Turnout question [in HO]

[papasmurf37]

Has anyone ever heard of a modeler modifying Peco Streamline HO Code 100 turnouts into CLOSED FROG units? Am interested in doing this and may have to wing it on my own. Thanks in advance for any advice. TTFN.....

 

[RailRon]

What do you mean by 'CLOSED FROG'?
I only know PECO hast two types of frog: electrofrogs and the insulated ones?

Ron

 

[doctorwayne]

If you're referring to turnouts where the point and frog rails are all soldered together, and pivot about a point between the two, you'd probably have an easier time of it by handlaying the whole shebang. I built one many years ago for an inaccessible spot on a past layout. It was powered by a Fulgurex switch motor, a beautiful, but expensive piece of machinery. I had never handlaid track before, but I followed a magazine article: I believe it was in RMC, and perhaps by Allen McClelland. I can try looking it up if this is what you're talking about. You can purchase ready-made frog/point sets, too.

Wayne

 

[pgandw]

Tru-Scale used to make closed frog turnouts; they were made into at least the '60s. I don't know who took over the line, and whether they still are made. In their time, they were the most derailment-free production turnouts available. The drawbacks were appearance and instructions on wiring - the Tru-Scales were power routing turnouts since the frog, points, and wing rails were all one piece. Atlas came out with their insulated frogs on their Custom-Line turnouts and blew Tru-Scale away because of the ease of wiring (no knowledge of where to put gaps needed) and lower prices.

my thoughts, your choices

 

[60103]

I've still got a tru-scale turnout, on tru-scale roadbed.
What happened was that the whole shebang from points to wingrail was one solid block and when the points moved, the wing rails shifted to close the frog. I found that positioning the pivot was tricky.
Wiring was just then-standard system.
I don't think anything like them is still made.