A pair of scratch built Proto:48 turnouts

[ednadolski]

Now that my Proto:48 GP9 is nearing completion (getting into the weathering stage), I need some track to run it on.  I also need something to help me decide if I want to take my Proto:48 efforts beyond the 'dabbling' stage and into something a little more dedicated.

Thus I decided to scratch build a pair of turnouts to P:48 standards.   At this point I just need something operational, without the extra work of making them fully detailed, so I built them as a skeleton turnouts with rail soldered to PCB ties.  I built one left and one right hand turnout, constructed as a single unit with the idea that these could fit into an 'inglenook' style configuration.  My thought is that this should be simple yet sufficiently representative of the kind of shelf layout that I could potentially build in P:48 given the space and resources available to me.

These are #6 turnouts laid out on the P:87 templates enlarged to O scale and taped to the bench top.  I used the castings for frogs/point/guard rails to allow this to come together as quickly as possible.  I must say, these castings are *great*!  They take out so much of the tedium and frustration that is inherent with trying to build up parts from just rail alone -- regardless of scale.  The turnouts practically fall together.  This whole project only took a week of short evenings, even for a slow worker like me.  The largest single task was carefully shaping the ends of the point rails on the grinder and making the throw bars.  The code 125 rail takes a fair amount of heat to solder, so my joints are not quite as neat as I would have liked, but anyways this is about operation not aesthetics.

So here are some pics of the process.  All I have left to do is cut the isolation gaps in the PCB ties and at the frog rails.  Then it is just a matter of spiking down the adjoining track, adding the ground throws, wiring it all up, and start running


Initial layout of the ties and castings:











Laying down rail:






The completed turnouts:



















Hope y'all enjoy this, it was a fun build!   

Ed

[peteski]

I'm still amazed with just how much more workbench room those take when compared to N scale versions!  Did you have to get up on a step-stool to take those pictures? 

They look good (especially with all the extra hardware we don't see in N scale).

[GaryHinshaw]

Very nice Ed.  I wish I wish someone made castings like that in N, especially points with cast-on throw-bar tabs.  Who makes the p:48 castings?  How are the points hinged, with the joiner bars?

I'm trying to finish up a #10 crossover in N today and it is 18" long.  In p:48 it would be 60"!

[ednadolski]

I'm still amazed with just how much more workbench room those take when compared to N scale versions!  Did you have to get up on a step-stool to take those pictures? 

No, but I did have to cut the legs off my workbench... 

That assembly is just over 42" long.    It does have a way of reinforcing the less-is-more approach 

I wish I wish someone made castings like that in N, especially points with cast-on throw-bar tabs.

Closest I know of is the P87 etched parts.  The transit clips would be pretty tiny in N.  These here are held to the throwbars with a couple of 00-90 screws.

Who makes the p:48 castings?  How are the points hinged, with the joiner bars?

I believe these are the Right-O-Way castings, but I bought them thru Red Cliff Miniatures.  American Switch & Signal and Protocraft also have castings, tho I am not sure if they are the exact same ones.

http://www.proto48.org/p48_suppliers.htm

The joint bars are part of the point rail castings. They just slip right onto the end of the rail.  I solder a small piece of 0.015" PB wire on the bottom side to hold them together, and to ensure electrical connectivity.


Ed

[glakedylan]

greetings Ed...looking really good!
your skill is quite evident in your work on these turnouts.
a question, if I may:
you appear to be soldering ties (in relation to the printout template) in between where the ties are depicted?
I am guessing there is good reason to be doing so.
would you kindly provide comment.
it will be appreciated!
thanks for sharing and keep up the great work
sincerely

[ednadolski]

you appear to be soldering ties (in relation to the printout template) in between where the ties are depicted?
I am guessing there is good reason to be doing so.

Good eye!   Actually yes there is a reason (tho how 'good' it is I am not sure ).   I was thinking that if I ever wanted to use these in a finished layout or diorama, I could readily just lay them down atop some pre-stained/weathered wood ties (along with all the tie plates and such) and spike them into place. Then I could de-solder or otherwise remove the PCB ties.  A little paint and viola! (I've always wanted to use that word ) I would have two finished turnouts without having to build from square one.  Saves bit of coin on buying new castings too.

Honestly I am not at all certain I will ever do that, since I could easily end up needing different frog sizes or whatever.  But I just thought to keep the door open, and there doesn't seem to be much in the way of down side.

BTW if you look close you can also see that those are actually HO scale ties.  They are the Copperhead ties from Fast Tracks, and they are way better than any other HO PCB ties that I have used because they do not twist or warp.  They come 3.5" long, which is for HO crossovers but also useful for O scale.  The only O-scale ties that I used here are for the throwbars, since they needed holes drilled in them.

Thanks!

Ed

[glakedylan]

Ed...ah, yes....planning ahead and keeping doors open are good things.
That makes a lot of sense.
Yes, the PC board ties are smaller than the ones shown on the template
and I agree that the ones Fast Tracks sell are best around.
I know not from a whole lot of experience making turnouts, but from
the few attempts where other supplies were used and found to be
inferior.
Thanks for the reply and I hope you get the opportunity, at some point,
to spike those rails to the wooden ties.
sincerely--