Yup, that is exactly how my tracks are set up, two into one line.
And if I recall, trains coming off the one trackl main would stick to whatever the track said was default, and trains going the other way would take the other track, thus eliminating the need for a switch. But I don;t think it was all tht neccecary to arrange a meet.
The 2’ guage train ride at Turtle Back Zoo in Essex County, NJ runs on a dogbone route with spring controlled switch points on each of the end loops.
RH:
I used to do this when playing “Leap Train” with my V&E, which has all but 1 switch trailing. I haven’t done it since I added a cheapo homemade throw to that loose switch (which was one of the trailing ones).
“Leap Train” is a game where you put your two cheapest, fastest train set engines on the rails, attach the track cleaning car to the faster one, and then set the throttle to maximum on all blocks. You then attempt to make both trains avoid collision by throwing the switch at the entrance to your single runaround track. (The loose switch mentioned above was at the exit). “Leap Train” is something akin to Athearn Hustler drag races, and causes uncontrolled hilarity.
(It gets the track clean, too.)
I know most installations do use a switch machine so a spring switch can be alligned either way, but, and in railroading there is usually a but, the “HighBucks” at the end of the old coal unloading dumping machines out on the end of a pier had spring switches that the empty went past after the coal was dumped, the car proceded up the HighBuck past the switch then gravity pulled the car back down into the diverging route and on to the empty track. The ones I am refering to specifically are at the PresqueIsle docks near Toledo, but I suppose most of these types of coal unloaders with a HighBuck had just such a switch. Of course one empty coal car at a time for a specific application was the case here. There were also several other switch “rules” broken by these installations also.
Paul
Dayton and Mad River RR
Jesse,
If you need more “one-direction” turnouts, why not just buy Atlas Custom Line turnouts? They come without any switch machine (manual or remote) and are not sprung. That would seem to be what you were looking for. They’re significantly 10% cheaper than a complete turnout with manual switch machine.
Anyone know why this wouldn’t work? It seems easier than dissecting a sprung turnout.