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Numbering turnout ends

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PED
  • Member since
    April 2016
  • 571 posts
Numbering turnout ends
Posted by PED on Sunday, December 9, 2018 2:17 PM

I want to number the turnout ends of my turnouts for some naming I want to do. I know I have seen such a diagram before but cannot find it now. As an example, for a simple right or left turnout, I would assume the point end of a turnout would be #1 but what about the other end. Would the "closed" end be #2 and "thrown" end be #3 ? How about others such as a wye, double crossover or a three way?

Looking for a web site that identifies all the variances.

Paul D

N scale Washita and Santa Fe Railroad
Southern Oklahoma circa late 70's

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  • From: Reading, PA
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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, December 9, 2018 2:48 PM

If the real railroads did this, likely they each did their own thing when it came to naming convention. You aren't confusing it with wirign diagrams that label the connection to the point motors, like 1N, 3R, etc for turnout #1, normal coil, and turnout 3, reverse coil, are you?

                    --Randy

(writing from Amtrak train #670 so excuse any more than usual typos)

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

PED
  • Member since
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  • 571 posts
Posted by PED on Sunday, December 9, 2018 4:24 PM

Randy...nope. I have seen diagrams like I am refering to. As an example, for a double crossover, I think it was something like this.

#1 - upper left

#2 - upper right

#3 - lower left

#4 - lower right

If I cannot find any convention, I will do my own.

I just checked and it looks like your train was on time.

Paul D

Paul D

N scale Washita and Santa Fe Railroad
Southern Oklahoma circa late 70's

  • Member since
    May 2004
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Posted by 7j43k on Sunday, December 9, 2018 4:47 PM

This here diagram looks to me like it has some kind of switch numbering:

 

 It looks like switches in crossovers have the same number.

 

 

Ed

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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Sunday, December 9, 2018 5:04 PM

Ed,

That's a really interesting diagram. Thanks.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, December 9, 2018 6:55 PM

 Yeah too bad most of it is gone now. Those numbers by each leg of the various turnouts and slips look like maybe they are lever numbers for the panel. There are some that have the same number, probably because the multiple sets of points woudl be operated by the same lever. Doesn't look like there is necessarily a number for each leg of each turnout, nor are they sequentially numbered.

                                              --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

PED
  • Member since
    April 2016
  • 571 posts
Posted by PED on Monday, December 10, 2018 4:17 PM

For the record, I finally found a link that shows a turnout as follows...A = the point end, B = the closed route end and C = the thrown route end. This was a description (in english) for a railroad discussion on a german web site. Never found any other such description but this works for me so I will go with it.

This will help me establish a naming convention for some JMRI activities.

Paul D

N scale Washita and Santa Fe Railroad
Southern Oklahoma circa late 70's

  • Member since
    February 2009
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Posted by railandsail on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 9:13 AM

But doesn't that mean that the B & C ends can switch names (designations) alternately?

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Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 9:30 AM

PED

I want to number the turnout ends of my turnouts for some naming I want to do. I know I have seen such a diagram before but cannot find it now. As an example, for a simple right or left turnout, I would assume the point end of a turnout would be #1 but what about the other end. Would the "closed" end be #2 and "thrown" end be #3 ? How about others such as a wye, double crossover or a three way?

Looking for a web site that identifies all the variances.

I gave specific names (numbers) to the turnouts, but not the individual legs. I gave specific names to all three blocks leading into and out of the turnout. I only have conventional two-way turnouts, no three-way; but the same schema would apply.

The signal heads and masts were given a similar treatment.

Identifiers were used to establish JMRI addresses and labels.

There doesn't seem to be any confusion or ambiguity with this system; at least not to me. Your mileage my vary.

Hope this helps.

Robert 

LINK to SNSR Blog


PED
  • Member since
    April 2016
  • 571 posts
Posted by PED on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 3:23 PM

railandsail

But doesn't that mean that the B & C ends can switch names (designations) alternately?

 

Not sure I understand your question. The B end is always the straight through (closed) route in either a leaf tor right turnout. Similarly the C end is always the diverging (thrown)route.

My objective was to be able to uniquely identify the adjacent piece of track to every leg of a turnoutto help me in naming blocks in JMRI. This way, for turnout #55, I can identify the end blocks as 55A, 55B or 55C and know exactly which block it is on my layout. Similarly, I can identify a route through the turnout  with those A, B and C ID's. The route 55BA would be a train entering 55 from the B end and exiting via the A end. This may not seem to be important but it gets more important when usinga three way or a double crossover or a slip switch where you have multiple entry and exit points that you want to define.

for the record, I am not using blocks and signals to operate my layout but I am using panels to visually display stuff. This allows me to visually show available routes thru multiple turnouts based on how the turnouts are set.

Paul D

N scale Washita and Santa Fe Railroad
Southern Oklahoma circa late 70's

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