Pro's & Con's of various Turnouts

I agree with Mr. Beasley.

I used to use Atlas turnouts years ago, but the switch machines are plastic and continually require adjusting. I got tired of derailments due to points not being snug against the rails

In yards (or other areas where turnouts are frequently thrown) I use Peco turnouts with Peco switch machines. I love the spring loaded snap and the fact that the springs keep the points tight against the rails. The snap isn’t prototypical, but they make up for it with reliabilty.

I also use Walthers/Shinohara in other areas with Tortoise switch machines.

My biggest criticism of Peco is the lack of variety, whereas Shinohara has lots of neat things like double crossovers.

I am surprised that Atlas even offers their switch machines. IMHO,they are way below the rest of the quality of the product line. I use Tortoise with my Atlas and like them very much. The Tortoise is almost the same price as a Peco solenoid and turnout position switch.

I got over my attraction to the Peco spring because of my dislike for their solenoid turnout motor. A few days with the Atlas/Tortoise and I’ve never considered anything else.

Joe

Joe

I vote for Peco code 83. They can look really nice when ballasted.

The latest turnout from them is a #7 curved. I think they will continue to release more turnouts.

I will add Tillig to the list.

http://www.reynaulds.com/tillig/tillig1.html

More pictures of Tillig and Peco

http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=980&hl=tillig+elite

Great! I have a bunch of them I want to unload, #5’s with motors and switches. $25 bucks a piece.

Joe

We need to keep in mind that Atlas makes TWO separate “brands” of turnouts. The CUSTOM-LINE and the SNAP SWITCH. They are VERY different from each other and we need to make sure not lump them into the same pot.

My issue with ANY brand of turnout is the potential for a stall on the frog if it’s insulated on #8’s. A frog is a frog is a frog. And I’m thinking that ANY brand of #8 turnout is going to have this problem - hand build or not. Am I wrong here?? I see the only true solution would be adjusting the pickup’s on the loco. OR, I go with the power routing option with the #8’s on the main line. And that’s the only place where I would use them is the main line. Yards and branch line would use the #6 or #4.

I think we all agree that reliability, durability, are all key factors here and must weigh heavy when considering overall cost. With my limited use of any switch, for me, for right now, I think I’m going to go with the Custom-Line.

For one thing, $10 vs. $25 (Peco) with a difference of $15! That’s HUGE. Being new, I am going to make mistakes, at some point I know I’m going to rip one apart. This is a given. Ten buck mistake, hey it’s do-able. $25 buck mistake and things are not so fun anymore. Maybe I’ll find out that the cost of Peco (or other top brands) are worth it in certain areas of my layout. But as yet, I’ve not heard reason against the Custom-Line with the exception of the spring loaded benefit of the Peco, which, is only a benefit when using in a manual setup.

But then I’m still new and learning things everyday! May be I’ll spring for a few Peco turnouts and see i

IF you are committed to Atlas Code 83 flex track, the Peco code 83 is not only twice as expensive but it is incompatible and requires significant work to overcome the compatibility issues. The Atlas custom line and Mark 4 are good turnouts. Their turnout machine is awful, but the turnouts work reasonably and reliably.

Joe

Yup Joe, going with the Atlas Flex, for now.

You can still use Peco with Tortoise turnout motors as I have done, here in the UK alot of people use Seep motors or Fulgurex. As for the price difference all I can say is you get what you pay for.

Shaun

What is this compatibility issue?

Atlas Code 83 flex and Peco Cocde 83 turnouts are exactly what I use and I’ve never had any problems at all.

What are you referring to?

Here is the problem I’ve had with the combination.

http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/AddPost.aspx?PostID=1211973

Joe

I would respectfully say you are wrong, Loco. I have several Fast Tracks handlaid #8’s, with frogs gapped per Tim Warris’ specs, and none of my locos, including a P2K SW8, have any troubles traversing those frogs. All turnouts are fed from both ends, but the frogs are deader’n road salt.

I use Code 100 on my main and code 93 in my yards, and 99% of my turnouts are Sinohara–#5 in my yard, #6 on my main and the curved #8 in a few places where I have to have a curved turnout. They’ve been in place for about 6 years, and hardly any problems (the problems I had were alignment on the #8 curved, and not the turnouts themselves). I have one Peco that I bought because my LHS was temporarily out of Sinohara, and though the turnout is just fine, the wiring was an absolute NIGHTMARE! (wiring is not my strongest suit, LOL!). For the most part, my turnouts are hand-thrown, since they are all within easy reach.

My other layout, had Atlas #6, and I liked them (after filing down the points), but they didn’t seem to like slow-speed operation either on main or yard. Them or me, I don’t know. But I sure like the Sinohara’s, and they like all my locomotives and rolling stock, so far.

Tom

It’s so good to be wrong! I sent an e-mail to them asking how long the frog is for there #8’s. The Atlas turnout is @2.5 inches long. From looking at the web site, it would appear that they would be much shorter. But inquiring minds… Hey, if you wouldn’t mind maybe you could do a measurement of one you built?

I must say, after looking at the vids of them building turnouts, it does look interesting. Just wish one jig could do more than one turnout… ah well.

I cut my gaps @ 2.25", but I don’t see why a person couldn’t get that even a bit shorter.

You might be right about the extra 0.25" in length making quite a difference, especially to a smaller loco, and/or one with no flywheel.

As for the jigs, yes that is a problem. I knew I’d be running heavy steam, and I wanted fast and accurate traverses of turnouts on my main with Niagaras and a PRR T1 Duplex doing scale speeds near 50-70 mph. Turns out that the turnouts are the least of my worries. Some of my grade transitions needed some tuning, but not the turnouts.

Chuck (TomikawaTT) would urge you to learn how to make a turnout from scratch, which oddly the Fast Tracks system enabled me to do, and to simply make what you need where you need it. They are surprisingly easy once you have built a couple. So, maybe decide on a jig for those that you will need in the greatest number, or get a jig for those that you want to be the slickest, and then build the others doing some fudging and judging. I built two completely different turnouts, one a curved wye, and the other a curved that must be close to a #10. I cheated on the frog for the latter by using the block jig for the #8’s, which works okay…not whoopee okay, just well enough that I can get my passenger trains through them at decent speed.

Regards,

-Crandell

I got up off my… bottom… lol and went to measure the Atlas Custom Line #6’s. They are @1.5 inches! That’s a whopper of a difference.

Was that the right link? When I pulled it up, I got something about young people, N scale and the 'net.

c

http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1210533/ShowPost.aspx

One thing I have notice of late the Atlas C100 switches is bumpier then the C83s…Still I prefer Atlas C83 over any other brand.

As far as NMRA compliance one has to remember those are recommended practices AND NOT STANDARDS and there lays the rub.I have always maintain most track RPs should be Standards…

See:

http://www.nmra.org/standards/rp12.html

http://www.nmra.org/standards/consist.html#standards

I’m using Trix C-track (code 83) and I’m verry happy with it, it might not be the most realistic for American railroading but it works fine.

pro’s

-switch motors are buried under the roadbed

-almost sillent

-easy to work with

-visualy pleasing roadbed

-solid electrical conections

cons

-might not be 100% acurate for American railroads

-might be difficult to obtain in the US

hope this helps

I will pretty much use snappable switches to plan in trackwork, but my prioorities, all rail frogs, guard rails don’t care if plastic/metal. Then my final trackwork will be case by case situation that fits. My real goal is high detail trackwork. Handlaid/prefab, don’t care. As long as I can fit the track situation. Nothing out there to fit, its all custom work, baybee.