peco curved turnouts

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I am looking for a lefthand curved turnout, peco seems to have several types.

I need the outside curve to be 18" radius

are there any that are that way? if yes, which ones?

thanks

Kevin

2

go to www.handlaidtrack.com and there is templates for curved turnouts, you dont have to buy the jig becuse if you look at the specs of the turnout it tells inside + outside radi. myself i am going to get one of the jigs becuse there cheeper to make than to buy on premade.

3

I don’t think your going to find an 18" outside turn. There’s 18 inside. BK and Walthers both have those.
http://www.troutcreekeng.com/bkho.html
Central Valley makes semi hand laid curvable turnouts. You might be able to make one of those fit.
http://www.cvmw.com/cvtswitch/index.htm
I don’t know about Peco. I’ve heard the Walthers radius is actually smaller than they advertise.

4

The small-radius Peco is about 17 3/4 on the inner rail, and close to 22 on the outer, as I recall. I have several of these, and they work very well. Looking for 18 on the outer curve might be a problem. The inner curve would have to be 15 or under, not a very attractive option.

5

I assume you are talking about N with those dimensions? This site lists the curved code-55 turnouts as 18"/36" (http://members.aol.com/GP40X/peco-mirror.html).

I bought have not used a left and right hand one for use on the peco portion of my next layout so I could get the minimum siding length up over 5’, or about 15 50’ cars.

I am going to be using peco turnouts and track on one town to use up what I have and to make use of the curved turnouts. The rest of the layout will be something that doesnt have to get imported from somewhere with nutty exchange rates!

Chris

Edit - this site has full size templates so you could maybe check the fit:

http://www.sodigi.com/Peco_Track.htm

6

The Peco’s I was talking about were HO.

Try www.modelrailwaypo.com for Peco. They have an ad in Railroad Model Craftsman every month. Not sure about N-gauge - I didn’t see it in the on-line ad.

7

I am looking for HO, and having the inner curve be 15" radi would be fine.

so the ones peco makes are 18" radi inner and 22" radi outer?

man, does anyone make a 15" inner and 18" outer or am I going to have to make one on my own, which would mean it never gets done.

Kevin

8

I’ve never heard of such a unit. I would think it would be plagued wth derailing problems.

9

As it is, the 22/18 curved turnout won’t handle three axel engines or passenger cars without an 80% chance of dropping the unit on the ground. Works ok with switchers, road switchers and box cars 40 to 50 feet in length. J.R.

10

The sharpest Walthers/Shinohara curved turnout is labeled #6, 24/20 but is actually 24/18.

11

I’ve never heard of one. Those Central Valley’s are pretty flexable and EZ to build. You should be able to get something close to an 18/15 out of it. Your only out $15 if it doesn’t work. Call CV and see which one they recommend.

12

I cannot find the blister pack they came in tonight but if they are the same ones that GMT is talking about they will not let a 6 axle engine run from the heel where the blades or points what ever you want to call them. Hits the frog and off the engine goes. From the toes (Y Part) does OK at best. Big let down with the fact I have $65.00 worth of them and main key for my new bench hooking up to the current bench![:(!]

Smaller engines like F-3 and BL-2’s do fine. But I am manily in to steam so back to the drawing board and lumber yard I go.

Cuda Ken

13

I do hope you’re wrong, GMTRacing, as I’m in trouble if you’re not. I’ll be installing a Peco SL-87 LH curved turnout and want to run a 2-8-0 Consolidation. After reading your post, I used RailModeller software to superimpose an 18" radius curve on the diverging portion of an SL-87 and it was too sharp. A 25" radius/30-degree arc fit perfectly.

I’ve found RailModeller to be very accurate but recognize there must be some Kentucky windage in its calcs. Even so, I’m hoping that the actual inner radius is larger than 18" based on this experiment. The posts in this thread seem pretty consistent at 18", so I’m not sure what to think. Any engineers out there to provide a definitive answer?

Rick Krall

14

ok im telling you go to handlaidtrack.com and order one of the curved turnout jigs its alot of cash i know but fast tracks turnouts are exstreamly relible and you get a feeling of acomplishment from makeing them.

heres one 18" out 15" in

http://www.handlaidtrack.com/item.php?id=4290&link_str=215::788::1244::1246::1303&partno=AK-HO-R-8-ME83-18-15-NR