Hello all - I have spent the better part of 18 months doing a 3 level design. My prototype (Wiener Linien/OBB - Vienna, Austria and surroundings) runs complete concrete ties, including under their turnouts. I plan to use Micro Engineering flex track - Code 83, however my quest these last couple of weeks as I build my order is finding turnouts with Concrete ties...it seems to be a lost cause - at least in code 83. I have found a very few in Code 75 out of the UK, but nothing else. I have searched US web sites as well as many of those in Europe that I am familiar with, including various manufacturers. I could hand-build my Turnouts (#10's on the Main Lines, #8s elsewhere), but I was really hoping to avoid that level of time commitment as I am looking at over 800 ft of track and in the vicinity of 40 turnouts. About half of that I could live with wood ties, but I was really hoping that someone might have an idea or where I could find turnouts w/ concrete ties. I have searched until my fingers and keyboard are done in so any input will be read with interest. Appreciate the insight and input. Chris
I started to say I knew of prototype stretches of track with concrete ties but wood ties under turnouts-- but then you mentioned Vienna, Austria which I am not familiar with since 1972.
Yeah, the scenes in and around Los Angeles from bridges shows all switches remain wooden ties. I don't think RRs are that far, if at all into concrete ties yet , so you can look at your situation this way as being realistic..
Concrete-tie turnouts exist, mostly in high-speed rail operations, but are still not yet that commonplace. They're not common enough for a company to make scale model versions of. Unless you're modeling a high-speed rail line, I don't think it's a necessity at all. If you think the look bothers you, then paint the wooden turnout ties a light grey color so they can blend in with your concrete-tie flextrack.
you might need to buy "wooden" ones then file/sand, paint, and weather to match your other track. Just an idea.
Thanks for your insights and suggestions - I will be working with the wooden versions - having taken a rount trip this weekend from Vienna to Budapest I can attest that only a few of the prototype turnouts here in Austria & Hungary have given way to concrete, so wood isn't dead yet over here. Chris
That's what we were saying: The 1:1 doesn't have many either. The suggestion above about making wood look like concrete would still be unconvincing as the way the concrete ties have that distinctive dip below the rail. There's a kind of concave appearance and perfectly symmetry that's different than wood ties + the clips they use instead of spikes, adds to the mix...And all of this under complex switches to boot...Stay with wood under your switches and fuggeddabouddit !
