I never thought it would be hard to find track, however with Atlas’s issues I have been forced to look for other soltions to my layout. I am looking for #6 turnouts and investigating PECO when I noticed they are refered to large radius and small radius. Is this comparable to #6 in any way? If not, what brands do I need to look at to get #6 turnouts?
Hopefully Atlas’s manufactureing issues will be resolved soon and products will be come more avalible.
Peco code 83 track is built according to US standards - they also have “regular” #6 switches. Peco code 75 and code 100 track is based on European tie layout and spacing, which might not be what you are looking for.
As you are likely aware, it is not as if one manufacturer’s #4 or #6 is a drop-in replacement for another manufacturer’s – or your own hand-laid – #4 or #6. But for most practical purposes you can regard the standard Peco small/medium/large range of turnouts to be comparable to the usual #4/#6/#8 range in terms of the general layout planning and rolling stock needs.
As others are likely to point out, over the years there have been # 3 1/2s to #5s marketed as #4s. I imagine there are similar variances in other numbered turnouts.
The tie placement and other discrepencies from American practice in the standard Peco line do not bother me much. What is nice about Peco is the useful array of wyes and curved turnouts that they offer.
My major observation and beef about the Peco line is that it does not seem to occur to them to revist and improve things such as their old fashioned, and quite bulky, switch machines. I suspect with today’s technology they could make an under the tie switch machine no thicker than standard cork roadbed but no – they are still flogging a switch machine on the marketplace that probably has not changed in four or five decades. It is rather neat the way the switch machine just snaps into place beneath the turnout – nobody else has done that to my knowledge. That they should keep.
Dave Nelson
i have about 5 dozen peco code 100 switches incorporated into my layout and they are no trouble at all. they do look a little hokey but after i paint and ballast the track, i am not bothered by that. they do have somewhat wide flangeways and a .010 shim takes care of that when needed.
other than their code 100 flex track, i have stayed away from atlas. i had bad luck with their switches decades ago and i am like an elephant in that i work for peanuts and never forget. their stuff may be better today but i am happy with Shinohara and Peco.
charlie
You did not mention the code you are using. The Peco code 100 and 75 are made to European standards with wide flange ways and tie spacing as others have said. The code 83 are based on north American standards. Peco turnouts have over center springs for the points so no switch machine is needed to hold tension on the points. If you want to throw the points with something other than Pecos machine then the over center spring needs to be removed. Our club had standardized on Peco code 100 turnouts for our portable modules. Mine have stood the test of time and punishment for nearly 10 years. We have had to glue .015 styrene shims to most of the guard rails but this is a minor thing that is easy to do to get very reliable operation.
Atlas and Peco are not the only turnout manufactures. There are Walthers/Shinohara, Micro Engineering, P-87 stores, BK enterprises, Railway engineering and others along with a myriad of hand laying ventures. There are some on E-bay that sell hand laid turnouts already built and glued to ties.
Pete
Peco code 100 turnouts do NOT match up with standard #4/6/8 turnout diverging angles. The small/medium/large turnouts all diverge at the same 12 degree angle from the tangent. The difference is the ‘curve’ between the frog and to the points.
The code 83 line of turnouts are based on North American prototypes, and are #5/6/8 turnouts. They are very nice, but very expensive!
Here is a link to a chart that shows all of the dimensions of various Peco turnouts:
http://www.rmcq.mixedpk.com/worksheets/peco_turnout_dimensions.pdf
BTW, that Atlas #4 Customline turnout is actually a #4.5 turnout! It pays to do sme research…
Jim