How to build your own turnout

I've built a lot over 100 turnouts. My first turnouts were spiked but now I solder the rail to PC board ties. That's more precise. You can use the Fast Tracks tools, they're great. But I want to built different turnouts and save this money.

Here's my How To with a simple H0n3 turnout, code 55. You will find more my website scratchbuild turnouts and scratchbuild crossings.

At first I've made the template. And you need ties, lots of ties. My son Benjamin made a box for the different lengths of ties, starting with 6' and for every 1/2'. I've glued a 1'x8' NorthEastern strip to the PC board strip. This way I get the thickness of the standard wooden Kappler ties. Those Kappler ties will fill the gaps.





I've glued the ties with a very small dot of white glue to the template. A toothpick helps.



I mark the length where the points touch the stock rails.

 

A sanding disk is very helpful, mine is not from Dremel. :angel:

 

The first rail to solder is the straight rail.



At first I solder the rail only at the outer spots and in the middle. Then I solder the remaining ties to the rail, alternating, space filling.



I work from the frog end to the points, one rail after the other.

Now comes the frog.



You can see the NMRA gauge will not fit. Now it's easy to warm up the solder point and move the rail a little bit.

Wolfgang

 

nice work so any tournout and crossings are hand drawn templats and center lines etc.

 

I use my drawings with AutoCAD. I have the ties drawn too. It's more convenient for placing the ties. It's faster. I need only the centerlines, but with more information I can work faster. I use the Fast Tracks templates also. This dual gauge turnout I've built for a friend. He gave me the Fast Tracks template for the turnout he wanted.



Wolfgang

 

Good deal I have been following your layout progress all I can say is Awsome work.The narrow gauge is looking mighty fine.Keep up the good modeling :thumbs_up:

 

Great tutorial Wolfgang, thank you

 

Well, let's go on with those turnout.
After a little resoldering the gauge will fit.




The second point rail is a little bit displaced. Yoou can also recognize the correct #6 frog angle is not really important.



Check with the NMRA gauge the distance between frog and wing rail. Here's the first wing rail - closure rail.



Then comes the second wing rail -closure rail.

 

And remember, always clean the sanded rail from some flash.

I solder at first only one point and when everything is within gauge the rest. Now the frog is complete. And closure rail - points are the next part.


I have another idea for the hinges. I cut the rail base and make with a fine saw a small cut at the top of the rail. The last one represents the different parts of rail at the prototype. But here the two parts are still connected. This gives no problems with current! At the left side you see the gap to the "frog",



Here you see the filed point rail and the stock rail. The stock rail is notched at the base.



The points are beveled. And the top of the rail is filed.

 

With the second closure rail - point rail in place the turnout is nearly finished.

Throw bar​

This time I've made a simple throw bar, a piece of PC board tie. And I removed the copper foil in the middle (to prevent any electrical short) and outside off the point rails ( to prevent soldering to the stock rails, solder will creep!)

 

And the finished turnout.



An additional hint, go to the Fast Tracks site, they have very good HowTo videos. Look how Tim Warris makes his CNJ Bronx Terminal

Wolfgang

 

looks like another awsome job there. Thanks for the step by step pics.