Quality turnout terminology and good prices

Do you have the part numbers from the packaging? That will likely be most useful.

If you have the approximate length and code of track for the Peco ones, that would be very useful.

If you have a piece of plywood that long enough and wide enough, you can use a piece of string tied to a nail and a pencil (the length of the string from nail to pencil is the radius) to draw arcs of different radius. Then lay the curved turnout down on the plywood. This will get you in the ballpark.

Fasttracks and Oak Hill Model Railroad Track supply would be good to add to the list of manufacturers.

Hello all,

If you can find the PECO part number then just go to their website and look up the curved turnouts you have and that will give you the frog #, Nominal Radii; Outside and inside, and length.

The Nominal Radii will help you match the turnout to radius of the curve.

PECO does provide downloadable, printable copies of their turnouts.

These are listed under the Technical Advice Bureau > PECO Turnout And Crossing Plans. Not every turnout is provided here but it helps.

Unfortunately I am not familiar with Shinohara.

Hope this helps.

Ok, I will try to do that and then get back in a couple of days.

My peco turnouts say “peco- setrack reg- england” Hopefully that helps. It seems that every curved shinohara turnout on ebay looks like mine and claims to have an inside radius of 24" and an outside radius of 28". Two questions: first, how well will 24" work for long passenger cars and equipment? Second, I have some atlas #4 snap switches that I was going to get rid of. Now, after reading this, do you think I should keep them if I am planning to run longer equipment? What is the approximate raduis of their diverging routes?

Does your Peco Turnout look similar to this:

https://www.peco-uk.com/product.asp?strParents=3309,3322&CAT_ID=3327&P_ID=17436

Im guessing yes because these are the only set-track curved turnouts. Im pretty shure the radius is 21 outer (approx, its metric) and 19 or 17 inner (again, metric system isnt my strong point).

As for the Shinohara, recent production included frogs numbered 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8

Radius of turnouts discussed here:

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/196857.aspx

Borderline not working. I built a layout with 24" radius and had trouble keeping full length passenger cars on the track.

Not sure who above gave you that impression. You can do what you want. Those will probably not work well with your desired long equipment, which as was pointed out in your other currently running thread, you probably dont have the room for the radius you will need to run the trains you want to run in the scale you are wanting to build in.

If memory serves correctly, 18" or less.

They might be good for industrial tracks where you would be shoving a car a low speed into an industry spot.

MR used them on their Virginian project railroad.

I agree. Personally I wouldn’t use anything less than #6 turnouts as a rule.

To answer your original question, or what I think your actual question is:

You will want at a minimum a #6 turnout when running intermodal equipment or full length passenger cars.

Yep. I’ve designed and built 3 layouts so far and that is the reason I use #6 as a minimum turnout type.[;)]

I know a guy who has an HOn3 layout and he used all #6’s with a minimum radius of 24"

Ok, so I would use the 28" outer curve for the mainline and the diverging route for sidings that will not handel intermodal and passenger?

Well,

I would suggest you re-read the thread I linked about Shinohara curved turnouts.

Go to the fast tracks website and print out the CAD drawing of a 28"/24" radius turnout (or just view it on your screen). Willing to bet the Shinohara does not match.

Here is a link:

https://www.handlaidtrack.com/tt-ho-r-10-l-28-24

Notice that it is a #10 turnout…

Tim Warris, one of the owners of FastTracks discussed this at length back in 2004:

A google search for these words “curved turnout conspiracy fast tracks forum” should give you a first result that explains in detail what is happening.

I made a few photos for a thread a while back* in regards to Shinohara code 83 curved turnouts. Maybe it will help?

IMG_0261_W by Edmund, on Flickr

The 36° / 32° is called a Number 8 in the Walthers catalog.

IMG_0263_W by Edmund, on Flickr

I had a crossover on a curve using a pair of curved #8s. It was very reliable and pretty cool to look at as well[Y]

I’ll try to find the thread. The reason my “Post-Its” have ° in stead of R is that’s the way Shinohara marks the bottom of the turnout.

https://www.walthers.com/page/code83trackTemplate_grid.pdf


I am under the impression that Shinohara track may be hard to find in the future due to the retirement of one of the principals. Just something I came across recently.

Update on Walthers and Shinohara Track
Walthers is currently experiencing some challenges restocking our popular Walthers Code 83 HO scale track and also Shinohara Code 70 and Code 100 track. Howev

Ed, you are giving the information from the turnouts. The thread you linked started with the question for the true radii. And there seems to be a difference to the Walthers information. http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/138163.aspx

The 20th post by gerhard_k summarizes the measurements of different people that the inner radius in reality is 2 inch smaller than in the official information and the difference between inner and outer radius is 6’’ instead of 4’'.

There are other sources with the same tendency.

I haven’t measured myself so I can’t confirm just say take a critical look.
Regards, Volker

It shows the discrepancy in my bottom photo with the cardstock 22" radius laid over the center of the diverging route of the “28/24” .

Here is the post from Gerhard:

Again, I had the photos on hand so I posted them with the thought someone could get some use out of them.

Thank You, Ed

The What’s Neat This Week show on Youtube (I dont remember which one) reported that they (not just one) had retired. Ken Patterson google translated a Japanese blog post that stated this. Not shure what the address was of the blog post or which episode.

I’m a Ken Patterson fan, but my experience with Google Translate is hit or miss. Did he really research this himself or is it something he read on another forum?

Shinohara isn’t a rare name in Japan and no doubt someone is retiring with that name. The rumor is in various MR forums, but if you have learned anything in the last year, the news isn’t always what they say it is.

If you are worried, buy now. Prices never go down. There is nothing I particularly need now and I am going to wait and see.

The Walthers announcement came from their Facebook posting.

https://www.facebook.com/WalthersTrains/

Scroll down to May 15, 12:47 PM. I don’t know if it is a rumor or not, either. I don’t do Facebook and I only pass on verifiable information. Sure, it doesn’t come right out and say “Shinohara is kaput” but I think they’re trying to give a heads-up that availability may be difficult in the near future.

Cheers, Ed

Watch for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtXGP6oWhI4

I operate with many W/S cu