You weather your track the same way mine has!
Kinda hard to tell in the picture, but you might want to widen the gap between the rails where they move back and forth. I’ve noticed on mine that on hot days in the sun, the rail will expand and close the gap, and the switch won’t work. So I leave a gap in the rails where the switch is connected to the approach rails and usually have to slide the point rails back a bit. Just a heads up to keep an eye on it.
Yea, I was wondering about that. Thanks for the heads up, ill leave some gap behind the rails in case I need to tap them back a 16th.
My rail is aluminum on the stub switches, so it may expand a bit more than the brass that Rod uses…
During the summer that’s the first thing I check, cause most of the time the rail has expanded enough, that the gap is closed.
When I started building this switch, I tried to use a harp switch stand that I got from
Bob Hartford years ago, but it was too light to use for the stiff rail. I ended up taking
one that I had and totally rebuilding it. The only original piece is the main stand. I
built everything else and soldered it up. Then I had to almost redo the whole switch
because of the difference in the throws.
Ken
Thanks for that tip on the rail expanding as I forgot to tell Bob about it.
As you can see in Bob’s photos that I did not leave much of a gap for the rail to grow.
I thought that all three tracks would go to the stub end tracks so figured when the rail
expanded it all would go to the end of the rail.
Thanks for the kind comments on the switch.
Rodney
Rod, You may want to take a look at the harp switch stands that Phil Dipple produces. Very robust and they can be ordered in kit form to keep the cost down.
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh58/rgseng/3way001.jpg)
I just bought 4 kits and it took about 15 minutes to put one together. I’m not sure if the one in the picture above is one of Phil’s or not as I got that one from Ric Golding and he wasn’t sure where he got it from. But they are very similar. Yesterday I replaced a tenmille throw with a new harp stand at the entrance to Delores Yard, but it’s only being used as a 2-way. What I like about Phil’s are the 4 holes in the arm on the bottom so it males it easy to adjust the mechanism for the throw,
(http://www.philsnarrowgauge.com/images/Harpstand.JPG)
(Sorry this last pic is so big, I swiped it from Phil’s site)
I haven’t posted in here for a while. Here’s the latest update. I have the final trackwork ready to go, I just need to build a bit more benchwork to go under it, and the colliery. This pic shows the layout of the stub tracks that will go under the colliery, which will move AWAY from the camera about 3 more feet than where the bricks are now.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bob_mccown/Trackwork/Majestic/trackwork_10.jpg)
I also painted and mounted the switchstand to the 3-way. Its screwed down through the ties into the benchwork below. Should be nice and solid. Here are the three positions.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bob_mccown/Trackwork/Majestic/3way_normal.jpg)
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bob_mccown/Trackwork/Majestic/3way_left.jpg)
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bob_mccown/Trackwork/Majestic/3way_right.jpg)
Nice! I like that indicator on the switch stand.
That looks like a fun spot to work! Oh yea, I forgot, it was always a fun spot to work…
I’m gonna build an explosives building for the mine complex, out of Jigstones, fill it with cement and put it right by the switch stand to keep youse guys from kicking the stand into the neighbors yard.
Good idear…
I don’t know Ken, but could Bob be implying that you guys are a little clumsy at times.
You could get that impression…and you’d probably be right. I put a white post next to one of my harp switch stands cause I was always trippin over it…and bent another one the other day working on the track work in Mancos. And that stick behind the station protects another one…
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh58/rgseng/Mancos/realign027.jpg)
And he’s not implying it, he’s saying it…
That Jigstones building will work good unless someone blows it up!
Bob McCown said:Have you thought about a bear trap? ;)
I'm gonna build an explosives building for the mine complex, out of Jigstones, fill it with cement and put it right by the switch stand to keep youse guys from kicking the stand into the neighbors yard.
Your trackwork there really looks great Bob! Wish i was close enough to try it out some time.
Invitation is always open, Richard. TrainOps is every Sept, plan now to avoid the rush!
A bit of digging at lunch today for the benchwork extension at Majestic.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bob_mccown/Trackwork/Majestic/extension_1.jpg)
Add about 30 more inches to the end of the colliery tracks.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/bob_mccown/Trackwork/Majestic/extension_2.jpg)
It already looks busy and the trains aren’t there yet! I can see the operations now!