Curved turnouts

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Voice

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Mar 2, 2001
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Ok, everyone, I've done one of my usual things...if ANYONE out there can do something, well, I think I can to. So, I've come up with a nice track plan, that even fits into the area I have. My problem: I need several curved turnouts. Of course, I planned on handlaying these...only I find that there is a dearth of articles on curved turnouts-LOTS of them on handlaying turnouts, but they don't necessarily help a lot. Any ideas??

Thanks,
Dick
 
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shamus

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Dec 17, 2000
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Hi Virginian,
Peco make curved points for HO & N-scale in either standard gauge or finescale. To my mind, best on the market.
 
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Voice

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I model in HO, and the radii are going to be 28 and 26 inches. I wasn't aware that Peco made curved frogs...that is where I'm having the biggest problems, how to make them.
I guess I'll have to get the Walther's catalog out and check them, and then go visit the local hobby shop.

Thanks, for the information so far...

Dick
 
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George

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Dick,

If you look in the index of advertisers in the back of the mags, you may find someone importing PECO who can offer you a better price than Walthers. I found a dealer a few years ago in New Hampshire,USA who was the only dealer of Shinohara in the country at that time. Walthers had no Shinohara in stock! One of those stories like the joke where the old lady with the ice cube recipe died.... You will probably find smaller hobby shops ordering PECO directly from the UK and with fuller inventories.

The problem with going to a distributor like Walthers is that the dealers come before the little guy. You can wait a long time with items backordered from the big guys.

Virginian, Shamus is correct, and if I'm not mistaken, Shinohara makes them in "HO". I'm sure that KATO makes them in "N".

George
 
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Voice

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George, fortunately, I go to a great hobby shop. They've been in business now for over 25 yrs, and I knew the owner when it was only a SMALL shop. They will order from Walthers, but they don't go by the prices in the catalog.
BTW, the owner owned laughed for a FEW minutes when I told him I was hand-laying track....he's already enjoyed that experience...

Dick
 
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shamus

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Dec 17, 2000
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Yeah, Peco, might be a little more expensive than the rest, that's why they are the best and most reliable track/turnouts on the market. They come in code 100 and finescale code 75 for HO, and similar arrangements for N-scale.

[This message has been edited by shamus (edited 03-31-2001).]
 
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Drew1125

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Jan 28, 2001
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Voice,
The best way I've found for determining frog angles for scratchbuilt turnouts is to make a paper template, using a piece of flex track.
Temporarily pin the flex track down where you want your main run, lay a piece of paper on the track, & do a pencil rubbing.
Now remove the flex track, & pin it down again where you want your diverging route to be. Put the paper back where it was, & do another rubbing for the diverging route.
The point where the inside rails cross will give you a template for building the frog.
 
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