Just because they were appropriate doesn’t mean I can build them. I don’t use pin couplers either.
From what the Old Dog has read, stub turnouts are actually easier to make then normal turnouts with points. You still have to do the frog, but making the points is eliminated.
The Old Dog is just trying to make a suggest that is “outside the box”, but that might save you some effort.
Have fun
Edit
See picture of the three way stub on the site below
http://www.railwayeng.com/turnouts.htm
Have fun
I like bigger boxes. Thanks.
But take a look at the turnout again. There is no frog, rather you have three moving rails thrown from a single switch. Two slide and the other flips back and forth. In addition, for MR, the one that flips has to change polarity as well.
I think I’ll stick to the Fast Tracks jig. A large part of that is because I already own it and the materials to make the turnouts on the 1950’s PRR layout–which at the moment is what we are talking about.
That’s a lot different than the first one you showed me.
Yup. And now you know where the term, “Bending the iron,” came from[(-D].
John Armstrong, in his White Pass and Yukon layout, suggested using a horizontal blade notched into the fixed rails just above the base, and a corresponding notch in the movable stub, to keep the stubs in vertical alignment. Horizontal alignment, using a PC board throw bar soldered to the stub, should be no harder to arrange than that of normal points.[:)]
For a real challenge, think about a turnout for a straddle monorail - or a cog railway.[}:)]
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - to a scheme that includes both a straddle monorail and a cog railway)
One of my HS English teachers once said that many problems are simply mis-understandings. I happened to be in his class the day JFK was shot. He was a big help in dealing with the situation. The Old Dog thought there was a disconnect somewhere. How, I think you understand my point.
Have fun
Yes, this is the thing to have. Eventually the local hardware concern will have it on sale. I got one just for making turnouts. Plus it has other applications as well, having used it to sand wood quickly to get it to fit something.
Just make a few marks with a Sharpie and carefully remove the material. Too aggressive, and you will have problems with warping. I like to roll the rail against the belt, as you are trying to take more material off the bottom of the rail.
I also picked up some diamond cutting disks at Princess Auto for a few dollars, with the arbour for a rotary tool in the package. Used them to cut gaps the other day, and it worked just great. Nice thin kerf. I found the Dremel abrasive disks generate too much heat, to the point where the solder will let go.
I have probably built about 50 fasttracks turnouts and got to the point that I didn’t care for all the filing either. I got the Dremel sanding drum and chucked it into my milling machine (you could also use a benchtop drill press which are not to expensive). It makes very sharp points in about a tenth the time of filing. I have had no problems with any of the turnouts I produced in this manner.
I agree with you and faced the same problem. But since I had been building my own turnouts for years, I had the solution. Your answer is to get one of those heavy duty bench vices. The jaws will close up on rail down to code 70. I mark the rail with a sharpie and file off the area to be removed on the stock rail. It takes about 2 minutes per rail and I am back at the bench.
Another possibility to consider, eh? On the curved stock rail, about an eigth of an inch before the point, make a small outward kink in the rail. you will find that the point will nestle in and the inside can be filed to a fine lead-in and you won’t have to file off the bottom flange much, if at all. On the tangent point you can file the side of the flange that goes against the stock rail, again with little or no filing of the stock rail. I find that a very light touch with a dremel type tool works fine. Happy railroading, jc5729 John Colley, Port Townsend, WA
Was thinking of the delta but if the central will work why not save the 60?
John, the Fast Tracks points filing jig does this perforce. The rail is inserted into the filing block on its side, and the end to be pointed rises at the prescribed angle for the frog # out of the side of the filing surface. So, while you file the rail down to the point, you are also flattening the entire rail. Still, adding a little bevel to the nether matching face of the stock rail, as well, helps somewhat, but it also provides a spatial buffer for any creeping solder that beads around the point rail where it is attached to the PCB throwbar. It’s like a recessed area to permit the rails to lie flush against one another by affording space for the solder.
I knew a fellow modeler who built a 3 way stub switch that was machine controlled. It was amazing. All hand built, this was some 20 years ago. It would line up exactly for each route.
jktrains