Fast Tracks

Hello all!

I watched the video Tim has made on how to use the Fast Track Assembly Jig fixtures in making a turnout. He points in the general area where the kink should go, but i'm having a hard time figuring out exactly where it goes! i've tried assemblying a turnout a couple times in this fixture and when i'm done, there isn't enough clearance between the point rail and the stock rail on the diverging side. I make sure when I solder the stock rail, it is all the way over to the one side, and the same goes with the point rail so they are not in the "middle" of the groove. It seems I am putting the kink to far "forward" (i.e. away frm the points heading towards the rog) in the rail. Is there an exact point that I can mark on the fixture where the kink should go. A suggestion I might make is to mark it on the jig in future runs of the jig, like you do for the wing rails of the frog.

Thanks again for all of the help.

Ken L.

I believe that you'll get the best results if you put the kink exactly where the square corner is ground into the foot of the stock rail. Combined with the point rail being ground to more-or-less nothing and (I don't, but it's your choice) a slight notch in the rail head and there's nothing sticking out to catch on. I forgot to kink my first turnout and had some fun with a file to get the point blended in well. The ones after that are all running smooth and silent. If you look at an Atlas "turnout", you'll have to agree that it's amazing what you can (usually) get away with. With the tools we have here, I get practically invisible stock rail to point rail joints. Only problem I have is that now my regular Atlas flex-trackwork looks horrible.

Jim