Wye, Slip Switch or Double crossing ?


D

DALDEI

Member
I am building my benchwork now (attached layout).
I've decided the island "future construction" should be done now not in the future. I'm planning on making the island a kind of 'stub terminal. That is a yard of sorts (industry unknown). I will have access from both east and west bound trains. I want to be able to deposit cars from either direction and pick them up from either direction. Its not that big, but its the room I have (about 7 feet x 3 feet). If you notice the proposed entrance to the island is a curve (24") from each side but I havent planned out the interior details yet. I do know there wont be room for a 'runaround' on this as its only 3" wide so I'll have to drive cars in and detach the loco, or back them im. I'm thinking to use one direction as Arival and the other as Departure. To do this I think both east & west need access to the same yard tree ... so they have to connect up somehow.

I'm debauting several ideas, and open to more.

1) A Wye. Connect the east & west curves to a Wye which then branches off tree fashion to the yard

2) A Slipswitch E&W connect to the top of the slip and then the bottom branches off to 2 trees

3) A Double XOver ... similar to #2 but twice as complicated.

I'm doing this 100% hand laid (fastrax) and dont have any of these switch assemblies yet so price is an issue. I want to buy one of them and ideally be able to reuse it in other places. I like the double-xover but it seems very complex and of minimal other use in my layout. It requires 4 switches and hence is going to be complicated to wire up (read == "fun")

I just discovered the SlipSwith which seems like a very conservative use of space for the problem and requires only 2 switches.

Then there is the traditional Wye with 1 switch.

I could also use just plain old switches, I have a normall #5 and just bought a 24"/28" curved swich whith some asymetry could be used to this purpose.

Any suggestions ??? I only want to invest on at most 1 more of the above assemblies, and ideally one I could reuse other places as the assembly cost is the significant factor (although # switches is important, the double-x requires 4 switch machines or some very fancy footwork).
 
Looking at your track plan right now, I'm assuming that you know about reversing sections, so I'd say go for the wye.

However, what's the radius of the curves into the wye? If they're too narrow, you could opt for a space-saver wye (not very prototypical, but very efficient).

A space saver wye has both of the legs crossing each other at a diamond, then joining further up at a switch. That way, you can have generous curves while still maintaining a wye.
 
Curves are probably going to be 24" although I may be able to fit 28" if I'm creative.
Do you see any advantage of a Wye over a tradition L/R switch ? It wont be symetric but then I wont have to buy a Wye fixture :)

And yes this is going to require a reversing section or 2 .... The picture posted is an older one, I've decided against double X-overs on the mainlines but will be using single Xover which will require some interesting reversing given the dogbone and dual-direction mainlines.
 
I see alot of double crossovers on layouts but rarely, if ever see one in the prototype. If what I have seen holds true most of the time they just put two single crossovers, one after the other. It saves on the number of frogs to maintain.

You could use the normal switch. Immediately after the frog begin the curve. It will blend in and no one will be the wiser.
 
Also, on the prototype, maintaining a diamond is also very costly, moreso than two crossovers one after the other.
 
The prototype would be unlikely to use a wye (equilateral turnout) in that sort of situation unless the track alignment dictated it. An equilateral turnout is beneficial on high speed track, but not on industrial trackage, unless it addresses a particular track alignment issue.
 
Have to agree w/ the above 3 responses - change the double Xovers to singles and use an equilateral switch (aka wye switch) at the end of the wye legs. You may have to move the wye legs to the right for #6 or #8 switches. If you start one of the Xover switches on the curves that will give a couple more inches to play with. Several manufacturers make wye switches & the switch kit makers have them also. Does you CAD program give you the option to do these things?
 
Here's a wye that does not use equilateral turnouts. It's at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. They use it to turn their excursion trains.

The black roofed building across the access road from the tail of the wye is NMRA HQ.

 
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if it was me, I would do a double slip, to be able to say ''I made it" and add that to my modeler experience. But thats your call.
 
I have never used a Fastracks jig. That said it looks to me like a double crossover jig would also make single crossovers and right and left hand switches. Does anyone have one of the jigs to check?
 
I dont have one, but I have written assurance from the owner that in fact the double crossover can make single xover, left, right, and crossing switches all with 1 "assembly fixture". I'm thinking of getting one. I currently have a single turn assembly (does both L&R) in hindsight I should have gotten the double-xover ... they run about the same $.
But this would give me an excuse to get a different turn # ...

The one caveat is that there is not separate directions on how to do all these variations, you have to work it out yourself which parts to omit in order to create the various switches. That was my reason for getting a "plain" switch assembly fixture for my first one. Easier to learn on...
 
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