can you cut turnouts or switchs

How would cutting them give you any more room? As long as you don't mess with the area between the points and the frog I see no way to cause harm, but I'm not following how you would get more room by doing it? Fred
 
Some turnouts have a longer "lead" (portion before the points) which can be shortened albiet at the expense of creating crowding and fouling situations which usually negate the advange of the shortening.
 
As long as you don't cut anything between the points (the moving parts of the turnout) and the frog, you can shorten turnouts by cutting them. Just be sure if you are shortening the cuved leg that if you attach another turnout to it, that you aren't creating a bad S-curve. Otherwise should be fine, I use Walthers turnouts and have shortenend several of them with no problem.
 
The answer is "yes" - but it depends what you want to do with it! This is a pair of small radius LH switches cut down to make an interlaced switch, for my new layout

Shortliner(jack) away up here in the Highlands
 

Attachments

  • DSCN0012a.jpg
    DSCN0012a.jpg
    57.8 KB · Views: 108