Turnout

Buiilding a respectable looking turnout that actually works took awhile. I had to develop the construction methods and tools. I caved in on the soldering. While I can solder wires, I have real trouble with these turnouts. Instead I built the turnout using various adhesives. I tried super glue, contact cement and a couple of others. For the most part I settled on tiny drops of the gel type super glue. It's easier to control and it allows some fiddlin time to line things up.

The turnout appears to be very conventional but there are small differences in construction. On my turnout I decided to piece the turnout together rather than build it and then cut isolating gaps in the rails. The frog rails and closure rails are separate pieces of raiL The frog point and "wing" rails that make up the frog are also separate parts, but form a subassembly that should be isolated from the rest of the turnout electrically. 

Turnout Parts

I used the fixture I had made previously to hold the various parts together while I made things up. The file and a rubber band function as a clamp to keep thing together...

Assembly Fixture and Clamp

Rather than worry about angles and such I just filed by a guestimated length and then folded the rail to create the frog points. I made the points and stockrails using a double sided homemade fixture for filing...

Filing Fixture

I also made some track gauges using some small lucite levels, the kind that come as keychains. I used a razor saw ( the small ones made by Zona, Xcel or Xacto) to cut slots for the head of the rails. On one of the levels I used both sides. On one side the slots are spaced for the normal rail gauge. The other side has slots spaced for the width of the closure rails. I use that side to hold the rails while I glue up the throwbar...

Closure Rail Jig

I found I could also use the rail gauge to form the wing rails. It's easier to show then explain. Maybe you get the idea...

Forming Wingrail

While the glue on the throwbar was setting I went on with the rest of the turnout. I assembled the frog and glued it in place. The stock rails were then placed using the level/gauge to space them properly. The frog rails were then lined up with the frog and gauged to the stock rails....

Frog and Rails

I show the turnout with all the ties in place but it was actually constructed in a similar fashion to soldered turnouts. I glued ties at strategic places that would hold things together during assembly...

Sans Points

The last part of the assembly was installing the closure rails. This subassembly is actually fed up though the turnout from the bottom. I leave the long ties at the throwbar off to make room for this. Once the closure rails are through I line them up with the frog and add glue to a number of ties to fasten the rails down. I do not put any glue on the ties closest to the draw bar (about 8 ties). This part of the rail needs to be loose to allow the points to move. I then glue up the long ties on either side of the throw bar...

"Finished" Turnout

The ties, by the way, are actually plastic strip cut to length. I use .030 thick by .060 wide. I think Evergreen might be the only company that makes these. The ties on this turnout are placed by hand, I don't cut them to length ahead of time. I glue several strips to the bottom of the rail and then cut them to length. I do this five strips at at a time using the cutoff's from the previous five. One bag of strips, about $3-$4 at my LHS is enough to do one turnout.

The rail I use is from Atlas code 55 flex track. I just pull the tiestrip off of the numerous "cut-offs" I have around.

This turnout is a prototype and as such was a test bed for construction, adhesives and materials. The rest of the turnouts will be handled a bit different. Fortunately I designed the Average Eastern to use a "standard" #7 turnout. The parts for both left and right hand turnouts are the same. Any curves are formed at assembly time. Closure rails, guard rails and points can be made in batches. The longer rail can be a bit oversize and trimmed to the proper length at assembly.

I'm currently building a jig using .015 thick x .060 wide plastic strips that will allow me to layout the ties for turnouts without the tedium of gluing one at a time. I'm going to go with Pliobond for the adhesive. Pliobond can be applied to the bottom of the rail and allowed to cure ahead of time. The glue can be reactivated at assembly by heating the rail.

Regards,

Frank Musick

Building a dream layout on a nightmare budget

The Average Eastern Railroad