Large Scale Central

New Curved Turnout

Track and Trestles
#1

It’s snowing pretty good here today so I took advantage of the weather to spend a little time at the workbench. I built this curved turnout for my new Rico yard.

It is a 60 foot diameter curve on the outer leg and a 40 foot diameter curve on the inner leg. The frog is a #10. It is six feet long. Ties are composite.

This is the seventh curved turnout I have built for the yard and the widest radius so far. I know they’re not the most prototypical thing around, but they allow me to use long turnouts without wasting a lot of real estate.

#2

Nice job, Bob! I’ve built switches before, but never a curved one! I’m trying to force a regular #6 into where a curved #6 might actually be better. (I might just use a rail bender on the switch!) So far, I’ve rationalized the process by saying it will make the return loop radius slightly larger than now! I’m going to put a switch at the top of a return curve. The diverging route will be the return (and the “normal” position), while the straight part of the swithc will put you on a branch line.

P.S How far are you from Tulsa, and will you be open for the National Convention?

#3

Dick,

I’m about 90 miles from Tulsa and about 20 miles east of Oklahoma City. Several of us in the COGRS (Central Oklahoma Garden Railroad Society) are planning on having our layouts open for the convention. Not sure what the logistics will be – there may be a bus one day during the convention that hits all the local layouts – or, we may be open before and after for folks traveling to/from Tulsa. All I know is I’m building like crazy to get this thing finished to the point of being able to run continuously on the loops. After all, I am ROUNDY-ROUNDER #25.

#4

Looks fantastic from here!
The ties look like the ones I’m using from Switchcrafters?
What code and type of rail are you using?

#5

The ties are from Switchcrafters. Rail is Llagas Creek, code 215 aluminum, except for the frog which I cast from plastic resin. I paint the rails brown before spiking; then remove the paint from the rail tops with a drywall sanding pad after assembly.

#6

Nice looking. Good job. Later RJD

#7

Nice. Built a lot of turnouts, both curved and straight, but never one 6’ long.

#8

I hate “me too” one liner posts, but damn, that is a beautiful turnout!

Greg

#9

I agree Nice!

#10

That’s a thing of beauty, Bob.

#11

“Close your mouth, Tom.”