how much to build handlaid turnouts?

[selector]

Thanks, Sheldon, I must have lost sight that you were discusing the Code 100 variety. Agreed, they don’t conform to what you and I know to be extant in N. America for conventional ‘straight’ turnouts.

Crandell

[fisherdm]

fisherdm:

That is compared to $20+ for commercial turnouts.

Dan Fisher

Modeling the N&W Walker Creek Branch

Dan, respectfully I will repeat what I and others have said - Atlas turnouts, code 100 or code 83, can generally be bought for about $13 each. That is considerably less than $20+, especially if one is building a large layout.

And that is also were it becomes a time vs money issue - if you have, or choose to spend the time, great.

But suggesting that all commercial turnouts are $20 or more is simply not true.

Sheldon

You’re right, those prices are based on list prices - but also for the rail, ties, and spikes for the hand laid work as well. It was for a cost comparison of hand laid track vs. commercial track. The specs were code 83, unweathered track, and No. 6 turnouts. As someone else has already quoted, you can beat the prices I used for the hand laid components as well. Keeping everything as a list price gave an apples-to-apples comparison.

Incidentally, the same analysis showed that flex track is cheaper than hand laid, but not by much. Hand laid turnouts won by a landslide. The price gets even better as you move into curved turnouts, three ways, cross-overs, and slip switches.

Dan Fisher

Modeling the N&W Walker Creek Branch

[csxns]

I use Peco Code 100 and they work for me with no problems.

[ATLANTIC_CENTRAL]

ATLANTIC CENTRAL:

fisherdm:

That is compared to $20+ for commercial turnouts.

Dan Fisher

Modeling the N&W Walker Creek Branch

Dan, respectfully I will repeat what I and others have said - Atlas turnouts, code 100 or code 83, can generally be bought for about $13 each. That is considerably less than $20+, especially if one is building a large layout.

And that is also were it becomes a time vs money issue - if you have, or choose to spend the time, great.

But suggesting that all commercial turnouts are $20 or more is simply not true.

Sheldon

You’re right, those prices are based on list prices - but also for the rail, ties, and spikes for the hand laid work as well. It was for a cost comparison of hand laid track vs. commercial track. The specs were code 83, unweathered track, and No. 6 turnouts. As someone else has already quoted, you can beat the prices I used for the hand laid components as well. Keeping everything as a list price gave an apples-to-apples comparison.

Incidentally, the same analysis showed that flex track is cheaper than hand laid, but not by much. Hand laid turnouts won by a landslide. The price gets even better as you move into curved turnouts, three ways, cross-overs, and slip switches.

Dan Fisher

Modeling the N&W Walker Creek Branch

As someone who has worked in this business, there is one flaw in that “apples to apples” logic - items like complete turnouts are readily and commonly discounted, track building supplies ty

[mike1981]

I got my two fast tracks jigs off ebay for $50.00 each and then bought the point forming tool and the stock ad tool and I love them I am looking to buy the rail bender now as I have decided to handlay all the rest of my track. The only reason I dont have the rail bender yet is because I was trying to find it used but cant so I am going to buy it. I have been taking up the atlas TO that I had down. there is nothing wrong with them just what I want to do.