A shelf layout emerging from a turnout

[nscaler711]

Thanks guys!
Ha ha! Weathering track this way is no big deal. Just some paint and then dab on the chalk. But yes, weathering cars is on my agenda. I've done a few N scale cars, but O scale with those large flat panels? I'm not sure I dare 

For the time being, track laying seems a safer path 

Oh great, now you got me thinking, I've weathered HO before, it seemed alot easier than N... But O... That's a different story. Guess I'll pick up a Atlas car and try my hand at it... My standard way using only chalks.
 I've got some O27, but that's not really O Scale...
*runs off looking for cheap O Scale Atlas cars*

[ednadolski]

Gotta love that throwbar, the detailing in O scale is just tremendous!

*runs off looking for cheap O Scale Atlas cars*

Some of those Atlas Trainman cars are pretty good for the $ 


Ed

[GaryHinshaw]

I cringe at the thought of trying to get (mechanically reliable) throw-bar detail like that in N.

Outstanding finish work! 

[ednadolski]

I cringe at the thought of trying to get (mechanically reliable) throw-bar detail like that in N.

Reliable or not, no one could ever see it without a microscope.

Ed

[svedblen]

Reliable or not, no one could ever see it without a microscope.

But I would love to see you try! 
(Making one, that is. Not only seeing one)

[svedblen]

When I started out to spike the rails on the other (left) side of the turnout I remembered that I had made simulated rail joints in both stock rails of the turnout, close to their ends. I had notched the rail heads and added rail joiners for added visual interest. This was when the turnout was just supposed to be a display item. You can see this in the picture below.



When laying the next pieces of rail I would either get a new joint just a few scale feet further away, or have to make that joint invisible. I did not want either of that. So I decided to make those fake cuts real cuts and lay the new rail starting from there.

So the rail joiners were pried loose and the rails cut. But once I had removed the spikes from the now loose pieces of rail, they were still stuck.

Bugger! I had forgot that it was here that I had soldered the feeder wires to the rails! And I had managed to hide them so well that even I missed them. Well, the feeders were cut off easily enough and the rail pieces finally came off. Like here (you can see the copper colored feeders coming up between the ties).



But now I had a new problem. I had to get the stock rails electrically connected again. I did not want to attempt getting new feeders in from below at this point, so I instead decided to solder the next pieces of rails to the stock rails. Any ugly looking soldering would be hidden by the rail joiners.

Here new rails have been soldered in place.



Not that bad after all. I should have tried for a new invisible joint to begin with, rather than going this tedious route!

With rail joiners and tie plates in place we are ready and can proceed with the rail spiking proper.

[svedblen]

I cringe at the thought of trying to get (mechanically reliable) throw-bar detail like that in N.

By chance I stumbled over this N scale code 40 turnout which I messed around with nearly 10 years ago. Shown alongside its O scale counterpart.



Can't you see the bolts on the throwbars? 
Reliable? What is that?

[GaryHinshaw]

Neat comparison, the difference is not as big as I was imagining.  I'd love to see a close-up of your N throw-bar; I have some code 40 turnouts in my future and I don't have a good plan for how to do those throw-bars yet.

[svedblen]

@GaryHinshaw, sorry for the delay, but a really bad cold came in the way.

I actually needed a magnifying glass and to have a good look before I remembered how this turnout was done  It does not look very neat, but the only one to blame for that is me. And I'm not sure it will stand up over time. But here are some pics. Explanation follows below.





The throwbar furthest from the frog, is made from P:87 Stores parts, found on this page: http://www.proto87.com/n-scale-track.html

The long black bar is some kind of plastic. I think it is the one in the lower right in the 5:th photo from the top (on the P:87 page). It had predrilled holes (if I remember correctly), where you inserted two bars from set 101930, which you find towards the bottom of the page. It's those things in the shape of "blacksmith anvils", and they are pushing on the points when the rod moves. The black rod was to wide to fit between the ties, unless you sat them at an unprotypical width, so I ended up cutting the rod in half, lengthwise. This  made the rod quite flimsy (not recommended).

That throwbar only pushes the points, and I cannot remember how they were supposed to be pulled back again, using the P:87 Stores parts. So that is the purpose of the second throwbar. I made it from a PCB strip, and soldered the points to it. Standard rigid fashion. For a better visual appearance I glued a styrene rod on top of the PCB throwbar.

I think the first "pushing" throwbar is a rather good solution, if you use a decent rod instead of the flimsy one I used, and find a way to attach the "anvils" to it. The problem is the "pulling" action, and how to find a non-rigid solution for that. Perhaps it is possible to combine the P:87 Stores stuff with what is discussed in the "Photo-etched details for handlaid turnouts" thread (https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34762.0)

[GaryHinshaw]

Thanks for the shots svedblen.  Your approach is very similar to what I am doing already with code 55 turnouts.  The pushing bar is exactly the same except that I use styrene bar stock instead of a pre-made part.  The pulling bar is indeed the issue.  The p:87 code 55 points come with a holed pre-drilled through the rail base, which I use to strengthen the solder joint between a PCB tie and the rail base.  Here is an example:



There is a little vertical wire embedded in solder near the tip of the arrow.  The code 40 points do not have a pre-drilled hole, so I either have to do that myself or find another solution.

Do you have any issues with flanges hitting the "anvils" on your c40 turnouts?

Thanks for the detour.  Now back to your layout build. 

[svedblen]

Do you have any issues with flanges hitting the "anvils" on your c40 turnouts?

I only did that one turnout. It was more of an experiment layout and did not see any real action. And then a move to a new house made my modeling take off in a slightly different direction. So I dare not really say.

EDIT: I took out a few cars and rolled them over the turnout. No problems with flanges hitting the "anvils". The tested cars have FVM wheels.

[ednadolski]

Anyone want a code 40 #12 RH turnout?  I have one that I built a while ago and is nearly completed (needs throwbar) but I don't think I'll ever use it.  Free for the asking, just pls. cover whatever shipping you want me to use.

Ed

[svedblen]

A boring picture just to show that I am doing progress. The lower left rail is spiked. and three more of the same length to go 

[svedblen]

The second rail on the siding has been spiked, and rail joiners have been fitted.



And now a car can roll all the way down to the poor man's bumper.

[svedblen]

The ceremonial last spike has been driven in. The event was witnessed by Sir Topham A$$-Hatt and duly documented by the official Railwire photographer...



...not!

But the last spike has really been driven, although the event was not that grand, but like this:



Even this small layout required some 400 ties, 800 tie plates and 1600 spikes, the original turnout not counted.