making you're own turnouts ,my first using fast tracks

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

well after alot of prep time , filling points,frog ,parts,guardrails etc in front of the TV, i was quite pleased as how fast building and how easy It was … I really was intimidated by the DVD videos ,but then it went quite easy and the results are pretty good .

I would recommend pre- cutting and filling all parts ,this can be done in front of TV. makes final assemble quite quick & easy

now I used a jig plate but need a couple a curved so I’m thinking of just using the quick Tye’s and a point tool since I only need two of them ,pretty confidant I could pull off two with out the expensive jig . any try this ?happy camper. Jerry

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Congrats, Big Jerr. Yes, that is one great benefit to dipping your toe into handlaid turnouts, for both of us with the Fast Tracks system. I soon realized I could make build pretty much any turnout I needed, and custom fit for the circumstances I encounter on my layout. In fact, I built what must be a curved #9, maybe a #10, on my last layout. I lifted it and placed it on the new one currently being built, and am happy to say that it works just fine there recycled. Then, for this build, I constructed a curved Y turnout with a slightly odd geometry, but absolutely necessary at a yard throat.

Crandell

3

Howdy, Jerry. Welcome to the wonderful world of hand-laid specialwork.

Simply stated, if you can bend a piece of flex to the desired routes and your rolling stock will track over it, you can build a turnout (or crossing, or gantlet, or puzzle palace of single and double slips) to fit the space and fill the need.

I’ve been rolling my own specialwork since long before FasTracks started selling jigs, so I’ve never felt a need to acquire any. I would recommend using a couple of three-point track gauges to keep everything in proper gauge until it’s firmly soldered in place and spiked to the wooden ties.

Being able to look at some piece of trackwork that can’t be bought in a bubble pack and say, “I built that,” - priceless.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on flex, with hand-built specialwork)