Building single crossover or two turnouts?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Am building a single crossover (two right turnouts) with me fasttracks jig & was wondering if it was worth it to build it as one fixture (one piece of railing for the diverging stock of one all the way into the frog of the other)
or build two turnouts & join on the table.

If I build it as one fixture, then I’m going to have to get the measurements darntootin’ right to maintain track centers.
But one fixture will flow better (no bumps at joints), yes?
Then there’s the question of room on the jig for the other turnout to be hanging off.

So one fixture or two turnouts joined?
Thanks for the thoughts!
Cheers!
–Mark

2

Depends upon how good you can solder and perhaps file at the turnout joints.

  • Which method is less work for you?
  • Which method will result in your greater satisfaction?
  • Which method will result in virtually no “buyer’s remorse?”
3

Decided to go with two separate turnouts that will be joined at diverging.
Main reasons:

  1. Need a gap between turnouts anyway so things don’t short out.
  2. Still starting out on building own turnouts, so trying not to overextend & make big mess.

Would also have to figure out how to fit both on jig, & since track centers are close, there’s not a whole lot of room.

I think my yard will be a better place to try out building mutliple turnouts off a single stock rail.

Cheers!
–Mark

4

Reason #1 is a very good reason.

5

Still trying to wrap my head around the electric issues. I thought I had figured stuff out, but that was with DC. Now into the miricle of DCC &, while in some ways simpler, is also a bit mystifying.

By having two turnouts diverging into each other, I have the gap midway between the two, about 1" from the frog in both directions.

On the fastracks template, it shows the rails cut two ties above the frog (which is, I’m assuming, unpowered?).

So I’ll need to put the cut in above the frog to isolate it, AND have the gap between the turnouts? or will the cuts above the frogs on both turnouts do the job, & I can have a single piece of rail (solder the two turnouts together) along the diverging route?

Thanks for being patient with an electrically-challenged dude.
Cheers!
–Mark

6

Nope. You don’t need the gap between the turnouts unless you want to separate them into different electrical blocks.

You do need to isolate the frogs per the template though.

I made a cross over with the same rail as you considered, then went back and gapped everything. They work great, nice and smooth. Getting it to fit on the jig wasn’t that hard.

Ditto on the yard ladder, I put together 4 turnouts off the same piece of rail. Here’s a shot during construction

and in a working state.

give me a shout if you have any specific questions.