Bending proprietary turnouts

[Kiwirail]

Has anyone had any joy bending proprietary turnouts slightly.  I have an application for several Peco Code 75 large radius turnouts where I could do with a bit of a bend on them, but nowhere near the radius of the "curved" turnouts in the same range.  I thought it might be worth maybe removing a few of the plastic ties between the sleepers and giving it a bit of a tweak to better fit the curves in and out.

 

Anyone got any experience with doing this please?

[Oldddudders]

Has anyone had any joy bending proprietary turnouts slightly.  I have an application for several Peco Code 75 large radius turnouts where I could do with a bit of a bend on them, but nowhere near the radius of the "curved" turnouts in the same range.  I thought it might be worth maybe removing a few of the plastic ties between the sleepers and giving it a bit of a tweak to better fit the curves in and out.

 

Anyone got any experience with doing this please?

I think Coachmann has used this technique on his Greenfield thread - but it will take a bit of finding, as he's a prolific poster and has many contributors.

[edcayton]

Have you already got the Peco ones? I ask because Tillig points can be curved quite a bit by design.

 

Ed

[APOLLO]

I have had little problems slightly bending Peco O gauge turnouts. The point blades needed a little tweaking to ensure electrical contact, as after bending they touch the stock rails at a different location than before. I just removed a couple of plastic web sleeper joining pieces where the bend was - just a couple.

 

I suppose this may happen to OO gauge turnouts also, though I've not (knowingly !) bent any.

 

Brit15

Edited April 20, 2014 by APOLLO

[Kiwirail]

Have you already got the Peco ones? I ask because Tillig points can be curved quite a bit by design.

 

Ed

No - not yet.  I am toying with the options available, including handbuilding, but that scares me!

 

Cheers

Andrew

[hayfield]

Andrew

 

The problem with altering the shape of a turnout is that it alters the lengths of both stock and switch rails, also as mentioned you may have to build a new tiebar so that it sits flush with the stock rails.

 

I have had no experience with doing this other than to repair a turnout which was broken at the heal end to stop it from bending. There have been those who have replaced Peco sleepers for copperclad ones, using these may hold the turnout to the correct curvature. As said Coachman has altered the geometry of Peco turnouts

 

Personally I would find it easier to build from scratch, I understand peoples fear of this, but is quite easy providing you pre-pair the rails correctly and follow a few simple processes. Using Templot is very easy if all you want is a single turnout and give it a curve

[DCB]

I have never bent a code 75 turnout but have curveded quite a few code 100 turnouts by cutting the "webs" between the sleepers, the easy way to gain a few degrees or millimetres is to curve the last straight section beyond the Frog. Getting more viscous I have curved a Peco curved point down to around 18" radius from 30" This was a hacksaw job cutting across all the webs from one side to the other. It needed a new shorter points blade to compensate I think I tried shortening it but this put the tie bar an an angle so I fitted a shorter blade from a different peco point, on the more tightly curved road from my scrap box, they pull out of the tie bar and disconnect at the pivot end if you squeeze up the tags.  That was just one blade not the pair of blades and tie bar, no way would I try to change the tie bar except on the very old code 100 points where the two halves of the base "clipped" together under the tie bar.

 

Chopping off large chunks of points and diamond crossings  can also make a difference to complex station throat pointwork or Loco sheds where available space is at a premium, it is also possible to do the same to set track points and save an inch or so on length.

[DCB]

Modified Peco  OO code 100  curved point   The point blade on the sharper curve had to be modified and now slides in and out on the pivot end fishplate instead of simply pivoting.

It works fine with old H/D and Triang locos fitted with all flanged Romford wheels with minimal sideplay. and made a run round loop at the junction possible.

Edited May 22, 2017 by DavidCBroad

[Dazzler Fan]

Interesting.

For Writhlington, the exercise was to build with ST Code 100, and I soon ran into problems

of having the splice points together at convenient spots. I was soon down to ST242/3.

The assembly has flexibility for lining up, but needs a lot of making good and replacing of

sleepers before final laying.

 

Rail joins in red; to span a stream with room for under baseboard PL10's

 

There are several other points, with similar treatments as DavidCBroad.
 

Edited April 25, 2014 by Dazzler Fan

[Joseph_Pestell]

The Grantham Streamliner thread (page 8 IIRC) has plenty on modifying Peco pointwork. I think he has even bent the single slips.

 

I have done the sort of operation the OP is looking for, bending a straight 5' radius turnout to about 15' radius on the outer curve. At this level of slight adjustment, I did not find any need to alter the switchblades or tie-bar

Edited April 25, 2014 by Joseph_Pestell

[LNER4479]

Thanks for the earlier mention. Here is the main curve on the scenic section of Grantham, which is set out a six foot radius (to match the outer radius of the curved points and those of the long radius Y-points. Other points are 'curved' to suit and I have indicated these accordingly. This helps to maintain the constant curve through the pointwork.

 

 

Here are some pics of the alterations to the single slips.

 

This is all undertaken on Code 100; however, I have 'curved' code 75 as well and the exact same principles apply.

 

I've found that the points can 'spring back' after a while - to counteract this, I now insert a piece of plastic off-cut into the gaps on the outer rail.

 

Hope this helps.

[Kiwirail]

Hey thanks very much guys, for the information and the photos.  It all looks a lot more possible!

 

Cheers

Andrew

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

My efforts have been confined to putting very slight curvature into the large radius code 75 points. No adjustments or alterations required beyond the cutting of the sleeper links to obtain the flexibility necessary to enable the slight curve. These operated reliably for years as part of a test set up, remained stable fixed down with dilute PVA secured ballast. What I wasn't able to do was salvage them for re-use; small price to pay for confirming the success of this modification.

[Satan's Goldfish]

Reviving a sleeping thread rather than starting a new one, I have a query on a similar line. Looking at doing some revisions to a track plan, it all works well with Peco curved and medium radius points apart from where a diamond crossing would be required. Centre of picture:

 

 

A standard Peco code 75 long crossing bent to an average 3ft (ish) radius on both tracks would fill the gap, but is this possible? Already worked out some track length would need removing from the inside of the diamond to get some curve through the centre of it.

 

Before anyone mentions it, track work scares me and buying all the guides just to build 1 diamond crossing seems a bit of a waste. Is it worth the effort of trying to create this from Peco, or is it likely to fail and be a waste of track work? The fall back but more expensive option is to get that single piece of track built by someone else.

 

Thanks.

[Joseph_Pestell]

I think that you would struggle to bend it down to that tight a radius. The 6' achieved by 4479 is already impressive.

 

But also, it looks to me from that trackplan as if you need one leg to curve more than the other, so not possible by tweaking a standard ready-to-lay point.

[Satan's Goldfish]

I think that you would struggle to bend it down to that tight a radius. The 6' achieved by 4479 is already impressive.

 

But also, it looks to me from that trackplan as if you need one leg to curve more than the other, so not possible by tweaking a standard ready-to-lay point.

1. Thought so, the idea scared me anyway!

 

2. The diagram is very rough, xtrak doesn't quite give the flexibility slapping real track down does so it's all as close as is practicable. It worked drawn straight with a long crossing.

[DCB]

The diamond is going to need an awful lot of cutting to get a consistent curve through it.  I don't doubt it can be done and using Peco components cannibalised from old points would make a neat job if part of peco pointwork. As drawn the diamond has one curve crossing another which compounds the problem.  The electrics complicate matters as live frogs are much easier to fabricate than dead ones, but you need a 4 pole double throw switch or relay to change the polarity.

 

I would buy some second hand peco diamonds and start cutting and mix and match and see what you end up with. 

[Andy Reichert]

 

Just use curvable turnouts.

 

Andy

[Joseph_Pestell]

 

Just use curvable turnouts.

 

Andy

 

I think that we are all agreed that turnouts are easy enough to do. But a diamond creates a new set of problems.

[Andy Reichert]

I think that we are all agreed that turnouts are easy enough to do. But a diamond creates a new set of problems.

 

Sorry. I think I missed reading the intermediate posts properly.

 

Andy

[Memphis32]

As drawn the diamond has one curve crossing another which compounds the problem.

Both routes curving is the only way a Peco crossing can be bent.

[Satan's Goldfish]

Little update on the diamond experiment; had a fun morning with mr knife cutting out webbing from each end of a code 75 long crossing to just inside the frog. The 'diamond' itself hasn't been touched apart from it's first sleeper in from each side and the rails haven't need to have been cut. Even so, the amount of flex created just at the ends appears to be enough to create the curve i'm after. The plastic check rails are the limiting factor now for bending the ends to smooth curve, but i'm going to drawing pin the crossing to rough shape on a board then very carefully see if i can soften the plastic of the check rails with a heat gun to smoothen it out. if that fails then they'll be removed and replaced with short bits of rail instead. Pics to follow later showing where webbing was cut to create the curve.

[Satan's Goldfish]

Pictures as threatened.

 

Cuts in webbing at 1 end. The complete webbing removal at the top are for the inside of the curve and the single cuts are the outside. The other end of the crossing is a mirror image of this:

 

 

 

Pinned to a plank to help it hold it's shape. The straight side gives a good mark to line it up with:

 

 

 

This shows how 'smooth' the result is:

 

 

 

And finally how well it helps the curved point work fit in. This is a mixture of curved and medium radius points as per the drawing further up this page:

 

 

 

The plank is now upside down on a radiator, whether this will help it shape only time will tell.

[sub39h]

That looks really good I think.

 

Could you get a similar outcome by cutting the crossing as close to the frog as possible and using flex track to replace the legs?

Edited November 11, 2015 by sub39h

[Satan's Goldfish]

That looks really good I think.

Could you get a similar outcome by cutting the crossing as close to the frog as possible and using flex track to replace the legs?

Maybe, but if you look closely at the pictures you can see the effect of the curve has gone further into the crossing than just stopping at the frogs. So even though the cuts are just at the outer ends it's allowing flex further into crossing too.