I need help with building a complete crossover. I have the following: 2 left and 2 right 10’ dia switches and a 30deg. crossing. Has anyone modified this arrangment to work? They don’t quite line up, I guess because the switch uses a diverging curve instead of a straight.
Marc Bergmueller said:
I need help with building a complete crossover. I have the following: 2 left and 2 right 10’ dia switches and a 30deg. crossing. Has anyone modified this arrangment to work? They don’t quite line up, I guess because the switch uses a diverging curve instead of a straight.
Marc, Actually it’s the difference in the angles, rather than the radii.
Trimming back the curved section of the turnout to lineup at the 15º angle would do the trick, but I have to check on the samples at the shop to see if there’s enough there to do that.
HJ, how can I measure this? Could I assemble the straights, parrallel, then lay the crossing(with extentions)over top to mark it?
Marc Bergmueller said:Marc,
HJ, how can I measure this? Could I assemble the straights, parrallel, then lay the crossing(with extentions)over top to mark it?
That’s what I would do to see where it should mate.
The first two pictures were of a DblCrossover made with Aristo WR switches. I straightened the two inboard switches slightly using my Train-Li railbender. The outer two switches were left alone and nicely continue the slight curve in theis area. The section between the two switches was slightly curved with the Train-LI. The last picture is of a “D” style double crossover, usint LGB R3 switches. Hope this helps. JimC.
While I’ve never done it you should be able to do it correctly with 2 LGB #18050 Rt turnouts, 2 LGB #18150 Lt turnouts and 1 LGB #13000 30 degree crossing. Each of the Large LGB turnouts diverges 15 degrees so it should be 30 degrees in the center.
Roger Crooks said:
While I’ve never done it you should be able to do it correctly with 2 LGB #18050 Rt turnouts, 2 LGB #18150 Lt turnouts and 1 LGB #13000 30 degree crossing. Each of the Large LGB turnouts diverges 15 degrees so it should be 30 degrees in the center.
Roger, Correct! And this is what it would look like
Center to center distance of the parallel tracks:236mm Filler pieces (dotted): 291mm long (slight trim on a 10000 piece)
Hmm. I made one with the #6 switches and 19 degree crossing. I think for Aristo wide switches, we’d need a 40 degree crossing.
Mine is kind of like the D style in the last pictures, only I put two right hand switches together, so that is is only a single crossover. These were the Aristo stainless, 10’ Wide switches. It works pretty good. If anyone wants a picture I will go take one.
Paul
Tom Ruby said:Tom,
Hmm. I made one with the #6 switches and 19 degree crossing. I think for Aristo wide switches, we'd need a 40 degree crossing.
For the Aristo Wide Turnout you’ll need a 36.1º Crossing. Figuring on 1ft (304.8mm) length - to readily fall into the rest of the geometry - that gives a center to center distance of 244.4mm for the parallel tracks.
HJ was right? (for a change…
Just kidding!..) And Roger, too. As soon as he said the 30 degree would work for the 1800 series LGB switches I ordered one before they disappear for ever. I was wundrin why they gave you that extra piece of track in the box. It was to fill in the crossover. You have to cut two ties on the fill pieces, but it works good! jb
John Bouck said:
HJ was right? (for a change…
JB It could have been worse, I could have made a mistake on the drawing and then just fudged it. 
Ah. Yes. Hans is right. I figured 22.5 degrees, but then used 20 degrees to figure the crossover.
Never trust figures from a dyslexic brat.
In my response using four Aristo WR switches and a 30degree crossover, there were two reasons I used the WRs instead of LGB18000s: 1) Cost, 2)width and length of the crossover in a limited space area. Here is a picture of an FA/FB crossing through.
BTW, this is the first time I have been able to get Susie to run the trains. The TEr antenna and batteries are located in the powered FB. JimC.