Diamonds and Switches in Pavement

[Anonymous]

I like it here [8D][8D][8D] I ask a question and you help me out[:D][:D][:D]

New request...

Some years ago i saw an article on Switches and throws to work them in road surfaces....
As my plans have just filled in what is going on "scenery wise" on 15' and a corner of the layout I'm now looking for track in pavement including switches, diamonds and related equipment.

How do they stop switches in pavement icing up???

PICS PLEASE!!!

Thanks in advance

[Anonymous]

Personally, I used black poster board at those points and plaster or joint compound for all the other road surfaces, then paint everything black. I never get any plaster or related "goop" anywhere near My track...not only for operational quality, but for future removal...that "special" work is expensive, I may need to re-use it someday! You may need to use something under the poster board to bring it to proper rail height, I used thin strips of balsa wood.[:)]

[dknelson]

They do ice up and sometimes they have to pour kerosene and start a fire to melt the ice. Also keep sweeping snow out of the frog and flangeways to prevent ice build up

recently in Rockford I saw some interesting trackage -- a turnout in a street (Seminary St) serving the Behr scrap yard. But the actual points and switchstand were not in the street but over on the other side. the track was a gantlet crossing the screet and then the frog was in the middle of the street. Interesting. So it was like a turnout was stretched out.
That would be a challenging bit of hand laying
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

dknelson...

PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS...PLEEEEAAASSEE!!!!!!! [bow][bow][bow][bow]

That's even better than I'd thought of!

[ndbprr]

We had one of them turnouts in Homewood, IL. on the old IC spur to Washington Park Race track. North of 171st st. is an industrial area with a creek and a small wooden bridge about ten feet long. just long enough to screw up where the turnout needed to be to turn into the industrial park so the points were on one side of the bridge and the frog on the other with four rails on the bridge paralell to each other. really weird looking. Now that the spur to the race track is gone the turnout was replaced with a straight track since the industrail park is the only place it goes now.

[Anonymous]

Is this any use? Photo taken outside the Industrial Museum in Bristol using a camera phone (hence the less than superb quality) - they run short steam-hauled trips over this track regularly. The large grey/black structure directly in front is the lower half of a cargo crane.



Now, the problem with modelling this in HO is the wheel flanges - this appears to be standard rail with a metal strip to keep the flangeway (as opposed to tramway-style girder rail) though the points/switches use a similar design. You can buy kits for tram switches but they're usually designed to run with overhead pickup (the two rails aren't insulated).

[cacole]

The track in the photo appears to be street car rail. There's a special name for it, but I don't know what it is, and it is nearly impossible to find it from anywhere except places that specialize in traction.

You might want to read through Tony Koester's series in Model Railroader magazine about building a G-scale urban layout with nearly all of the track buried in pavement, and see how he is doing it. Scale should not matter -- the technique should be the same regardless of scale.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking of using bridge track (maybe with the ties trimmed) to achieve the flangeway. on plain track... what I'm really interested in is the associated equipment... ground throws / switch motors maybe? Sounds like I need some discarded petrol cans to simulate winter use? Then again... replicating the flames could be a challenge?
ANY PICS and/or further inf anyone please???

[Anonymous]

David,

here is a source for the rail and some switches (all interurban).

http://www.customtraxx.com/

Click on the catalog, go to section 5 and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for in street rail.

[Anonymous]

BRILLIANT [:D] BRILLIANT [:D] BRILLIANT [:D] after the last few rants I'm happy again!!!

THANKS! [bow][bow][bow]

I'm off to [dinner]

[bogp40]

For track in pavement, handlay girder rail. Handlaid diamonds look and operate great but handlaid switch points can be trouble at the point/ throwbar area. Can't have any pavement/ plaster interfere with operation. Cover w/ cut styrene at those spots between the rail.
Bob K.

Girder rail needs to be bent w/ a special bending tool to keep it from twisting. Our clubs tool was bought many, many years ago. Haven't checked Micromark, but should be available through any traction suppliers as well as the rail.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Robert... you reminded me... how easy/good is the rail bending tool to use please?

Has anyone tried running railroad cars through the catalogued switches? those are incredibly sharp curves... okay for trolleys... how about covered hoppers? six axle locos?

I'd still love to see some stuff on throws etc...[dinner]was good at pub... dog fell in cut (again)... now he needs a bath...

[Anonymous]

David,

The rail is on my list. Haven't tried any of it . I agree the switches look pretty sharp. I am still in the 1 st level benchwork tracklaying stage of my new layout. Will be a while before I get to the rails oin the street

[bogp40]

QUOTE: Originally posted by David Foster

Thanks Robert... you reminded me... how easy/good is the rail bending tool to use please?

Has anyone tried running railroad cars through the catalogued switches? those are incredibly sharp curves... okay for trolleys... how about covered hoppers? six axle locos?

I'd still love to see some stuff on throws etc...[dinner]was good at pub... dog fell in cut (again)... now he needs a bath...

The bending tool, at least the one used, is a flat plate w/ three rollers. The center roller is adjustable, the more it is forced into the rail as it is passed through the more bend it produces. Very easy to use, just takes some practice as is most of what we do anyway.
Bob K.

[dinwitty]

you can simulate girder rail by turning a rail sideways and spiking/ securing it down somehow.

if you have to make a girder rail turnout, time to break out the file, etc and make one.

[Anonymous]

With problems with freezing, they often use some hemp rope along the rail that has been soaked in oil, that melts it. I know CPRail has a truck with a jet turbine mounted on a tilt tray, and that works great too.That is converted into a mega vaccum cleaner when they get grain spills in the harvest [#offtopic]
When your putting the plaster over the tracks, place a strip of wool along the inside of the rail that is the thickness of the gap you want. [swg][swg][swg][swg][swg][soapbox]