If you want to really understand how to have good operating turnouts and how to diagnose turnout issues I would suggest watching the video:
http://www.handlaidtrack.com/nmra-online.php
This is an excellent 30 minute explaination of how and why the frog area and associated parts are configured the way they are. I had never thought about the importance of wing rails before seeing this. Just understanding that one item made the video well worth the time spent.
If you have the bandwidth, I definitely suggest running the high resolution version of this video.
I don’t have any relationship with Fast Tracks but there is a lot of good information on their website.
-John
John, thanks for posting the link. It turns out that this site has been accessed many many times, not to mention having been referred to many times, in separate threads over the past three or four years. Many of us agree that the system, if expensive initially, provides excellent turnouts. If you search under “turnouts”, or “handlaid turnouts” in the search function below at right, you will find many threads where the Fast Tracks turnouts are examined. They are not the most realistic visually, although they stand up okay once in place, and ballasted and weathered, but the chief complaint, aside from initial sticker shock, is the lack of tie detail. As far as their functionality, they have few peers, and some would day they aren’t as good as actually handlaid turnouts. I beg to differ, but that is for another discussion.
Selector,
You make good points and I have seen numerous posts related to the Fast Track products but the video I was refering to really had nothing to do with the Fast Track products or handlaying track.
I thought that the referenced video might be very worthwhile to anyone having turnout issues, commercial or ortherwise. I know it helped me understand the issues I have been having with some of my Atlas code 83 turnouts.
Thanks,
-John
Yes, thanks for posting this link. It has helped me to understand how a turnout is intended to function which is the beginning of figuring out why a turnout does not function well. Very informative and educational. [tup]