crossovers

rockislandmike

Active Member
Shinohara double crossover IMHO (or another brand). Costs less than four turnouts, which you'd require to cross over to the other one.
 

alkcnw

Member
Paul, Mike is correct, the double crossover would be cheaper unless you want to enter and exit on oppisite sides of the oval!Then you would have to use 4 turnouts or 2 double crossovers.
 

Gary Pfeil

Active Member
I would use two crossovers because railroads seldom used double crossovers unless space was really tight. I know space on model railroads is always tight, but I'd rather model the typical. If the size of your ovals is sufficient, putting crossovers on opposite sides also creates passing sidings. If cost is an issue, go with the double crossovers as mentioned above, I assume they are correct, I have no idea of the costs of turnouts. You could actually get by with one regular crossover, and back thru it in one direction.

Gary
 
I agree with Gary, have one on each side, I had two ovals on mine until I did the expantion. I had it crossing over the opposite way on each side, this gave me more flexability in running trains. With the expantion made on the outer line I encorporated a "y" into the outer line. Ron.
 

plbab

New Member
Well table is 5x9 I want to use as much of space as i can track will be 2' from edge. all industries and buildings will be on inside of oval . spacing between track is 2 1/2/ " in curve center to center. The sidings will run off inside oval. As you can see i am making this up as i go so nothing is carved in stone.
 

Gary Pfeil

Active Member
PLBAB, Consider this: You have a double track loop with the inside loop containing all industrial sidings. Add two stub sidings at one end of the loop, one in each corner. For a given direction of travel, one would be a facing point turnout, the other a trailing point. With a crossover on each side of the loop, you can foul the outside line while switching the industries located there, and the train which was circling the outside loop can now crossover and run the inside for half of the loop, in effect running around the local. The other half of the inside loop could have cars sitting on it waiting for the local to return and finish the switching in that area. The added versatility of two crossovers will allow more interesting switching moves. Yes, the train which had been circling the outside loop could move to the inside loop for the entire distance with a double xover, but you would lose the ability to have cars set out on the other half of the inner loop. By the way, since I have become infamous for my support of DCC, this would be an ideal layout for DCC, allowing you to run the through train around a local without fooling with toggles. Depending on your pocketbook of course. It goes without saying that to run as outlined above, trains would need to be maximum length of 1/2 the loop length. Beyond that, switching trains from one loop to the other simutainiously would be difficult. But possible and yet another operating challenge.

Have fun, Gary
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Crossover

Unless you use DCC, you'll need a bit of special wiring for the crossover. You need to have one turnout that can be hooked to either the inside or the outside loop so that you can go through the crossover. Also a block for the train that's already in the other block.
We had a double crossover in the Wednesday night layout for decades and finally ripped it out last winter and replaced it with a single crossover. The extra wiring for frogs and such just never worked.
 

plbab

New Member
well for money dictates no DCC so i am thinking ofgoing with a single crossover on each side. Or using switches .
 
I am assuming with a 5 x 9 you will have large curves, especially the outside track. What are you planning for the corners, why not pick one and maybe the oposite and put a small industry there as well. If you have a 5 ft wide table with everything in the inside, that is qite a reach. Also if you have all your track constantly 2 inches or so from the edge any disasters and it is a long way to the floor or are you going to put plexiglass around the edges, how about making yur long tracks down the 9 ft side snake a little in a long "s", maybe use this area to have your switches to the other track. You may not be too happy with that follow the edges strait track look. Ron
 
Top