Hand-laying turnouts

[iis612]

I am wondering, can I use rail from flextrack to produce turnouts? I have some sections of flextrack with perfect rail, but the ties are damaged.
Also, does anyone know where I can get the PC board (is that the correct term??), and could I use balsa for the ties?

Matt

[TinGoat]

Hi Matt,

Rail is rail is rail... The stuff that you pull off of flex track is fine...

Here's a couple of links for Hand Laid Turnouts.

Laurie Green's HAND LAID TURNOUTS

Railway Engineering "Sn3 Handlaying track The basic turnout techniques"

You can get kits, tools, templates, jigs PC-ties and tutorials from Fast Tracks.

Watch the videos!

There's a thread here on the Gauge:

Hand Laid Turnout Videos

It is a detailed series starting with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, etc...

I recommend Mount Albert Scale Lumber for sugar pine ties.

[Nomad]

you can get the pc board at radio shack if you want to cut your own.

Loren

[logicman]

Hi Matt!

I don't know if this is already on the forums somewhere?
It must be, surely!

PRINTABLE PROTOTYPE TURNOUT DIAGRAMS

[60103]

Matt: I used balsa for ties for my first bits of hand laying because it was what the hobby shop sold in stripwood. Never again. It's not solid enough -- spikes split it and if you slip off the spike when you push it in, there's a permanent dent in the tie.
Look for basswood, but any non-balsa should work.

[MidnightRR]

Matt, I use both basswood (NOT balsa--there's a big difference) from craft stores (Michael's, Hobby Lobby) and, because I work in On30, I also use wooden coffee stirrers, which is a LOT cheaper.

And, yes, you can strip the rail out of old flextrack and use that. I'm doing just that.

PCB ties are available at hobby shops that stock handlaying supplies, or you can find them online (just Google it). You can make your own, but given what they cost and how few I've really needed, I haven't bothered with this.

[TinGoat]

Hi Matt,

I recommend Mount Albert Scale Lumber for sugar pine ties.

Although PC ties help, you don't really need them.

Here are some pictures of my Hand Laid Turnouts in On30...

Look Mom, no PC Ties!

To throw the points, I soldered tabs of 0.010 tin to them. I drilled holes in the tabs and put screws through the tabs and into throw-bars made of Styrene.

The points are thrown with piano wire from the throw bar to a SPDT toggle switch which also controls the polarity of the frog.

The frogs are "Filled and Filed".

[iis612]

Is the tin more secure than the PCB? I have heard that the PCB will break the solder joint easily.

[TinGoat]

Hi Matt,

Yes, the solder joint can break between the points and the throw-bar.

Since pictures are worth 1k's of words, here's a couple of diagrams that I drew, along with the DCC wiring diagram from Proto87...

[iis612]

thanks for the info Tin Goat
It will come in very handy. I am going to start my first turnout in a few minutes.

Matt

[TinGoat]

Hi Matt,

Good Luck!

Here's a link to the Proto87 Turnout Wiring page: DC and DCC TURNOUT WIRING GUIDE