From a standard turnout to a single slip - what do I need to know?

[Lacathedrale]

Ah, I went ahead and soldered them with the existing k crossing setup and it works, just!

 

What are drive stretchers?

[Grovenor]

Quote

Ah, I went ahead and soldered them with the existing k crossing setup and it works, just!

OK, drawback is that with a shorter flexible length the stress on the soldered joint is increased and with the blade only soldered to one sleeper its likely to fail eventually, just remember for next time.

 

Quote

What are drive stretchers?

Those black bits you have fitted to the blades to hold them together and drive them from side to side.

 

Jobs a good un.

Rgds

[Lacathedrale]

Thank you - this was only ever going to be a lab piece so I'm fine with it being a bit wonky

 

Thinking out loud, should i have put joggles in the rails where the switchblades are? My test wagon runs through but there's an obvious 'tick' when it's going past the ends of the blades.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Lacathedrale

[martin_wynne]

56 minutes ago, Lacathedrale said:

Thinking out loud, should i have put joggles in the rails where the switchblades are? My test wagon runs through but there's an obvious 'tick' when it's going past the ends of the blades.

 

Hi William,

 

You need a set (bend) in the outer stock rail, as indicated on the template. It doesn't need to be a joggle, which is tricky to do properly, especially in a slip where you need two of them exactly the right distance apart in the outer rail.

 

You shouldn't need anything in the diamond rails if you have filed the blade tips thin enough at the head. If not, hold them against the diamond rail, and file across the head at an angle, or rub with abrasive paper, until they are down to a knife edge at the top of the tip. Here's a diagram showing what the blade should look like at the extreme tip:

 

 

I noticed that you haven't got very much flare angle on the ends of the check rails, which may also cause "ticking" if the flanges catch the ends of them. Bend them to match the template.

 

it's looking good.

 

Martin.

Edited April 27, 2019 by martin_wynne
better diagram found

[Lacathedrale]

Ah yes, I haven't bent the check rails at all - goodc catch on that - but it's definitely over the end of the blades.

 

So a bend on the curved stock rail, as per a normal turnout - who'd have thought? May I also ask since you're here what the 'stock gauge' marking is, a few timbers up from the end of the blades?

[martin_wynne]

21 minutes ago, Lacathedrale said:

Ah yes, I haven't bent the check rails at all - good catch on that - but it's definitely over the end of the blades.

 

So a bend on the curved stock rail, as per a normal turnout - who'd have thought? May I also ask since you're here what the 'stock gauge' marking is, a few timbers up from the end of the blades?

 

Hi William,

 

The "stock gauge" mark is the position where the rails diverge (if you have filed the blades to the correct planing length), positions X and Y here:

 

 

You use that mark when fixing the stock rail to gauge. At that position, the distance from the opposite rail should be equal to your track gauge plus one rail width. You can measure it with digital calipers, or combine an oddment of rail in your track gauge. More about all this at:

 

http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=491&forum_id=1

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

[roythebus]

Ideally you need to set the blades to start another sleeper along from the V. I made this mistake on the first slips I made. you can adjust the blade settings on the Templot menu for the correct length for slips. I can't remember where they are, no doubt Martin will tell us.

 

Edited April 28, 2019 by roythebus

[Lacathedrale]

So effectively a shorter blade?