Large Scale Central

Dual gauge question

So since a certain someone who shall remain nameless has talked me into doing a run of Fn2 and it makes since with the overall feel of my railroad and adds to what I already wanted to do as an expansion; I have an idea but don’t quite know how to make it work.

So my layout has a tail on the wye that just dead ends about 18 inches past my bridge. It is going to service the ice house I built for last years challenge. No with the addition of the Fn2 (32mm track) I want to extend a piece of 32mm track into that 18" section of 45mm to make a dual gauge inner tie. I only need the dual gauge to be a section about 14" long. Just enough to service a single box car or flat car. The idea being that the 3 foot gauge can drop off and pick up supplies from the 2 foot gauge and vis versa.

Here is the problem I am having trying to figure it out. The 45mm section is straight. The 32mm will need to come in on a curve. Now I know I need a small gap at the inside intersection of the rails for the flanges to pass through. The shared or common rail will be on the left side of the straight track and curve out the right side. My question, and I am hoping I am over thinking, is how does the incoming 2 foot car align itself with the common 3 foot gauge rail. and more importantly how does it know to take the 2 foot track and not try and go straight.

Now I am assuming that the non shared rail for the two foot gauge will be what dictates that. It will force the truck to travel onto the the straight rail and then pull it off the straight rail and onto the curved rail automatically. Is there any need for any type of frog?

Bump for post count …disregard the masked men on the trolley

Rooster said:

Bump for post count …disregard the masked men on the trolley

But I will totally regard that industrial critter at 1:20. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

Ya know, there is HLW Mack chassis bought several years back that I’ve not yet settled on what to do with …

Not sure Devon, but maybe one of these will shed some light.

https://www.carendt.com/category/micro-layout-design-gallery/

Devon

You will need two frogs. One is a standard frog where the third rail goes through the common rail and the other is like a 1/2 toad where the 2 ft rails branch off the common rail. The photo of the draw below shows what this 1/2 toad looks like.

With the draw the dual guage is going inwards. Yours will be the same but goes outwards.

Stan

Not sure i understand your plan but…if your two foot gauge track essentially crosses the 3 foot gauge to use the far rail as common then special care has to be made to get the two foot gauge wheels headed onto the two foot gauge track when departing the dual gauge. The common rail continues straight, the 2’ gauge rail peels off. That is the tricky spot. The 2 foot gauge rail must leave a gap or flange way for the 3 foot wheels. The 2 foot wheel has to be pulled onto the diverging 2 foot gauge track. That requires a check rail placed parallel to the third rail with just enough space betwen for the flangeway for the twoo foot gauge wheel. This is all kinda like a switch with the point of the diverging rail being like the frog. One could also use a moving point there like a switch.

Lots of 'splaining dont know if i got the point across.

Stan thats interesting how they are switching sides. But I do think it answers the question

Eric you described perfectly what I am planning and exactly what my concern was/is with getting the two foot gauge to peel off and not want to go straight. But between stans picture and your explanation I think I have it. At least enough to work on it.

Now a switch might be an idea. At first I thought no. But I am thinking a dual gauge switch where both gauges can be switched. But a switch that allows the three foot to go straight and the points only being two foot to move the two foot onto the diverging track that makes way more sense to me. Throw the switch for 3 foot straight, throw it the other way and its two foot diverging.

Devon , message Gary Buchanan here I believe he is making his own dual gauge turnouts , so he may be able to show you or guide you on best way to accomplish what you need to do.

Devon, down there in Chama they have godolas outfitted with two sets of couplers on the fronts and back frames, one for standard and one for narrow gauge. I don’t know if this will give you any ideas, but if I can I’ll find the pictures I took of them when I was down there.

Devon,

You asked more-or-less the same question 5 years ago. (Unfortunately all my photos were on MLS.)

http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/23294/1-20-3-dual-guage

I think that is what you are trying to do? Also take a look at Stan’s thread:

http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/25511/dual-gauge-turnout-build

Sunset Valley RR sells dual gauge track, including switches. Brass or aluminum, code 250 or whatever:

https://www.sunsetvalleyrailroad.com/track—rail.html

Here’s their switched transition from one side to the other (it can be done without, just using check rails):

Then in the ‘first outdoor layout photo’ thread there’s a pic of mine with the triple gauge. (32mm/Gauge-O, 45mm/G, 64mm/Gauge-3.) This was before F scale came about.

ALec in the UK posted this photo. The left side is a 2’ gauge switch in the 3’ gauge, and the right side is a dual gauge switch.

Let me know if you want more photos . . .

Thanks Pete,

I forgot I asked about it. I remember toying with the idea a long time ago but completely forgot I mentioned it. But thanks for running through it again with me. That I think with everyone’s help I have my answer. Hopefully I won’t forget and ask again. The very first picture is what all I wan to do. So that answers all my questions.

John,

I have heard about those idler cars for dual gauge. While cool i won’t have any need for them.

I got to looking and this is not what I want to do.

Its close but not quite what I want to do. On the picture above the common shared rail is on the left in the picture or on the inside of the curve. I need/want it to share the outside rail or the one in the right of the picture. I will play with this but if someone has a picture it would help

Just shift everything over Devon. You might end up with 2 frogs instead of one, but the idea is the same.

I’m going to put my annoying hat on. RR’s are cheap. So way pay for 2 fogs when 1 will do? In other words, why does it have to be the right side a a common rail? Just because it looks good?

Craig Townsend said:

Just shift everything over Devon. You might end up with 2 frogs instead of one, but the idea is the same.

I’m going to put my annoying hat on. RR’s are cheap. So way pay for 2 fogs when 1 will do? In other words, why does it have to be the right side a a common rail? Just because it looks good?

No it has to be that way because of space constraints. Where this ties in is at the tail of a wye. Its a dead end track. It will be served by a freight depot that will serve to transfer goods from the 3 foot to the 2 foot. I have only enough room for one building beside the tracks. So in order to have both the 3 foot and 2 foot sit next to the loading platform it has to be that outside rail. Otherwise the 2 foot will come in and be sitting away from the loading dock. Now I suppose its a matter of a gang plank. But the whole idea is to have both the three foot and two foot cars sit next to the loading dock. There will be zero room for a building on the inside of the 2 foot curve. I have to say right now I am worried its not going to fit right even the way I have it planned. I never intended for that tail piece of the wye to do anything more than serve as a turn around for locos and maybe have one industry served on the end. Now bring in a connecting rail line is a new beast and may not have enough room.

This part of the equation is not what I would call essential. If I can’t make it work no big deal. The main goal of the Fn2 run of track is two fold. #1 it all started because I could not resist buying some of Steve F’s O gauge trains. I am buying an SPS passenger consist and a GN MOW train. So I will be putting in a three rail dog bone that will be able to be run as dead rail or as three rail. Why 3 rail? Because that’s what Steve had. The #2 reason is to do what I always planned to do and that is extend my current layout to a mine. I have a turnout to no where right now that was in reserve to head the track out into the yard to a distant mine. With the 32mm I am now going to make that 45mm turnout to nowhere be a small spur that pulls under an oar bin. And then the 32mm will come in above and dump in the oar bin.

Now that you have the background of what I am trying to accomplish, this current dual gauge idea would be to take the incoming 2 foot gauge and extend it past the ore bin to a freight depot that could serve the mining town with goods. And the end of the wye is already elevated by some 14 inches above the height of where the turnout to nowhere is. So its a great natural place to tie it in if I can make it work. If not I have a plan B but would require an additional walk through bridge section. next to the exiting lift bridge. Plan B would be to make the bridge a double track bridge, one track for the tail of the wye and the other a dual gauge track to serve the depot.

Is this what you are trying to do? Its crude, I know.

Close up

Devon, can’t you just save the image and then flip it on your comp to show the 2’ track coming off the right side???

Yes Dan,

But now thanks to Me having to explain it in detail to Craig why it had to be that way I think I am liking plan B better. It would be more interesting for sure. My lifting bridge is in need of repair. If I take it out and rebuild it as a two track bridge instead of a single track bridge I can forgo using this small section of track altogether. The wye can be as is. And the other spur that just dead ends before the bridge could become dual gauge and run across the same bridge and then eventually transition to just 2 foot gauge. For that matter it doesn’t even have to be dual gauge across the bridge. The Bridge could have one track be 3 foot gauge and the other be 2 foot gauge and the Dual gauge section could be a nice straight section with no need to cross rails. Sure would be easier and would even add some visual interest to the layout. I am leaning on plan B more all the time

David Marconi,FOGCH said:

Devon, can’t you just save the image and then flip it on your comp to show the 2’ track coming off the right side???

No the 32mm is coming off the correct side but needs to share the other rail. But see my above post. All this brainstorming has given me another idea that would not only be easier but add visual interest.

Devon Sinsley said:

Yes Dan,

But now thanks to Me having to explain it in detail to Craig why it had to be that way I think I am liking plan B better. It would be more interesting for sure. My lifting bridge is in need of repair. If I take it out and rebuild it as a two track bridge instead of a single track bridge I can forgo using this small section of track altogether. The wye can be as is. And the other spur that just dead ends before the bridge could become dual gauge and run across the same bridge and then eventually transition to just 2 foot gauge. For that matter it doesn’t even have to be dual gauge across the bridge. The Bridge could have one track be 3 foot gauge and the other be 2 foot gauge and the Dual gauge section could be a nice straight section with no need to cross rails. Sure would be easier and would even add some visual interest to the layout. I am leaning on plan B more all the time

Good because I found a fatal flaw and not sure how to solve it in the drawing I posted. See image below.