Curved switches

[Joetrain59]

Are curved track switches prototypical? A comment was made in a modeling thread I started about curved switches.
I do believe they are, but confirmation would feel good.
 Thanks,
 Joe D

[Chris333]

Prototypically rare.

[DKS]

Curved turnouts aren't all that rare; what's rare is to find ones that are as sharp as most curved model turnouts. Many turnouts in real life are curved, but the curve is so gentle that it's difficult to perceive. While they're most prevalent in yards or industrial sidings, they can be found on the mainline on occasion, and these will usually be quite long. Here's a random bunch I scrounged--

[DKS]

Here's a few more I just found. Remember that, in the real world, turnout geometry is designed to suit the conditions, and if the conditions warrant a curved turnout, then that's what gets built.

[peteski]

Curved turnouts aren't all that rare; what's rare is to find ones that are as sharp as most curved model turnouts. Many turnouts in real life are curved, but the curve is so gentle that it's difficult to perceive. While they're most prevalent in yards or industrial sidings, they can be found on the mainline on occasion, and these will usually be quite long. Here's a random bunch I scrounged--

That sure looks like it is somewhere on the Boston & Maine.

DKS, looks like you are linking to photos on your personal website, rather than have them hosted locally on TRW, and the forum no longer caches external photos. Hopefully your latest website will stay up for a long time (unlike what happened to the last one).  We all lost a lot of very good info from you when that one disappeared.

[wazzou]

Holy curved turnouts Batman.
That's some complex trackage, particularly if you look closely at the middle/far right.

[nickelplate759]

Typical of passenger terminal throats, which I'm pretty sure this is.  Not sure where, but that looks like a CB&Q train in the background.

[wcfn100]

Typical of passenger terminal throats, which I'm pretty sure this is.  Not sure where, but that looks like a CB&Q train in the background.

Great Northern depot, Minneapolis.

Jason

[Dave V]

A signature curved switch for my prototype was a very tight spur coming off the end of a trestle (all kinds of railroading "don'ts" right there!) at Ophir.  At least the mainline took the outside curve, but still model-railroady as all get-out.  But painfully necessary given the paucity of horizontal real estate in the otherwise vertical landscape at Ophir.  I had Jamestown Trains custom build me one in HOn3.

[peteski]

Holy curved turnouts Batman.
That's some complex trackage, particularly if you look closely at the middle/far right.

Yeah, a single-slip curved switch. Amazing!

[Dave V]

A signature curved switch for my prototype was a very tight spur coming off the end of a trestle (all kinds of railroading "don'ts" right there!) at Ophir.  At least the mainline took the outside curve, but still model-railroady as all get-out.  But painfully necessary given the paucity of horizontal real estate in the otherwise vertical landscape at Ophir.  I had Jamestown Trains custom build me one in HOn3.

Can't hot link these photos but here ya go:

https://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/RD133-RGS-Ophir-Ophir-Loop-1/G0000BZQcJB3i2R0/I0000A.MKRxGMy7w/C0000Vd2qoA2MbNU

https://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/RD133-RGS-Ophir-Ophir-Loop-1/G0000BZQcJB3i2R0/I0000M9XKDsIz1Nk/C0000Vd2qoA2MbNU

https://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/RD133-RGS-Ophir-Ophir-Loop-1/G0000BZQcJB3i2R0/I0000tonhGtpLejw/C0000Vd2qoA2MbNU

[DKS]

Holy curved turnouts Batman.
That's some complex trackage, particularly if you look closely at the middle/far right.

It's even "worse" than it looks. I'd cropped the image; here's the whole thing.



Here's another shot:



It's all gone now. This area is a parking lot.

[DKS]

One more for you: a whole bunch of 3' gauge curved turnouts.

[Point353]

[peteski]

What a great photo of a cool looking passenger train (Milwaukee Hiawatha?)snaking through a cramped industrial area.