Building a diamond

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I want to custom build a diamond HO, across a curve on the layout.

Any good articles or publications on building a diamond …??

Thanks,JZ in CT

2

I’m pretty sure Iain Rice wrote about handlaying a diamond in his Roque Bluffs project layout series. Look at the January, 2004 issue of MR.

Good Luck!

Tom

3

Take a rubbing of the current trackage as well as the crossing trackage up to the diamond placement.

Use the rubbing to build a diamond on PC boardties to fit that particular space.

David B

4

I’ve build my crossings with PC board ties. The hardest was the Hon3 nearly 90° crossing with code 55.

This is my (old) How To. This is a crossing for my Diamond Valley.

Silver Creek:

Wolfgang

5

the basics, have an NMRA gauge handy. Vise clamp, good metal file, 2 needle nose pliers, Wire cutters and or Kadee rail nippers.

The very first switch I built was a double slip switch, following instructions frm an MR article on how to scratch build one, good article.

I handlaid my early layout completely, no commercial switches. Even curved switches. For a curved crossing lay down and spike ties where your track will be (maybe test the routes using flex track and line up the track like that and make pencil marks where the track ties and rail was. This is really rough work. When you build the crossing, expect a lot of tweaking. lay down ties and switch ties, spike down rail for each route, then remove the rails, leaving the spikes in place.

Now you can push in rail pieces from each direction and make the 4 corners of the crossing, figger out the filing angle, have a permanent marker handy and rough mark your filing angle, pull the rail out and file the angle and replace on the track. Do the same for all the rails checking gauge as you go. You will not make other rail pieces yet.

Once all your angles are filed and placed and gauged, spike them down. As an example look at another crossing to see how the rails are, then you can start cutting, angling the rest of the rails.

You will learn your methods how you want to continue but perhaps this will get you a start on the thinking processes.