Just so you realize none of the commercial turnouts follow the NMRA specs precisely and that means more derailments and less smooth operation.
Six hours per turnout to do a cut-and-fit handlaid turnout in place is hard core. Using a jig and fixture method to crank out these babbies in an hour a piece – now that’s just working smarter! A hour each for an operationally ideal turnout is worth every second.
If you are using commercial turnouts and aren’t spending at least 15-30 minutes per commercial turnout tuning it up before you lay it in place … then you won’t get the best performance and derailments will be more common.
The way I look at it, an extra 30 minutes beyond the 30 minutes to tune a less-than-ideal commercial turnout (for a total of 60 minutes on a jig-laid turnout) to get a much better performing turnout is a bargain – and will lead to years of satisfying layout performance.
Long story short, if you want near flawless performance, the one thing it pays to be hard core about is your trackwork.
And here all this time I thought I’d been doing something original. I do in fact “work” new turnouts. Tightening, adjusting and filing for good smooth ops.
As I stated I just don’t have that kind of patience. I do however spend time to make sure my trackwork is as good as “I” can’ get it. I learned from my first layout, you don’t just “throw” it down.
BTW Joe F, your work is awesome. I love looking at your layout work.
If they make people comfortable assembling the turnouts fine. You can build turnouts without the jigs almost as easily. Rather than spend $200 on jigs, I would say spend $50 on a 1" vertical belt sander to save the time grinding the points and frog. Once you practice building them with out the jigs you can assemble a turnout in about the same time as with the jigs.
I’ve handlaid track from code 100 to code 55, built them in place, built them on the workbench, custom sizes, standard sizes, on wood ties, PC ties, no ties, HO scale, N scale, using a half dozen different throwbar methods. Bottom line, they all work. There are dozens of ways to make a turnout and as long as you are careful about your work, they will all work. I just hate to see people drop $200 when they can do virtually the same thing for free.
Everyone has different skill-sets in this hobby, handlaying track is your stong-point. Can you post pictures of your work? I would love to see them.
I think this product is a great ‘transition’ product that introduces the modeler to psudo-handlaying. Now, if that modeler needs a turnout beyond the spec of his template, then perhaps he will make the leap.
I would have never considered handlaying turnout without the jigs. It just would not have happened. Now that I have used them, I would, and most likely will, build turnouts that I don’t have a jig for without them. They are an excellent product, and if you are going to need more than 10 or 15 of the same type of turnout, the price really starts to become less of an issue, compared to store bought. The turnouts in N scale are very nice! I wish CV made the turnout strips in N scale, Joe’s method would be very interesting to try!