Switch Plans
- Thread starter felliott
- Start date
cidchase
Active Member
Hi there. I am currently working on a switching yard to hone my hand laying track skills. It's best to make a test piece before attempting the layout so you can make mistakes and learn.
Here is a link to what I am doing.
http://http://www.the-gauge.com/thread10076-my-first-hand-layed-trackturnouts.html
It's not so hard. You don't need any fancy kits designed to take your money. Just study all the stuff you can, make your own jigs for shaping the frogs, and your away. Besides, if you buy a jig, then all your turnouts will have to be exactly the same. The real nice thing about making your own is you can fit the turnout to the track plan and build what you need. Instead of making the track plan fit the switch you can make. So you can make curved turnouts, snap switches, 3 way turnouts and with practice you can make diamonds any shape you need.
Here are more threads I collected and you should read.
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread6434-does-anyone-hand-lay-track.html
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread11466-hand-laying-my-track.html
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread2531-handlaying-track-and-turnouts.html
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread6501-hand-laid-track-part-ii.html
http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/construction/lsbuild/lstrack.html
Have yourself a good read. You will find out it's not that hard. And Cheap too! Go slow at first and it will get easyer. My first one took me a week. Last one only took me 2 evenings and I'm still getting faster with practice.
Take note of how I lay out my track design for learning.
TrainClown
Here is a link to what I am doing.
http://http://www.the-gauge.com/thread10076-my-first-hand-layed-trackturnouts.html
It's not so hard. You don't need any fancy kits designed to take your money. Just study all the stuff you can, make your own jigs for shaping the frogs, and your away. Besides, if you buy a jig, then all your turnouts will have to be exactly the same. The real nice thing about making your own is you can fit the turnout to the track plan and build what you need. Instead of making the track plan fit the switch you can make. So you can make curved turnouts, snap switches, 3 way turnouts and with practice you can make diamonds any shape you need.
Here are more threads I collected and you should read.
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread6434-does-anyone-hand-lay-track.html
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread11466-hand-laying-my-track.html
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread2531-handlaying-track-and-turnouts.html
http://www.the-gauge.com/thread6501-hand-laid-track-part-ii.html
http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/construction/lsbuild/lstrack.html
Have yourself a good read. You will find out it's not that hard. And Cheap too! Go slow at first and it will get easyer. My first one took me a week. Last one only took me 2 evenings and I'm still getting faster with practice.
Take note of how I lay out my track design for learning.
TrainClown
Been hand laying my own track for years and now make my own switches. As T C says learn all you can and go slow. Be prepared to use the first five or so that you make as learning ones only. Don't get mad if they don't work, look at them to determine what errors that you made, make notes and correct the error for the next one. Train Clown gave you some good materials and advise.. not all too difficult, all you require is patience.. Ron..