Starting my yard soon and was wanting to make sure My thinking is correct. Will I get more length out of my yard tracks with # 5 turnouts over # 6 turnouts. I have some walthers #6 turnouts but have not purchased any # 5’s yet. I will be having them at both ends. Not stub ended.
Thanks,
Rob
Yes, you will get somewhat more length the smaller the turnout, assuming you’re laying the turnouts so the diverging route is parallel to each adjacent track. You can also lay, for example, a #6 ladder using a #5 angle, and curve each track as it leaves the diverging route of every turnout, thus gaining the advantage of having the bigger frog angle while still saving space.
Hi!
I assume you are talking HO, which is all I can really speak to…
Obviously you can get more trackage with #4s, which IMHO look just fine for your shorter cars typical of the '50s and earlier. They especially work well for stub ends - which of course is not what you are doing.
For double ended sidings - again for the earlier time period - I would go with the #5s. But, if you are modeling more recent eras - where 50 ft,60 ft, and larger cars are common, I would go with the # 6s.
Hopefully, you have the space to make these yard tracks long enough to carry several cars.
How long will your yard be?
How many tracks in the yard?
There are some things that you can do to maximize the length of usable track space in a yard.
Rich
LION used Number six turnouts, but him cut them shorter so that he could put them closer together.
Different switch arrangements other than a simple ladder will also give you more space in your yard.
ROAR