I have seen references to this type of switch and even seen photos, but what reason or purpose does a gauntlet switch serve?
Such a switch/turnout routes two tracks into one for special locations such as bridges. Especially where a bridge cannot be widened.
Bob Boudreau
Well the cover story in the May 2006 Railroad Model Craftsman explains about building a junction that involves a gauntlet switch, that’s probably the best place to start as it’s a lot easier to understand if you can see it.
Anyway, a section of gauntlet track would be a place where two rail lines need to come together in the space of one (say where a doubletrack mainline has to go down to one track to go across a bridge) without actually joining into one track. In a gauntlet, the two tracks kind of overlap each other, so the two left rails and the two right rails are each about a foot apart from each other.
A gauntlet switch would be used where you need to send say a spur track off to an industry, but for some reason there isn’t enough room to put the switch where you want it. At the switch, the siding would start as a gauntlet track and the two lines would run together for a while before the spur line branches off.
Another term for is “gantlet switch” and “gantlet track.”
Either usage is correct, according to my dictionary.
Ah ha!
Thanks for the quick explanations on the purpose and use of a gauntlet switch. I did see that article in that issue of the MRC, so that brings me to another question (or two).
Has anyone modeled a gauntlet track or switch? If so, do you have to scratch build one, or are the gauntlet tracks and/or switches readily available for purchase?
Spike,
If you want a gauntlet track in any gauge, I’m afraid you will have to build it yourself. As far as I know, no one makes a gauntlet switch.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to construct. Essentially, a gauntlet is two separate rail lines that share a common roadbed and ties, but do not necessarily connect with each other. A gauntlet switch (turnout) does join the two raillines together.
You may not have to scratchbuild your trackwork. You may be able to scavenge parts from old turnouts or crossings to obtain the necessary points and frogs to make your trackwork.
Many years ago, I made an N scale gauntlet track to allow two rail lines to cross a bridge that wasn’t wide enough for two side-by-side roadbeds. I made the frogs from plastic. They were very tiny, just barely big enough to allow grooves to be cut for flange clearance. They looked more like insulated rail joiners than frogs. If I were doing it now, I would either use parts from turnouts or crossings or build from scratch. Sorry, I don’t have any pictures of that trackwork.
Hope this helps.
Darrell, quiet…for now
I had a strange feeling about that, scratch build is the most likely option.
I would suppose a gauntlet track is almost like a modified cross-over, except the one track goes back to the original side and stays more parallel to the second track than an acute angle.
…which leads me to wonder why the term “switch” when none is needed. The controlling mechanism is the dispather and orders (via signalling, if I am correct), and the two tracks overlap only insofar as they must. All that are needed is a shared defile of some kind, over which the gantlet must be placed, and two frogs at each crossing. No points are needed, so no switch.
Or have I messed up?
It would be a switch in the case where the points are located a considerable distance from the frog, with the gauntlet section between, for instance, the frog is at one end of a bridge or road crossing, and the points are at the other.
In the case of a gauntlet section through a tunnel or a cross a bridge with no points involved it would not be a gauntlet switch, just a gauntlet track section.
I wish I could draw easily in HTML. In one case, gantlet track is basically a very extended turnout (to avoid confusion over what “switch” means). The points and frog are separated by a distance, usually a bridge or tunnel or other reason for limited space for track. From the points the diverging track stays parallel to the non-diverging until it is in position to fully diverge - where you will see the frog.
The other type of gantlet track is where double track at both ends was forced to converge for a physical limitation - similar to a one lane bridge. In this case, there are no points, just a frog at each end.
yours in tracking
Fred W
There are two different things.
A gauntlet track is a length of track with four rails in two pairs set to track gauge. At each end there will be common crossings (frogs) where the two sets of rails seperate and return to normal track. This is usually the scenario where two lines cross a narrow bridge or pass through a narrow tunnel. Neither is quite a single track structure. [You would need to widen a bridge or tunnel by the amount of difference between the two sets of rails… otherwise at least one side would be foul of the loading gauge].
A gauntlet switch is a switch which ends a single track (one pair of rails) and begins a set of Points and Crossings. Whereas a normal set of switches puts everything together in a short distance and maes the usual switch we are familiar with a gauntlet switch starts with the set of blades, runs exactly as gauntlet track for a way and then divides into two tracks with a common crossing involved in the trackwork. these common crossings tend to be very high numbers…10 or more… unless the arrangement is a Y not an LH or RH switch.
Situations a Gauntlet switch would be used would include pavement running… to keep the moving partd out of the pavement the switch may be stretched. Sometimes both the points and the common crossing will be clear of the pavement. Similarly a switch may be stretched across a bridge or through a tunnel. Long ago I saw a situation on a coal line where a wye was configured with a gauntlet switch in order to bring the points and switch stand for the wye close to a bunch of ordinary switches and their controlling stands.
The problem that can arise with modelling a gauntlet switch is the very shallow angle of the common crossing. there is a tendency to suffer the same problem(s) that arise with very shallow angle diamond… if you scratch build you could resolve this in the same way and make it in the same way as a switched diamond (in which the heal of at least one side will close to form a continu
A slightly different example is sometimes found around passenger stations with high-level platforms (the Roselle Park NJT station comes to mind, and I believe the New Carrolton Amtrak station is this way, too) to allow freights to pass by without smashing into the platform.
Basically, there are two sets of rails, one closer to the platform for passenger trains, and one slightly further away for freights. For the freight rails, the rail nearest the platform is between the two rails for the passenger trains. At each end is a set of switch points, like any other switch, but there are no frogs, since no rails cross each other. The simplest way to describe it would be like a main/siding configuration, but instead of the siding being next to the main, it’s centered over the outside rail of the main.
Wow! that would be something if the despatcher sent a freight the wrong route!
I recall … same thing occurs over (or not over) scales.
Thank you all so much for the great answers and information on the gauntlet questions!
It might just be possible to craft such a section of track utilizing parts from a diamond cross-over section of track.
Great responses!
Cheers,
Ryan
When I was starting in model railroading (in the 50s), there was a company called Umpco (Universal Model Products) that made a variety of unusual turnouts. One of them was a gauntlet. (Other were stub turnouts and many ways).
I think the reason for the gauntlet in the RMC article was a dislike of railroads of having the main route go through the curved points of a turnout.