Fast Tracks

aack!
tim or ron,
the picture in your thread "latest layout progress pictures!" labled "ballasted yard" (the 6th picture down).
i see you have a TO and a 3 way TO leading to a double slip and a single slip with a crossing in the middle.
(and another TO off the 3 way, and a crossing, later on etc.)

this is very similar for my "lower yard" (the more complicated of 2 yards) that i am planning for my 2'x4' layout (later on, to be used as a module for a larger layout)

what i have is two 3 ways, with the center tracks going to two double slips.
and of course a crossing in between.

i was originally thinking of #6's, i wanted either the bottom most track (more likely) or the bottom two tracks to be "mains" passing from the left, down to the bottom when this becomes a module (but for now part of the whole thing is a yard)
but due to space limitations of the 2'x4', and the need to keep the tracks long enough for a decent number of cars, it seemed to me that i would have to use what appears to be #4's (for both the 3-ways and the double slips).

any thoughts/suggestions on this?

another thing, is the track spacing.
the plan was done in xtrkcad, using fleishmann track from their library
(as it had the 3 ways and slips (as well as curved))
the problem is, the fleishmann track geometry is such that the center to center track spacing is 1 1/8"
i want the spacing to be 1".

using the same TO size, this will of course compress the whole set-up.

any thoughts/suggestions on this?

heres a pic of the lower yard, as it stands right now.
(the top part is just the "core" that i did to print out separately to examine)

📷 Image no longer available Originally hosted at www.railimages.com — the host went away before this archive was made.

oh, forgot...
this will be in n-scale using code 40 rail.

btw. do you have, or can you make, a template for the #4 3-ways and double slips?
i want to look them over so that i can understand fully the feasibility of the set-up.
unfortunately, it seems xtrkcad doesn print out well on my printer (its very faded and more than half doesn't show up) making it very hard to see the points, their lengths, figuring out the areas that need to be secured/solder, where to make joints, where i can put feeders, etc., etc.

thx

Hi Sam,

When complete, this will certainly be an impressive piece of work!

Building this will require a great deal of skill and patience, especially in N scale. Slip switches and 3 way turnouts in N scale are likely the most advanced piece of trackwork to tackle, mainly because the switch points must be hinged in order to pivot freely enough. In N scale the clearances for these pivots are extremely small and will require some very specific techniques to accomplish.

One way to do this is to use the techniques outlined on this newsletter of last year:

http://handlaidtrack.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14

This will accomplish the switch point end of the pivot, but the hinged end is even more difficult. Personally I have not built one like this, but have had customers who have. Developing a workable hinge with such small clearances can be done, but will be tricky, and will require some effort and skill on the builders part, as to be honest, I can't figure out a way to do it!

Any suggestions would be appreciated....

Printable tie templates for a #4 N scale slip switch will be available soon, as they get designed when I receive orders for them, and there is one in the que for a #4 and a #5 slip switch, as well as a #5 3 way, but none as yet for a #4 3 way....

_________________
Cheers!

Tim Warris
Fast Tracks
http://www.fast-tracks.net
service@fast-tracks.net

If your using code 55 rail, what I had for an idea on the pivot end of the points was to file a groove from the top of the rail down to the base. This is going to require a very steady hand, and a very small sharp file with as small a kurf as possible. One possible answer to that is to use one of the stainless steel saws available from Micro mark in a moto tool.

Once the groove is established a wire would be tinned and soldered in place. Then drill a hole in the tie, place the point rail wire into the hole. flip the turnout and bend the wire over. This would give you the pivot end.

An alternative:
Instead fo the "micro surgery" on the rail end, one could take an .020" wire, bend a short 90 degree in one end. file the end so it recesses in between the rail head and web, Notch the web so the wire fits straight up and down. Drill your pivot wire hole, solder up the wire to the point rail, insert in hole, and bend over.
I use this method for pivoting points and it works well. I cannot see why it wouldn't work for the pivot end.

rob