I installed a Tillig Pilz turnout! Pictures included.

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

If you recall, Model Railroader published a product review on the new Tillig Pilz Code 83 Elite turnouts a few months back. Their debut was much over shadowed by the release of Peco’s code 83 line. However, in the review two things caught my attention:

  1. The turnouts have a continuous point rail from the stock rail all the way to the frog.

  2. The turnouts are flexible and can be bent to fit.

I asked in a recent post if any one had any experience with the Tillig Pilz turnouts and got no responses. Thus, I set out on my own to experiment with them. Here’s my efforts and the results.

This first picture is a problem turnout on my main line. It’s a Shinohara turnout and the point rail is bent up too high. It has caused numerous derailments and I can’t seem to get it fixed. The end of the screw driver is pointing to the lifted section. Click for a larger picture. This was the perfect spot to place a new Pilz turnout since the mailine traffic diverges to the right up the leg of the turnout.

This is the measuring and comparison of the replacement turnout. As the Tillig Pilz turnout is much shorter, I had to do some marking and cutting.

Below is the area with all the track removed. I use Woodland Scenics foam roadbed. The balsa wood base is to stabilize the turnout around the point’s sliding bar and to provide a firm footing for the Caboose Hobby’s ground throw.

The new turnout in place! Note the continuous rail. Yes, I had to bend it to get it to fit. Try flexing a rigid Atlas turnout!

My trains love it! I’ve ran numerous cantankerous cars across it with zero derailments!! I’m

2

they look nice but i can’t afford them. I get paid 10 bucks a week during the school year. so i stick with Atlas code 83 turnouts. been pretty reliable. Except for 2 Number 8s. i think they got damaged from being reloacted so much.both of the damged ones where broken at the points. fortuantly it was diverging route on the one and the one is still slighty operational. i have to be extremely careful with it becasue the points don’t throw all the way sometimes.

3

the turnout looks great . price seems comparable to peco . does it come looking weathered like that , or did you do that ?

4

No, it already looks that way. Some of it may be my dark background, though. The brown ties match with the Atlas code 83 brown ties, too.

On a side note, I had no problem with rail joiners other than the Pilz rails are slightly thinner then the Atlas flex track I was using.

For the price, I think they do rival Peco.

5

Super results, and good work. Glad you had the courage to give it a go.

Thanks for the report, dragenrider.

6

My pleasure. I’m always keen to try something new. I really didn’t expect to be so sold on these turnouts, but I am.