So Llagas still has code 250 Aluminum rail. They don’t in 215. So that will be nice since my entire layout is aluminum. I did buy 1- 3ft rail in nickle silver so I can solder up custom frogs for the places where the tracks will separate.
No idea Paul. But now that you mention it the tie plates I bought for trackside details I think are the ME ones and not Llagas Cr. I don’t have enough of them for this project so I did buy the Llagas ones. But if I think about it I will look at them and see how the ME ones look with Llagas rail.
Yes, but look at the other photo of the switch in situ, with point blades attached to the tie bar. As the 45mm has a set of point blades, the 32mm has to live with them. If there was no 45mm switch it would be an “escape” and the points wouldn’t be needed.
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Probably not. Llagas modified the foot of their rail so the code 250 and code 215 would both fit in the code 215 tie strips. I think it is 3mm now.
When I was using Llagas 20 years ago I think it was 4mm and it fit the ME tie plates - I used a lot of them.
Yes, if you mean are they symmetrical; non-handed. A wye would use a #4 as you have curves either side. A #6 wye would be the equivalent of a #10 switch in curvature. You’d have to draw it to understand!
I have CAD and PDF drawings of various model and real life switches, if you want them. Here’s a ng switch in a std gauge straight track. (Fn3 and F scale, but easily scaled down.)
Thanks Peter.
I am tracking with all that you are saying. As for templates I don’t think I should need them as i will just use the #4 wye I already have and remove the plastic ties and spike it to wood ties then add in the third rail. obviously making the necessary cuts and mods to accommodate the dual gauge. But I am assuming that the 45mm portion of this wye turnout will be basically identical to the one I have now in geometry with the only modifications being the addition of the third rail and the small cuts and mods I see to get them to clear each other.
The more I look at the one picture of it in place i can see that it really is not as complicated as I was thinking.
I just heard from Llagas Creek. They will make the tie plates with plugs and they do fit their current rail. I found them so easy to place on my previous layout that I think I’ll dual gauge my current one since I already have the switches.
Then I guess I can also build some 32mm stock. Wow, another rabbit hole to crawl down!
Tom
Thanks Tom. I just emailed them to see if I could get those instead of the standard plates. It would be much easier to add the third rail to the existing track work than to re-lay the entire thing.
Well boy don’t I ever understand that. Prior to this hair brain idea, I was going to do much the same thing for an Fn2 run that would lead over to an entirely new and separate layout (that the wife has approved)I want to do a 32mm dog bone so I can run O scale stuff. But If you are going to do that why not have it be not only O but Fn2. So I WAS going to connect the two layouts with a small section of dual gauge for an interchange.
Now with this project I was going to abandon that. BUT!!! both plans required the same dual gauge track at the same place on the bridge. So really the addition of a 32mm switch on the end of the tram line and it could go not only to the concentrator but could then extend out to the eventual 32mm layout.
I use the Ozark Miniature tie plates for Llagas Creek rail. It has 4 spike holes vs the 3 spike holes of the ME. The base of Llagas Creek rail is 6mm regardless of code 215 or 250. They have stopped making 215 aluminum rail as it wasn’t a big seller.
If I was you, I’d just buy some code 250 Nickle Silver and use that to make a frog to fit. I’d buy points instead as those are a bit harder to make. When I ordered some nickel silver rail, I asked for it to be cut into 6" sections so it would fit in a small flat rate box. I was going to cut it up anyway, and 6" is plenty long for a frog section.
Not sure why you really need tie plates at all as I never used them (but, perhaps, that’s why my spikes popped every Spring?)
Bruce,
I don’t use tie plates either except for a photo diorama set. And I’m Mr. Anal Detail guy that handlays… (Well that’s because I’m also Mr. Cheap)
the only reason to use them in my opinion is that it matches the Llagas tie strips. and in this case I am hoping with the plug it will all fasten down nice to the existing plastic tie strips.
Speaking of tie plates, Llagas responded very quickly and is swapping out the plates I ordered for the ones with plugs. He said they are the same price and quantity. They will be adding them to the website in the next couple days.
Dual guage is a lot of fun On the SJR&P we are slowly! adding a dual guage area consisting of a Y some industries and a entry to a yard. In our case the guages are 70 and 45mm as we are into 1:20.3 scale.
If you have a dual guage Y you also need a draw
And while you are at it a crossing is always interesting
Its fun and does add interest to the railroad. Love to see your trackwork when you have it done.
Stan
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Devon - double check the height of the rail once you use the plug-type plate versus the non-plug. The plugs were quite thick, I think. You don’t want to the third rail higher than the other 2 rails.
Stan if by a draw you mean transferring the common rail from one side to the other which is what your picture seems to do I almost would think I would have to. Since the narrower gauge line comes in on one side of the wider gauge and the exits the opposite side. So I would think I would almost have wouldn’t I.
And this is actually based on 1:20.3 but going the other direction. Instead of standard and 3 foot narrow gauge I am doing 3 foot narrow gauge and 2 foot narrow gauge so Fn3 and Fn2.
When I laid mine using their tie plugs I was able to obtain code 215. I’m not sure how thick the plates are but I can’t imagine it would be significant except maybe where they meet switches or cross overs.
I took a section of tie strip and measured where the center of the 32mm rail would be. I then drilled a hole to act as a jig. Turning the tie strip upside down it fit the rail head (Accucraft code 250) snugly enough that it proved accurate. I used a drill bit slightly smaller than the plug so there was a push fit and the plates stayed well in place over several western NY winters. I only used the plugs every 3 ties or so and was very happy with the results.
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Devon
Yes All dual guage Ys must have a Draw on one of the legs.
For turnouts I initially used Fast Track patterns which are free to download. I used the S scale ones and then enlarged them so the guage was correct.
https://www.handlaidtrack.com/track-templates-dual
Stan
Wait Stan, Now I am not sure I am following you. What do you mean all Dual gauges wyes need a draw? It is obviously not what I was thinking you were meaning. I thought this was something on a straight piece of track to shift the narrower gauge from one side to the other. But now I am not sure that’s what you meant.
Now to be clear I don’t need a dual gauge wye, really. I need a 45mm wye (so my 45 mm tracks can go one way or the other). The 32mm tracks do not need to be select-able. They will only go right. The dual 32mm part doesn’t go left.
Devon
Whenever you have a dual guage Y, ie both gauges are part of a single Y section of track, somewhere on the Y there must be a draw to move the smaller gauge track from one side to the other. If you draw it out on paper you will see why it is needed.
If your Y only has one of the gauges no draw is needed.
Examples of this can be found on the EBT and at Alamosa on the D&RGW. The dual gauge on the SJR&P is in the area where the railroad interchanges with the national standard gauge network and both gauges share the Y so the draw is needed.
Hope that helps
Stan
Stan
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I got confused as Devon was talking about a Y switch in a wye track configuration. 
Here’s a ‘draw’ on the D&RGW, probably the one at Alamosa, on a wye:
