Tetters, you kow it is your fault …

[MountainMan]

Whether you want to or you don't, you can or you can't, it's still great work.

[P5se Camelback]

Lester, when I am hand laying my track, I just let the stock rail run right through the turnout. I solder all rail joints as I am spiking down rail (that promotes flowing transitions into curves) and I cut my gaps later with a cut-off wheel in a 90° adapter in my old Dremel 270.

I agree, keep those rail gaps away from the points!

As far as drawings and instructions, there have been several such animals published in the model railroad press. When I took the plunge, it was after reading a "how-to" by Tony Koester three times and having it open on the benchwork beside me to refer to for bout the first 15 or 20 minutes. After that, I closed it up and put it away ... it's not rocket science! I can tell you from first-hand experience, it's a lot easier than rebuilding a double-hung window in the middle of a cold Pennsylvania February, when all you have is two good wooden sashes with good glass in them and everything else around the opening in the wall is rotten and crumbly!!!! hock:

I'll look for one of the articles and post where they can be found (after I scan and email some info on Time/Distance, Schedules and Graphing Train Movements to the guy in our club charged with developing the "Operations" stuff, since the trackwork is now at a point where we can think about doing that. Someone has borrowed the Bruce Chubb book on the subject of Operation and the information is needed at the club.)

[cnw1961]

Les, lots of drawings can be found on the Fast Tracks website: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Fast-Tracks-Printable-Track-Templates-s/11.htm">http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Fast-Track ... s-s/11.htm</a><!-- m -->. These PDF-files can easily be printed out and you can use the printout as a template to position ties and rails. For my turnout I printed out the drawing of a #6, glued PC ties on to the printout and started with soldering the stock rails as exactly as I could. For some information you could read the documentation or watch the videos that explain the usage of the Fast Track Assembly Fixtures: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.handlaidtrack.com/document-library-a/135.htm">http://www.handlaidtrack.com/document-library-a/135.htm</a><!-- m -->. Even if you don’t use their fixtures to build a turnout, it will give you some useful information.

[WT fan]

hinges
I make a fake:

You see I make only a cut into the top of the rail. And I weaken the base. Then this looks like hinged points.

Wolfgang

[tetters]

Kurt... I have no idea what you are talking about?





Nice job bro! Welcome to the Dark Side!

[Steamtrains]

You know...I might just consider that....One question...How do you shape the frog and point rails..??
I have a crossover in the yard that might lend itself to a "custom" turnout...

[tetters]

You know...I might just consider that....One question...How do you shape the frog and point rails..??
I have a crossover in the yard that might lend itself to a "custom" turnout...

Fast Tracks makes a point form tool that can be used to shape the frog and the point rails. However, I've had success in shaping the frog points using a protractor and the disc sander on my benchtop belt sander tool. I basically clamped the protractor as close and as parallel to the sanding disc as I could. To get the degree of angle I looked at the chart on the template for the secondary angle for the points where the diamond points are located. The frog where the turnouts first enter the x-over is the lesser degree. I think they are 9 degrees on a # 6 x-over for example. I just divided that number in half and used the protractor as more or less a guide to get the 4 1/2 degrees required for each rail to make the points when soldered together. If you can find a metal protractor great as after sanding several pieces of rail to make these points the plastic ones will start to melt from the heated rail. I've never tried to file the point rails by hand. For those I was glad to have the Point Form tool to shape them accurately.

It's a bit of trail and error when doing it free hand. Sand a bit off check your angle on the drawing, go back and take a little more off until you get the rail and the lines on the template all lined up. If I recall my # 6 double x-over took me four to five solid nights about 4 hours each night to complete and its anything but perfect. But it works and its in gauge and that's really all that matters. If I decide to do it over again I'll make every effort to make the points as sharp as possible. On the current one they are a little blunt and that causes the wheels to drop ever so slightly into the frog area, however the metal wheels make that satisfactory clickity clack sound as a train rolls through the crossing and the cars still roll through nice and smooth with the occasional "jostle".

If I haven't completely bored everyone to tears by now, you can always revisit the thread I created here regarding my double x-over build that I originally posted on "that-board-which-shall-not-be-named...

http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=659

[Selector]

You know...I might just consider that....One question...How do you shape the frog and point rails..??
I have a crossover in the yard that might lend itself to a "custom" turnout...

Gus, when you have an hour to sit and ponder what you see in a streaming video, go to <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.handlaidtrack.com">www.handlaidtrack.com</a><!-- w --> and watch Tim Warris, one of the Guys behind Fast Tracks, construct a turnout from rail stock and PCB ties...and some soldering material. You will know soon enough that most anyone can build these. Take it from me...Mr. I'm Not Handy...I built several #8's that work very well. First not so well, but the next was usable, and I got better very quickly. I went back and fixed the first once I knew what I was doing.

Crandell

[BR60103]

You can make a point filing jig out of a board with a groove cut in it -- just cut the groove at the right angle for the point. Make sure the groove tapers up about the middle of the board. You may have to compensate for the wide flat bit at the bottom of the rail.
And a sharper angle will let you file the frog V.

[Steamtrains]

Hey guys..!! Thanks for the tips....I've seen somewhere a site that you can download templates for the turnouts. Is that the Fast-Tracks site..?? I've bookmarked this thread for after the holidays, when I get back to doing "serious" work on the layout.

BTW...Y'all have a Merry and safe Christmas...!!!

[cnw1961]

Tetters, thank you for this information. My approach to shaping the frog rails was trial and error . I ended up with the angle between the two frog rails being a bit too small, but that was not too bad, because that allowed me to get a sharp pointed frog. I filled the gap between the two rails with solder to make up for the material filed off. Looks like I need 10 more turnouts, so I’d better come up with a more reliable and faster method to shape the frog rails.

Hey guys..!! Thanks for the tips....I've seen somewhere a site that you can download templates for the turnouts. Is that the Fast-Tracks site..??

Guess so! This link will lead you directly to their site with the (free downloadable) HO track templates : <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Fast-Tracks-HO-Scale-Printable-Track-Templates-s/83.htm">http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Fast-Track ... s-s/83.htm</a><!-- m -->.

[Russ Bellinis]

Les, Fast Tracks has all of the turnout diagrams on their web site free for downloading and printing.

[tetters]

You know, depending on where you shop for track, for the cost of a couple of Peco turnouts you could purchase the Point Form Tool of your choice from FT's and it will help take the guess work out of shaping those frog points and point rails. I have a # 5 and a # 6 and shaped so many frogs and switch points I've lost count. Even after all that filing they are still excellent tools. If you do decide pick one up, get the PointForm Tool for Crossovers. It has the additional groove cut in it for the secondary frog points. Just my very humble suggestion.

http://www.handlaidtrack.com/PointForm-F...-s/859.htm

[cnw1961]

Tetters, I am sure, that this Point Form Tool is a great help, but what can I say? I am cheap. . About $50 for this tool for the few turnouts I am building, is a bit steep. Inspired by this tool I came up with my own solution. Does give decent results and speeds up building the frogs. I cut .040" wide grooves at an angle of 4.5 degree into both sides of a strip of metal.



The grooves are wide enough for the top of the rail to fit in, but not the bottom.



To file a rail I put into the groove and then fix it in my vice. The top of the tool flush with the vice, only a short lenght of rail sticking out.



Takes a little tweaking with a small file after taking the rail out of the tool, but the frogs work very well.



Other than Tim Warris is showing it in his Fast Tracks video, I don’t solder the frog rails together before fixing them to the ties with the point rails already in place. I install the frog rails one after the other before I add the point rails. Works better for me. I built 4 #6 and 1 #8 turnout so far and only the first one needed a little extra care to work properly. Building turnouts is much easier than I had expexted. Today I am going to build a #10 Y with two #6 attached to it in one piece – it is fun!

[tetters]

Bravo Kurt! Your cheap, I'm lazy!

Simple but effective tool, yet it yields the same fabulous results!

Despite the expense,if I could make one tiny suggestion?

Get yourself a jewelers saw. It makes razor thin cuts for the isolation gaps around your frog and looks so much better then the cuts left by a cut off disk. I used to use a dremel disk too, but once I picked up a jewelers saw I saw the improvement in appearance right away. Plus, there is no need to go back and fill in the gaps with styrene or filler of your choice.