Scissors crossover construction

[Western Star]

So I have the template for a scissors crossover using 1:6 for the four diverging crossings... and 1:2.9 for the common crossings in the central diamond. All of the timbers are laid and rail cutting is about to begin.

 

What is the general wisdom as to the order in which the stock rails and crossings ought to be laid on the timbers?

 

Any advice / guidance shall be much appreciated. Thank you, Graham Beare

[10800]

Hi Graham

 

Everyone has their own preferred order for this, e.g. for a standard turnout 1) straight stock rail, 2) crossing, 3) curved stock rail, 4) switches. Or you could do the straight switch before the curved stock rail. Or you could do the common crossing first.

 

The important thing whatever the formation is to keep control over what rail is being gauged from where. As long as the sequence means that each new rail or crossing is gauged from just one adjacent rail then you should be OK. Don't try for example to do both stock rails and then fit the crossing afterwards because the crossing gauging relates to both.

 

HTH

[hayfield]

So I have the template for a scissors crossover using 1:6 for the four diverging crossings... and 1:2.9 for the common crossings in the central diamond. All of the timbers are laid and rail cutting is about to begin.

 

What is the general wisdom as to the order in which the stock rails and crossings ought to be laid on the timbers?

 

Any advice / guidance shall be much appreciated. Thank you, Graham Beare

 

Graham

 

I have built a couple of scissors crossovers, the method I used was as follows.

 

I built the left and right hand V's first. I then tacked the top and bottom stock rails in place.

 

I then built the top and botton D (other 4 V's) This section is the critical part and tripple check that all rails line up with a straight edge as well as all is still in gauge. When fitting the crossing/wing rails in the centre diamond make them a bit longer than needed first, I use small thin 6" steel rulers and wing rail gauges to fit them.

 

Once this was all in line I built the centre rails (diamond) then fitted the switch rails, then the check rails.

 

I think I had some pictures of a scissors on a thread on building turnouts on the previous web

[kipford]

Graham

I am in the middle of building a crossover and below is photo taken last night. By thr way its flat bottom rail in EM, but that should make no difference. As HTH says control of the gauging is everything.

 

I started with the long straight stock rail that join both ends of the cross over, then fitted the crossing vees which were pre-assembled with wing rails. Curve stock rails were last. The cross over was then built up in similar manner with the 'K' that joins the two turnouts put in first, then the rest gauged off the 'K' rail. The photo show the third cross over being assembled from the curved stockrail this time im order to make sure it all lines up.

 

 

Hope this helps

 

Dave

[10800]

Hope this helps

 

 

Hi Dave

 

That's what HTH means in my post!

[bike2steam]

I thought about it, but decided to chicken out, and buy a Shinohara one instead

[kipford]

That's what HTH means in my post!

 

Doh, you learn something new every day

 

Ta

 

Dave

[flubrush]

So I have the template for a scissors crossover using 1:6 for the four diverging crossings... and 1:2.9 for the common crossings in the central diamond. All of the timbers are laid and rail cutting is about to begin.

 

What is the general wisdom as to the order in which the stock rails and crossings ought to be laid on the timbers?

 

Any advice / guidance shall be much appreciated. Thank you, Graham Beare

 

I've built a couple of scissors and I learned the hard way to start with the central diamond and work outwards. My first ever attempt started with the turnouts when I found that a miniscule misplacement of a crossing completely threw the alignment through the diamond.

 

Jim.

[brossard]

Thanks for the advice. I am just starting a new layout that will be a 4mm version of Inkerman St (from MRJ), the heart of which is a scissors crossing.

 

John

[Re6/6]

Here's one I built in P4. It's flatbottom on copperclad. Design taken from a Network Rail magazine. I always start with the middle crossing first. It took a couple of goes and much cursing to get it right!

 

Apologies for the fuzzy pic.