I WANT RUN A 2-6-6-2 ON THE LAYOUT like i said any help would be great thankyou
If I understand your question (it isn’t clear to me), the turnout # is a relation of the number of units of length that the frog angle allows diversion to the side for each unit of length the train travels down the prime axis of the turnout. Suppose we make the prime axis the ‘through’ route, the straight route. It is so many inches long. If we diverge and take the turning route, how far aside the prime axis do we go for each inch traveled down the prime axis? How far would be have gone to the side of the axis by the time we reached the end of the turnout? A #6 turnout requires the rolling item to move down the axis 6 units of length for every single unit of divergence. A #12 requires us to go a much longer way, a whole foot if we are using inches of travel and length, to get that same single inch of divergence. So the angle is shallower in the frog. It is a higher number that means how far down the main axis we must go in order to get a single inch of divergence. So, to summarize, the smaller numbers mean wider divergence, and so the turnout doesn’t need to be so long before you have the track separation you would need. On the other hand, a higher number turnout, like a #12, is a much longer turnout because you are forced to travel down its main axis length much further with its shallow frog angle in order to get that one inch of divergence, or to get the full track separation for a parallel siding or yard ladder track. I hope that has helped you.
Crandell
MAE BEA IF U STOPPASHOUTIN AND TYPEMORECOHERENTLY WE ANSWER QUESTIONS BETTER>
WHATUWANNA NO ?
DIFFERENCES BEETWEEEN VARIOUS#TURNOUTS??
MAGIC NAME FOR TURN AFTER A [22R] ? HENWAY.
WHAT’S A HENWAY? OH, ABOUT 2 LBS>
Scary, isn’t it?
Yikes, I really would like to help the OP, but I just don’t have a clue as to what the question(s) are, and frankly kind of feel like I’ve just been chewed out…
To the OP:
The good folks on this Forum would be very glad to help you, but I suspect they are not quite sure what you are asking. You might want to try again, and split out your questions - with fewer caps and more punctuation.
We got to remember this is the internet and the OP could be none English speaking. But, as bad as my English is I could not understand the question either. [:D]
I THINK what our friend is asking is, he sees turnouts all have numbers – like #4, #5, #6, #8 and so on. What does it all mean? Which are bigger and which are smaller? And which are best for 22" radius curves?
Quickly said the higher the number a more gentle the angle of the turnout. So a #4 is a rather sharp angle. A #10 is a much broader angle.
Some model turnouts are pure curves mated with straight – the classic example is Lionel turnouts which can b dropped into place replacing a curve or straight piece of track – but some HO turnouts are similar. A prototype turnout by contrast is not purely a curve. So there may be no model turnout that matches a 22" radius curve exactly, in the sense that you would just drop it in.
If you have equipment that can handle a 22" radius curve you probably can use #4 turnouts. Famous track plan designer John Armstrong once wrote that too many modelers got snobbish about #4 turnouts (because they are the kind trainsets sometimes come with) and fail to take advantage of their space saving advantage. if you have equipment that needs a broader curve then 22" radius I’d explore #6 turnouts (someone also makes a #5). A #8 or #10 is a beautiful thing to see (and yet they would be considered sharp on the prototype, but nice and broad on a model railroad) but they eat lots of space.
Throwing a monkey wrench into all of this is the fact that the popular Peco brand of turnouts does not always use turnout numbers to identify their products.
Dave Nelson
Scary thing is, I can read both, but not sure I understand the original poster’s question. Proper English and punctuation and less SHOUTING would help. Even as bad as my dyslexic typing is most can understand me, I think.
I think
Whoah there Nelly, my head hurts after trying to read that.
Did he invent some sort of new language? It’s amazing how these internet kids like to annihilate the English language.
Gentlemen, could we stop the commentary about the style and try to deal with the substance, ambiguous though it seems to be? We should be patient and try to coach this person to the point where we can help, not drive him away derisively. We don’t want that kind of forum.
Thanks.
Crandell
Crandell’s right: we need to cut this person some slack. According to his profile, he’s 160 years old, so the shouting can be explained by the fact that he’s probably hard of hearing. Likewise, spelling and punctuation can be attributed to shaky hands - hard to hit the correct key and even worse if you can’t straighten out your typing finger. [swg]
Wayne
Awww, geez, I forgot that having a little fun was illegal. And, as Doctorwayne pointed out, the OP did say he was 160 years old in his bio, so he does have a sense of humor.
Lastly, could we stop this stuff about our foreign friends who don’t speak good English. That offends every non-US citizen, and anyone else whose native langauge is other than English, who is a member of this forum. They all use better English, better grammer, and better punctuation than the OP did. [(-D]
OK, having been chastised, let’s get serious and interpret the OP’s question.
He apparently does not understand the numbering system for turnouts, and Crandell did a good job of explaining that. The lower the number of the turnout, the sharper the curve of the diverging track.
He also wants to run a 2-6-6-2 loco on his layout. That loco will run on a 22 inch radius curve (22R) without any real problems. I ran a 2-6-6-2 on my old layout with 22R sectional track.
If I understand the OP’s question correctly, he wants to run a 2-6-6-2 on 22R track and is concerned about the correct size of the turnout that can be used trouble-free. I would recommend a #6 turnout or higher. A 2-6-6-2 loco will have problems negotiating the divergent track curve on a #4 turnout.
Rich
Are we all that old? Even Rich is repeating himself. Now, was I going up the stairs or down?
Hon, where’s my toast?!
Crandell
LOL
Hey, Crandell, for a foreigner, you speak pretty good English! [bow]
Rich
I just looked at another post the OP had. Decent English. I think here he just wanted to have some fun with us.
Foriegners speaking bad English? Spent about a month in March 1990 in Northern Sweden on business. Almost everbody there spoke anything from passable to excellent English, except for about 2 people we had to deal with. That even included a garage mechanic. The only Swedish I picked up was Ya, Tak, and Tak sa miket (Yes, thank you, and thank you very much).
Sorry I can’t find the recent post that I think would help explain the numbers of turnouts. My computer skills are not such that I can reproduce the diagram they had either, but here goes in words.
Look at the straight track portion of the switch. If you measure out 4" from where the two tracks start to seperate. Then measure from that centerline to the centerline of the diverging track, if it is 1" then you have a #4 turnout. If you go out 10" before your two tracks are 1" apart, you have a #10 turnout. Hope that helps with the numbers on turnouts. The higher the number the longer it takes for the two tracks to seperate.
As far as something larger than 22" r, 22r refers to a 22" radius circle, which is 44" across. You can have any radius you want, they are just refered to in the number of inches in the radius of the circle that that particular curve would create. Take a flat stick, drill a hole to hold a pencil. measure out 22" and put a nail through the stick. Draw a circle and you have a 22" radius circle, which is 44" across. This would be the centerline of the track. If you want a larger curve (not as sharp) have your hole further out than 22". Using flex track you can easily make larger curves, however, most sectional track manufacturers don’t go larger, though I have seen some exceptions, If the 2-6-6-2 is a full size (not a logging engine) locomotive, you will want curves greater than 22", though some may be designed to run on 22", they look much better on larger radius.
If you go to the top of this page, find Resources in the light grey line with faded printing. Click on that, then click on Railroad Glossary. That may elp you with some of the terms you have read and do not understand. Also, I think a book on laying track would with a good visual as well as written descriptions.
Hope this helps a little. If you have a good model railroad hobby shop they
MR Arcus - maybe the following link gives the answer to your questions on turnout #´s and frog angles.