cvmw curvable turnouts

[strider]

Has anyone used central valley turnout kits? If so how did you like them and do you have any tips or tricks to install them?

[karle]

I tried  one of these and can't recommend them.  Way too difficult, frog too fragile, headblocks too delicate, and too difficult to "hand bend" curved rails accurately and then spike in place.  I found the molded-in fish plates helped very little in aligning the rails since they are too shallow.  I had hoped these would be an economical source of curved turn-outs, but I ended up giving up (not something I am prone to do... ask my wife) and tearing it out.  In the interst of full disclosure, I have never hand-laid turn-outs.  That said, I do alot of scratch-building and am otherwise pretty handy, been in the hobby seriuosly for15 years. I ended up, since I had to havea curved turn-out at that particular loaction, buying one of the new Walther's curved turn-outs, which was expensive, but I was very satisfied with the quality.  Other then this product, I have been very pleased with CV products.