How do you accurately create the short curved section that leads from the diverging track of a turnout into a straight track that is parallel to the 1st track?
I assume it’s done with flex track, but how do you know at what point to start laying the straight track, so that the small curve is easy to navigate?
If the answer to this is too complicated to write here, can someone point me to a video or article that explains this? Thanks.
You should get to know the NMRA, link below. Lots of aids, standards and recommended practices. I would suggest joining.
The answer to your question really starts with at least 3 things, the frog # or amount of divergence, the distance between the rails you desire and the length of your rolling stock. The larger frog # sizes will let you use less curvature to get the spacing you want. The longer the rolling stock you have the bigger the frog you need too. I wouldn’t use anything less than a number 4 turnout. I have used two Atlas 4s when putting the two diverging routes to each other, so that’s not a lot. But, longer cars won’t negotiate well when coupled. Atlas SNAP turnouts are not good for this service.
Richard
Thanks alot, Richard. Yeah, I’ve been lazy about the NMRA, you’ve spurred me to join 
I’ve planned on using crossovers in these spots, but I decided turnouts are expensive when they’re not needed and a curve will do, ie. a trailing point spur.
Atlas layout books show that 2 sections of 1/3 of an 18" radius, placed on the diverging route of a SNAP switch, curve perfectly into a parallel track. But I’ve stopped buying SNAP switches and want to use at least #4’s for the rest of my layout, and these 1/3 sections do not produce the same effect with #4’s.
But again, thanks! I’ll see if the NMRA website can help me with this.
Flex track (and handlaid track of course) facilitate that smooth curved look you are after. Any form of fixed section track is never going to look quite as nice, although it may be fully functional and remember that that is the main thing, functionality. Once you settle on what you want the main and the spur to look like, the placement of the turnout and connection to the spur really kind of take care of themselves.
It helps by the way to have some good personal experience with what the prototype would do and how it looks. Thanks to Google and other satellite view sites it is possible to get excellent knowledge of many examples without having to run the danger of tresspassing or wandering into unsavory neighborhoods with a camera.
I don’t know exactly what you are trying to accomplish but don’t ignore the planning options that curved turnouts such as those from Peco open up (I am thinking of their large radius curved turnout).
Dave Nelson
Thanks Dave. I’m going to take another look at adding a peco curved turnout.
Is it possible to post part of my layout plan here? I tried saving it as a jpeg, but couldn’t copy and paste or upload to this forum. It’d be fun if I could. I’m creating it with a program called AnyRail.