I have been staring at this switch made by Train-li in G Scale, and am wondering how hard it'd be to make one for use in Z Scale. This would put 5 track switches in the space of 1 1/2. Not only would it look different, but a custom job could Really open up those 'complex' switching layouts... The Steaks
My question: has such a device existed in the 1:1 scale world? (never heard of) Otherwise that should be relegated to hidden areas... Dom
Having built these in N scale (about 35-40 years ago, actually) I can say they are possible in virtually any scale. The ones I built were for a 5-track yard, but I believe it's possible to make them work for yards up to twice that. Interesting that the commercial product you found is nearly identical to my design. My only difference, I used flex track for the movable portion. It does require the use of track that is "super flexible," so if none of the Z scale track is usable, then one will have to make some. It should not be too difficult; the first thought would be PC board ties with rail joiners soldered on, spaced out like those in the photo. The hardest part is devising the mechanism to move it. Looking at that photograph, I'm left to wonder how theirs is moved; almost looks as if it's totally manual. Must investigate. Edit: Just paid a visit to the Train-LI website. I saw an image of this device, but the site indicates they have nothing to display regarding it. How is it you were able to access it?
That is correct. You are not about to find anything even remotely similar to these in the real world. However, in the model world, they are ideal for staging yards. If built properly, they can eliminate derailments, since it eliminates points and frogs, the twin Achilles heel of every conventional switch. They save lots of space, too, as you can imagine, and they can be a lot cheaper to build as compared to buying the equivalent number of conventional turnouts required.
Yes, this is true. However, there's a vast difference between the devices. A 3-way stub switch is like a regular switch, but with bendable rails instead of points. The movable rails moved very little--only inches--and they still had frogs. The reason you don't see them still in use on major railroads is that the movable parts could not sustain great loads. A switch anything like this 5-way would not be feasible in the real world.
True on the movement and frogs vs stub switches. However there is other issues. Stub switches were not as safe as point switches. From operating the stub switch at Fort Humboldt, Eureka, CA you are still talking about feet, not inches. As the weight of trains and locomotives went up, so did rail size. The bigger the rail, the less flexible it is for humans to move. The selector switch is a huge amount of rail to move, now I think about it. Trains would tend to make the center of the track move, unless fastened down with a rod or something. A five way stub might be more doable, except for the amount of frogs needed. Interesting.
Interresting thoughts. Thank you all of you guys for sharing. Maybe an option for my future hidden yard... Dom
Segmented switches are used in monorail applications but that is necessitated by the physical layout of the vehicle. For the most part, real railroads have enough space to just stretch out what they need. This segmented switch on the Tokyo Monorail has been in use for almost 50 years. Segmented Switch Operation Andy Tetsu Uma
