Learning to hand-lay turnouts

[nickelplate759]

Is there a rule-of-thumb for estimating the frog number of curved turnouts from the radii?
I'm looking at turnouts with a 22" outer radius and 16" inner.

[basementcalling]

Either FT makes some very popular tools and templates, seeing you never see used ones up for sale, or no one buys them. Can't decide which it is.

[Sumner]

Is there a rule-of-thumb for estimating the frog number of curved turnouts from the radii?
I'm looking at turnouts with a 22" outer radius and 16" inner.

I assume you are probably using a FTs template since they have one for that combination.  I'm not an expert on curved turnouts but have made a few from templates ...

http://1fatgmc.com/RailRoad/Trackwork/page-3.html

... and from my own drawings when I didn't find the radii I wanted ( http://1fatgmc.com/RailRoad/Trackwork/page-5.html )

 I file the two frog rails until they match the turnout template and don't try and figure out what number it might be.  I find over filing them them a tad is better than under filing them.  The solder can fill a small gap in that case.

I use my #6 PointForm tool from FTs to file a wide range of frog angles.  Use it to get close and then over or under file some depending on the frog number in question.  If one has a 3D printer I ....



.... have fixtures you can print to help in soldering the frog if you know the number....

http://1fatgmc.com/RailRoad/Trackwork/page-33.html

Fast Tracks also has them and I made some out of wood before getting the printer.

Sumner

[ncbqguy]

As I was laying out the yard for my never-built Galesburg & Savanna Railway, I found that #5s gave me the track length I needed but I didn’t want to use them because they are too sharp.  Mark Runyan came up with a #7 that had a curve on the diverging route that brought the ladder to the same angle to the bowl tracks as a #5.   
He made a cnc milled fixture ala fast tracks which I will be (finally!) using to build my railroad.
Charlie Vlk

[ednadolski]

If one has a 3D printer I have fixtures you can print to help in soldering the frog if you know the number....

What materials do you print from, that can hold up to the heat of soldering?

Ed

[dem34]

Sumner's templates hold up pretty well with PETG, though realistically the heat isn't too much of an issue since you really only need to keep the iron on for a second or two to get the solder to flow. And if they fail for any reason its less than an hour to print another.