FastTracks question


S

swampsavage

Member
I am about to start on a layout. Have had past experience handlaying track. I would also like to build my own turnouts. The space will be approximately 16' X 12' in HO and I will be running a double mainline with passenger consists pulled by 4-6-2 and 4-6-4 steamers, E7s, DL109's and FP7's besides freight drags. I already have CVT turnout kits in #7 and #9 and Proto87 frog kits to use with. Minimum radius will probably be 30".

I would like to know if any others have experience with Fast Tracks products I may use in conjunction with the stuff I already have so I can construct my own frogs in the future. I'm leaning toward #8 and #9 for now. As you know they are pricey so I don't want to procure ones I wouldn't use much. Turnouts will be mostly for building staging yards for the passenger cars but also some freight.
 
Maybe we should form a collective in which we purchase one set of tooling and members with more than 200 posts (i.e. established) can pay a smaller fee to a trusted holder of the tools (i.e. Larry) to rent them for use in turnout making.

I too am considering buying some fast tracks stuff but I and having difficulty deciding which to buy according to how much use I will get out of it....

Just a thought.
 
The only person in my railroad group that has a FastTracks jig has let to use it so I can't help you there, but I have a question for you. Since your into MILW passenger equipment, would you happen to have any pics of the business car Montana that was built out of a Tap Lounge? I'm about to start kit bashing one out of a Walthers Tap Lounge for a friend and need a good side shot for measurements. I'm helping him build 10 custom painted F-Units right now and when those are done the Montana is next. Thanks
Doug
 
Sorry Doug...

...the extent of my MILW passenger equipment is 7 of the Walther's heavyweights, 7 of the Walther's 1955 Hiawatha streamlined cars, the Fox Valley models 4-4-2 Hiawatha set, and some older Rivarossi that are probably not prototypically correct to go with the Rivarossi 4-6-4 Hiawatha loco I got at a train show. I also have older late 19th early 20th century wood kits of several open vestibule cars.

I'm not too interested in modeling exact prototypes. Just making a layout to run them.
 
Fast Tracks' frog filing jig also includes in it the points filing component. Either would be most useful. I made a #6 double-slip and several regular #8 turnouts using their techniques and materials, and like them a lot. But you don't need the rail laying jigs, just use their printable templates.
 
I've built all the turnouts on my layout with FastTracks. I love 'em. I have #6 & #4 turnouts and #4 wyes, all code 55, HOn3. Once you build your first one the rest go much quicker.

I went with Fast tracks mostly because the cost between commercially available HOn3 turnouts vs buying the FastTrack jigs and tools was a wash (perhaps slightly cheaper since I have about 15 turnouts total). Plus with FT's I could control the quality and operational certainty.

I would never buy a commercially built turnout ever again.

-G-
 
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-G-
Are you using the HOn3 FT's or the combo HO/HOn3 t/o's?

When I get the space to build my layout, I hope to put together something based upon an eastern narrow gauge and full size RR interchange. What I envision will be large enough that I sort of feel that the balance in costs between the FT equipment and purchase ready-made is reached somewhere in the ten to twenty TO's but when pricing the FT items, I could not get a solid quote due to customs fees.

I might have gotten a little too squeamish when the sales type and I got to discussing three digits and a question mark on the costs to me. :eek:

Considering the FT flexibility, should the cost at that point be an issue?

edj
 
Hillwilliam said:
-G-
Are you using the HOn3 FT's or the combo HO/HOn3 t/o's?

When I get the space to build my layout, I hope to put together something based upon an eastern narrow gauge and full size RR interchange. What I envision will be large enough that I sort of feel that the balance in costs between the FT equipment and purchase ready-made is reached somewhere in the ten to twenty TO's but when pricing the FT items, I could not get a solid quote due to customs fees.

I might have gotten a little too squeamish when the sales type and I got to discussing three digits and a question mark on the costs to me. :eek:

Considering the FT flexibility, should the cost at that point be an issue?

edj
Click to expand...

I'm using standard HOn3 turnouts not the dual gauge HO/HOn3 ones. I had thought about doing dual gauge but those FT jigs for dual gauge are just a tad more pricey than what I wanted to spend, espicailly if I was only going to need 1 or 2. Of course if you have a lot of turnouts and the cost for commercial made dual gauge turnouts exceeds the cost of the jigs then I could see spending the money on FT. In the end I scrapped the dual gauge idea and plan to use a transfer dock for getting my goods from the narrow gauge line to the rest of the world and vice-versa.

However, if you only need just a few then go with the Railway Engineering, Cream City or B-K Enterprises/Trout Creek Engineering t/o's.

For me cost was a consideration but I also wanted quality and reliable operation. I feel the extra cost for the FT jigs/tools was well worth it.

-G-
 
Lateral-G said:
...I would never buy a commercially built turnout ever again.
Click to expand...

Wow! - A ringing endorsement indeed! And not the first I've read either - It seems once you've done a few, you become something of a disciple!......

But I too was put off by the price of, in my case, at least 4 jigs.

However, it seems the jigs themselves aren't "mandatory" - I've now read a few times of folk "just using the downloadable templates".

As someone who's never handlaid track, is using the templates "doable"?

What parts are "essential" (the point filing jig and?).

Maybe one jig, to gain experience and then rely on templates for the others?

Experiences / comments?

Cheers,
Ian
PS - I also like the "rental/share" 'em idea - It seems that these are the ultimate "use once & forget" tool!...... Do they get "damaged" easily? [From the price, I guess they're Snap On quality, but wonder if there's any reason nobody does "rentals"?]
 
fast_ian said:
As someone who's never handlaid track, is using the templates "doable"?

What parts are "essential" (the point filing jig and?).

Maybe one jig, to gain experience and then rely on templates for the others?

Experiences / comments?

Cheers,
Ian
PS - I also like the "rental/share" 'em idea - It seems that these are the ultimate "use once & forget" tool!...... Do they get "damaged" easily? [From the price, I guess they're Snap On quality, but wonder if there's any reason nobody does "rentals"?]
Click to expand...

Form what I have read (and after building a few) you could get by with just templates and the frog/point filing tool. You would need to use extra care to keep the track in gauge but it is doable. It does save some cost. the track jig allows quick set-up and assembly and a method of 'repeatability'.

The tools are very high quality.....Craftsman is more of my comparison( I don't like Snap-On). :p

There is little to no damage in using the tooling. The frog/point filing jig does experience wear from filing but it is made from a very hard tool steel and might be worn to the point of un-usability after doing a 1000 or so point/frog sets.

I think there's a reluctance to rent/share the tools because of the price paid for them and the risk of not getting them back or having them damaged. I'm sure if you took a deposit for the full price of the tools then refunded a portion after they were returned in good condition then something like that might be tenable.

-G-
 
I purchased the HO crossover jig KIT from Fast Tracks and I think I got my money's worth.
The kit comes with all of the extra stuff you should have to properly build thier turnouts including the pointform tool, pc ties, quick stiks, ect.
What's nice about the crossover kit is that you can build a LH, RH or double crossovers, or LH or RH turnouts with just one jig. My jig is a #6 which I use on my layout for the most part.
When I need other turnouts such as #8 or curved, I just head over to my sources on eBay. Thier quality is as good as mine. And they're cheaper than the commercial stuff.
Some future special trackwork such as curved crossovers I plan to build using the fast track tools and my own track templates.

Jerry
 
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