Fast Tracks

Tim:

When will the new twist ties for curved turnouts be available? Also, will I be able to use my #8 frog making tool or do I have to purchase a new tool specially for curved turnouts?

Will the twist ties be reversable like the quick sticks ties or will they be dedicated right or left?

Jim Hanna
Prescott, AZ[/code]

Hi Jim,

We are in the home stretch with the TwistTies and supporting products. The biggest hurdle, the documentation for the TwistTies, is now finally complete, and is online.

This can be reviewed here....

http://www.handlaidtrack.com/documents/ug16.pdf

The Frog Helper documentation can be found here....

http://www.handlaidtrack.com/documents/ug15.pdf

The Frog Helper tool can be used to make both straight and curved frog points, and will include 3 sizes of turnout on each tool. For example, our "Medium" size will build 5,6 and 8 turnout frog points.

The TwistTies are not reversible, there will be a right and left hand version of each size, from a #4 through #12.

I believe we may have these online and available by the end of the weekend!

_________________
Cheers!

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

Do you have any guidelines for the minimum radius that could be used with each frog size?? For example, the minimum inside radius for a #8 frog would be 20".

Hi Dan,

The radius used with the TwistTies can be entirely up to the modeler. These are infinitely curveable (well, almost ). For example a #12 can be curved to an 18" radius if desired, although I'm not sure why someone would do that....

The best advice is to determine your minimum radius requirements, then use the largest turnout that will fit in a given space, and curve its inside radius no tighter than your determined minimum.

I am hoping to develop a calculator that will work out one of the two radii based on the turnout angle and the other radius, but its proving to mathematically difficult, for me anyway....

_________________
Cheers!

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

I suppose us N scale modelers can use the twist ties, only I would substitute PC ties at intervals after the wood ties radius was established.

Any thoughts on this Tim or Ron?

Rob

Hi,

I'm just another modeler. I do a lot of handlaying in HO and Proto:87 and have done a few N turnouts for our club module.

If you use the HO twist ties for an N scale construction, you woudl have to set the frog points and estimate the closure points. Then you would have to use the old fashion extensive use of gages.

Closure rails and points would end up being a custom fitting. Seems you would loose most of the advantages of the FastTracks. Besides the ties would be much larger and spaced for HO vs. N.

I'd recommend you lobby for N Twist Ties ASAP. You'd be doing more old fashion custom handlaying and not have the tie base at correct scale.

-enm-

_________________
-ed mccamey-
COSLAR RR - http://www.coslar.us/
NMRA Standards and Conformance Department
PROTO & FINE Scale Coordinator
I estimate I have about 5 pounds of coupler springs somewhere in the vicinity of my workbench.

Hiu Ron, Tim, and Ed,

I was actually asking about N with N twist ties in mind, sorry it was vague..
Question: could fast tracks make twist ties in N? The advantage would be flexible radius, the disadvantage, is you'd have to substitute a PC tie for a few key ties.

Rob

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Hi Folks:

I found a formula for this - guess where and how. Unfortunately in German.
See attachment (hoping it works, first time here)

Hi Tim,

I've tried to download the file a couple of times but without success. Even though the process says it's done I cannot the locate the file. Am I doing something wrong?

Terry