I am looking for comments from anyone who has actually done this, connecting one or more double slips to the leg(s) of a double crossover.
I am thinking about connecting four Walthers Shinohara #6 double slips to a Walthers Shinohara #6 double crossover, one double slip on each leg of the double crossover, per the illustration below.
My objective is to avoid S-curves that would occur using standard crossovers and to save space.
On my Dream Layout, I need to connect the 4 mainline tracks to one another via the double crossover.
Will this track configuration work, keeping the four main line tracks parallel?
In the illustration below, the four shade boxes are the double slips and the large shaded box is the double crossover.
I think you have answered your own question in the question.
You have stated all the switches are the same brand and size therefore they will also have the same geometry.
If the crossover in the middle box is made up of individual track components as your diagram suggests you have to make sure the crossing is the right angle size.
You can never truly get rid of the S curve all you can do is straighten it out a bit so it works better and the train flow’s over it rather than being dragged through it
The Walthers #6 double crossover is a single piece of track work, not four separate turnouts.
It would seem that the double slips would fit parallel, as I want the track configuration to be, but I don’t have the ability currently to test such a track configuration without a spare double crossover and at least one double slip to perform a bench test. That’s why I am hoping that someone with actual experience with such a track configuration can comment.
I haven’t attempted this in reality, but I do have a Walthers #6 DS installed and a #6 double crossover off the layout. Also, I have these elements in my model rr cad program. It is not possible to arrange the elements as you have shown them because they cannot connect that way. If you use 4-#6 DS only, shorten them by about 2" each where they “join” and fabricate your own custom crossover (about 15°?), it might work. The throw bars on the DS’s will likely have to be cut short, also.
Instead of making a custom crossover element, perhaps you could “dismember” the double crossover: use its crossover element to join the DS’s and use its #6 turnouts as the leads from the mains to the DS’s.
Thanks, Dante, you confirmed my worst fears. When you look at the angle of the double slip, it doesn’t look like it will fit the way I want it to and that is why I asked. I think what I will do when the time comes is to simply add crossovers at each of the four ends of the double crossover and be done with it.
Geometry aside, the double slips are rendered pointless by the four turnouts of the double crossover. To make your idea work, you’ll need to scrap the double crossover and simply use a crossing, OR scrap the double slips and use conventional crossovers instead. If space is tight, I think you’ll be well served with the 4 double slips and single crossing (as well as saving the rather substantial cost of a double crossover).
I am debating a similar arrangement on my staging yard, whether to use standard crossovers, or a single slip (I would never need one of the diverging routes of a double slip).
What you have drawn can be built with Walthers/Shinohara parts, with the following caveats:
The crossover turnouts and double slips will have to have the same frog numbers.
You will have to do some trimming on the double slips - and some creative surgery on the crossover. The crossover turnouts go to the outside tracks.
You will have to trim the throwbars short and throw the double slip points with something between the rails. (If you use Tortoise machines this is a non-issue.)
OTOH, hand-laid, no sweat. Built one like that for a club 40 years ago.
Chuck, thanks, that is a bit of encouraging news. The prospect of building a handlaid track configuration such as this could well be the answer. But as a first time effort, that may exceed my current talents.
Maybe I could cut a deal with you to build it for me. [Y]
Incidentally, my plan would be to use Tortoises in this portion of the layout.
I have the geometry you are looking for except it’s in O scale and it is hanging on my train room wall! I had saved this from a layout in my cloudy past and it was too beautiful to toss! In this example you can see that you can go from track -1 to -4 in a straight line with no S curves which is one of your goals.
Actually what you are looking for would not involve a double crossover at all as Brad states above. You would need 2 left and 2 right turnouts; four double slip switches and only ONE crossing. (does 30° match a #6 frog? I forget.) You would probably want to do this using at least #8s.
The trick would be trimming the rail ends of the double slips in order to get the track centers you want and fitting the crossing into the middle of the whole mess will be a bit of a challenge.
Below, you see that I had to trim these double slips on my Union Station throat in order to achieve 2.125" track centers.
Not exactly what you are looking for but I show it here just for an idea. Here’s a link to the printable Walthers track templates. Cut and Paste Away[8D]
Rich, one side of me says thanks for the compliment. The other side looks at my advancing stage of decreptitude and admits that I could drop dead before finishing…
Aging is a (female dog)!
Chuck (Modeling - mostly operating - Central Japan in September, 1964)
Definitely will work the same manufacturer DS and crossing. The DS replace the conventional turnouts in the double crossover. Giving you an additional route at each DS. Using PECO would eliminate the potential throw bar interference.
That’s the potential solution I described in my reply, but no, a 30°crossing will not work. I did not calculate it, but graphically, it appears to require a 15°± crossing. #8s would require an even shallower crossing.
It seems that the use of four double slips, one on the end of each leg of a double crossover might work, but I think that the best course of action is to forget the double slips and just use crossovers.
It can be done with PECO turnouts. PECO double slips have a 12 degree frog angle. They also make a 24 degree crossover. My club built a double crossover with the 24 degree cross and peco medium turnouts. It would not be too far of a stretch to throw in 4 double slips.
The cost of purchasing 4 double slips plus the crossing is what holds me back.
Unless I could be sure, by hearing from someone who has done it, I worry that the angle of the double slip will prevent me from accomplishing parallel tracks.
They appear to only offer them in code 75 and code 100.
Ive set it up in RR track v5.0 using the Peco Library. It works on the software. I know that the Medium switch does infact have a 12 degree frog and the crossover is 24 degrees. (each track +/- 12 off center) I have not worked with the doulble slips. My club president shot me down on changing out a crossover for a double slip (mainline on a modular layout).
Edit: According to the RR-track software the Double Crossover has a 12 Degree frog angle. This matches with the turnout frog angle, and the angle of the crossover (24 Degrees or +/- 12 off of centerline)
