Turnout Size


loco

loco

Member
I'm in the planning stage of my layout and have been looking at the size of turnouts I'll be using. With my U.P. motive power, most would say to keep with #8's on the main. When looking at Fast Tracks specs, the diverging route radius for a #4.5 is a good 20" while the #8's are 67" !! Are the larger turnouts just for looks?? And what about the yards??. Space is ALWAYS needed and cutting down on turnout length adds up. So what are some suggestions? And are manufactured turnouts that much different in the diverging route??

Thanks in advance.
 
loco said:
I'm in the planning stage of my layout and have been looking at the size of turnouts I'll be using. With my U.P. motive power, most would say to keep with #8's on the main. When looking at Fast Tracks specs, the diverging route radius for a #4.5 is a good 20" while the #8's are 67" !! Are the larger turnouts just for looks?? And what about the yards??. Space is ALWAYS needed and cutting down on turnout length adds up. So what are some suggestions? And are manufactured turnouts that much different in the diverging route??

Thanks in advance.
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That is the diverging RADIUS not the diverging LENGTH. What that means is that it is the equivalent of a 67" Curve. Most layouts have around 26" radius curves, as it allows for fairly decent operations (I use 48"). If you think 67" is huge, you should see the specs on #12 and #14 turnouts!
 
Yes, I understand that the #4.5 have a radius of 20", and is not 20" long. But a #4.5 turnout is still longer than the #8's, #10's or such.

But after doing some more reading, I think I've sort of figured that technically, my big boys, challengers, and such can run over the #4.5. However, they would look crappy doing such. And I guess would be more prototypical to use the larger turnouts on the mains. Then use the smaller turnouts in the yards and industries.
 
Loco: You will see all kind of recommendations on turnout sizes, but much of it depends on your layout design and space. I have a garage size layout and I use #4's for very tight industrial areas, 5's in more general areas, and 6's on the mainlines. To create a design, you use what will fit for the purpose you have in mind, i.e. if you will run full speed through a mainline turnout, you may need a #8, otherwise a #6 will do just fine. If a large turnout is the only way to get the match for the run of track then use it; -8- Steamers have trouble with #4's at anything but slow speed; a #5 is better; etc.

Could I use larger on the mains? Sure, but why would I want to eat up so much space when a smaller turnout would work/fit better. Also, I have no de-rail problems with these sizes for the purpose they are installed and they look very good where they are. I won't use the terrible cliche of "It's your railroad... (yadda, yadda, yadda).", but instead, "If it is in the design, works, looks good to you, your happy, then do it!".;) :)
 
A #6 turnout will handle just about any HO locomotive although not at mainline speed. If you were making a crossing track between two mainlines, a #8 would give much better reliability. Once you go above a #8, you are doing so because it makes the track look more prototypical and the trains don't have the overhang that makes trains look more toy-like on smaller switches. A #4 or #4.5 is fine for yards and industrial spurs since you'll be operating at slow speed. The one thing I'll warn you about is that smaller switches will have to be laid and aligned perfectly to get reliable operation. You can have few small kinks in a #8 switch and things will still generally run OK. Have those same kinks in a #4 and your rolling stock will find them every time.
 
I went with #6's in the yards and #8's for crossovers. No problems at all with any diesel locos. I have #4's here and there and have no problems with switching thru them. Yes the larger #'s look great but as has been said, they eat up alot of realestate.
 
I think you have it backwards, loco. The lower #'d frogs are necessarily shorter turnouts. That's not to say that they aren't made longish, but much of what is beyond the frog on both routes is disposable with rail nippers.

Also, be careful about using the notion of "radius" when dealing with N. American style turnouts. The snap track #4s and many European turnouts have a true radius through and beyond the frog with their continuously curved diverging routes, but not the N. American standard. The curve in the points rails is a small portion of a nice wide turn in everything from true #5's and on up, but then they turn straight. So, we talk about a "substitution radius", and that is often a very large number. For example, an NMRA tuned #6 turnout has a substitution radius well in excess of 40". But you can't slip it into a curve because its diverging route is pole straight. You must ease into a curve after that if it is going to be much less than 22-24", particularly for longish engines and cars.

Number 5 turnouts will suffice for most applications, but #6's, if you can fit them in, are really nice on the vast majority of layouts. It is only when you are running long passenger cars at "limited" speeds that you will want turnouts in the #8 and up range, and even then it will be mostly for visual appeal...heavyweight passenger cars will still run through a quality #6 like poo through a goose.

-Crandell
 
Ok, finally getting my head around this. For now at least, I think the 8's on the mains, then 6's for most the yard, and then 4.5's as needed. I've got some big motive power and no sense having them if your going to run them on 18" curves! But then there is also the cost factor of using to many sizes if I end up doing the Fast Track jigs.

Wish there was a used market for them...
 
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