I have just recently purchased 26 Atlas HO switch kit #6 turnouts, now upon closer look i have decided not to go with the stock plastic ties, but to try my hand at laying wooden ties. My question is, out there somewhere is there a jig or whatever to assist me in laying these wooden ties accurately? Would anything from Tru Scale work? Would really like to see real wood instead of plastic, and i think it is a dying art anyways, wanna do my part in keeping tradtion alive(but would still like to find some shortcuts [:D]
Rick, some friendly advice.
I strongly suggest you re-sell or return the turnouts instead of ripping them apart. There is a jig availible, however where the Atlas switch points meets the closure rails is much different than the ones on hand laid turnouts. In my opinion, you would have big problems with that and waste your money and time.
Here’s a few links to get you pointed in the right direction.
Railway Engineering Great advice on this site. Check this site first, especially the Tips and Techniques. See the question and answer section too.
Fast Tracks Jigs are expensive but economical if you need lots of turnouts of the same gage and frog number.
B-K Enterprises sells turnout kits. Takes quite a while to get them but it’s just as long as it would take to make them. And worth the wait.
Centeral Valley Model Works sells turnout kits.
I’ll be back to answer any questions you might have, but this weekend I’m commited to a Easter Bunny photo shoot for the animal shelter. So I won’t be around for a while.
I agree that selling or returning the switches is the better option. With the money you get you can buy all the material you need to hand-fabricate equivalents, a set of jigs and a couple of pieces of rolling stock (or a cheap locomotive.)
My own specialwork is all built up from raw rail on wood ties. My method doesn’t use jigs, and is based on laying the stock rails first - exactly backward from all of the published techniques. I space my switch ties with the aid of a strip of ties salvaged from flex track. It works for me, and has for the last 40 years.
Chuck.
ok with that being said , are you saying that the switches are no good at all, or no good to use as hand laying materail, can they still be used with the plastic ties that comes with the packages, i mean this is 26 switches… or is this why i got 26 switches for good deal…
not much good. We sold and lost a lot to get rid of them. We now use Peco or scratch built. Hopefully you can just return them. We had already used them so could not return them. Welcome.
Hi Rick Bradley; you’re talking about switches - they are already built - they are designed to be spiked down on a layout - and in the interest of cost the manufacturer has made the ties out of plastic. If you want wooden ties your going to have to make your own switches and the best place to go is to a switch kit. You are going to run into nothing but troubles trying to do what you are toying with doing.
Don’t be intimidated by hand laying switches; the task is immensely simple once you get the hang of the measurements involved. Now I am not going to be ridiculous enough to say they are piece of cake but they are far easier than constructing a lunar probe. Try a few switch kits and I’ll bet that within six months you’re building from scratch - and going start to finish in an hour - at less than two dollars per switch and that includes ties.
im sorry i have mislead you guys, i had purchased these switches on Ebay, i had got them for 10.00, thought i had got great deal. So there is no hope for these thing huh…[V] ok well on to the next great learning experience, Thank you so much for your help, advice and those awesome sites. This has been the first time to use this site for advice, and i must say it has been most educational, so i think i’ll check here before the next ebay “WOW” super deal purchase[;)]
If you have Atlas “kits” you should have no trouble hand laying them on wooded ties. If they are the old Atlas kits they may have fiber ties and not plastic. The fiber ties are no good as they warp when they get wet as in ballasting the the track. If the rail is brass just throw the whole thing away.
Hold on Rick. Are these brass rails? If so… [:(] Brass is difficult to keep clean. Old timers used hair clipper oil on brass rail to slow down the oxidizing.
If Nickel Silver… [:D]
If you have the Atlas Nickel Silver Custom Line Turnouts or Super Switch you got a great deal. Usually they sell for around $14 - $16. And I don’t consider them to be junk. With a little careful painting to kill the plastic shine and weather th rails, they look very good.
Also Atlas made turnouts called Snap Switches, which was designed for their sectional track. Well they do leave a lot to be disired for prototype looks, but they are still selling for more than $10.
Ned mention Atlas turnout “KITS”, but I think those would be very very rare and worth something to an Atlas collector. Try reselling them on eBay as such.
So don’t take what I said the wrong way. I didn’t mean to bum you out. I thought you just didn’t like the plastic ties and wanted to know if it was possible to replace them with real wood ties.
yes these are brass kits, older style, box is white and the price says 1.25, but seeing the site you had sent me has made decide to get the jigs cause i have alot of switches to make and the jig would be a good investment (Fast Tracks). So i am not bummed out, i will find a use for them, just not on my mainline, maybe in the back in the staging area.
Hi Rick,
Trouble is we don’t know what you have there. You might have a bargain or might have bought a lemon. There is another Topic in this forum “Atlas Code 83 Switches”.
See if that helps to identify what you got. If not try www.atlasrr.com . Go to On Line Store and look in HO Track Products.
If you decide you don’t like them, back to eBay. Or if they are the 505/506 Super Switch and in new condition and you have about 50/50 left and right forget eBay, I will buy them.