I’ve wanted to learn how to hand lay turnouts but need some help. Are there any videos and/or books out there that describe in detail how this is done?
Thanks,
Sean
A question I have also is it much of a cost savings v. buying prebuilt turnouts?
I believe the new Kalmbach book “Trackwork and lineside detail for your Model Railroad” has a good article written by Tony Koester (sp?) on how to handlay turnouts.
Rob
P.S. - no, I don’t work for Kalmbach 
Koester’s article in the December 1989 MR (reprinted in the book mentioned above) is the piece on handlaying turnouts. I’m starting to do this too, and that article is going to be close at hand every step of the way. That article got this handlaying “wannabe” off his fat butt and into the shop to cut ties and start laying track!
Thanks to Rob and “B-Dubya” for their recommendations. I DO work for Kalmbach and I prepared Tony’s original article for publication in MODEL RAILROADER back in '89, so I’m very familiar with it. On my own layout I’m building turnouts pretty much as Tony describes, and I’m very happy with the results.
I first started building turnouts when I was in high school, for two reasons. First I saw a kid two years younger than I was demonstrate how to do it, and then I realized that I could buy a soldering iron for about the same price as one turnout. It opened new fields of layout design for me, as I no longer had to count the cost of turnouts as I drew track plans.
If you really want to keep the price low, use some sort of push-rod control such as Eric Brooman’s in the December MR, or Jerry Strangarity’s in last year’s GREAT MODEL RAILROADS. I’m using Tortoise motors myself, but I figure I have to spend money on something.
So long,
Andy
Andy - you do know that my real name’s in my profile, right? Same as on all other forums I use. [;)]
Ive seen pushrod control with R/C aircraft control rods (as desribed in MR) used on a layout, and they really work well. An added benefit is that on a peninsula the rods can be double-ended, allowing for easy control no matter which side of the peninsula you’re on. I figure if I handlay the turnouts I can afford to have a Caboose switch stand on each one without any - uh - “political” issues. Sometimes having a spouse who understands your hobby isn’t such a good thing…[:o)][:)]
“Eight bucks for a switch stand? You better not have spent much on the turnouts, buster!”
PS:
I finally got that first bit of handlaid track built. Now I’m itching to do more! I can see why Andy has previously warned that handlaying track is addictive…that said, it’s a good thing I started with an old branchline siding. It works great, but it ain’t pretty. [:P]
Take Tony Koester’s article and mix it with the article “Maintenance-free turnouts” from Ed Stimpson jr. in the MR of May 1978 and you have a near perfect approach. Ed Stimpson used ties made from strips of printed circuit board at key-points.
Rene Luethi.