheaper than buying the bags of pre-manufactured ties.
P
Print out the templates of the turnouts you intend to build that Tim Warris provides for us at his website. Make sure they are true size when printed. Then measure with a ruler to see the lengths of all the rails comprising a given frog number. Add 'em all up, and there's your answer.
JiminMichigan
I am handlayiing all of my track and scratch building all turnouts using jigs describe by Charlie Comstock in his youtube video. My jigs cost literally nothing as they are made from scrap siding from fabricating a garage door as opposed to Fast Tracks very expensive jigs. i used about one three foot piece per no. 6 turnout including guard rails. I did buy Northeastern Scale Lumber tie packages and used the Fast Tracks templates to cut ties. All ties are laid on homasote road bed and attached with Titebond carpenters glue (the yellow stuff). Track is spiked to the ties using medium ME spikes. l enjoy fabricating turnouts from scratch and save lots of money in the process as opposed to buying Fast Track jigs or factory made turnouts at about $24/no. 6 turnout. Only drawback in fabricating turnouts is time. Each one I do goes a little faster.
Good luck on your endeavor.
Jim
Scratch Fabricated No. 6 Turnout using Code 83 Track HO Scale.
Ah hem... What no third rail!???
Can't Fast Tracks tell you how much rail you need per turnout?
South Penn
You are going to use 3-4 ft of rail per turnout, depending on the size of the turnout and how far you go beyond the turnout on either end.
If the extra shipping is a deal killer then save even more and don't buy the jigs, just handlay the tracks.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
While I did not purchase the Fast Tracks jigs, I did purchase a #6 frog and point rail filing tool which proved to be a very good investment. I made my own #6 assembly jig by gluing the Fast Track #6 paper template to a piece of 1/2" plywood, cutting one edge perfectly parallel to the ties on the template, then cutting the shallow PC tie groves using a table saw. I have made over 50 turnouts so far and all work quite well.
Hornblower
Rough cut, the amount of rail needed for one turnout can be approximateds by measuring from the points to the frog, multiplying by four and adding one foot. This assumes using ALL of the rail and does not allow for replacing 'not quite good enough' pieces.
Simply measuring the lengths of all running rails doesn't allow for guard rails or frog wing rails. Nor does it allow any slack for waste.
Buying more rail than you need NOW is the smart move. You will be amazed how many uses you will find for it. Rail doesn't have a, 'Use by,' date. some of my turnouts have brass guard rails - rail bought more than a half-century ago. Of course, that batch of rail has survived all kinds of adventures since, including use as (hidden) pushrods in a working model of a mechanical interlocking plant.
Cutting your own balsa or basswood ties from sheet stock sounds tedious - but isn't, if you only cut what you need immediately. No need to cut up the whole 144 square inch sheet at a single pass.
If you're laying your specialwork on wood ties, don't forget the spikes. Fortunately, I bought a LOT when I planned to hand-lay an entire layout. I'll run out, eventually, but not soon.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with hand-laid specialwork)
hornblower Jim While I did not purchase the Fast Tracks jigs, I did purchase a #6 frog and point rail filing tool which proved to be a very good investment.
While I did not purchase the Fast Tracks jigs, I did purchase a #6 frog and point rail filing tool which proved to be a very good investment.
Ditto. I've used these to file the frog and point rails to the proper angle, and then the ten or twelve switches on my current shelf layout right now have been hand-laid in place.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog