I remember being really excited when I opened my first C+L Finescale EM gauge point kit. In contrast I was underwhelmed by this offering from a well known supplier of 5" and 7 1/4" gauge railways. To give one example, those check rails are just aluminium angle.In fairness I have not included the sleepers in this photo, because they are both too short and too narrow for my planned use. Instead I've substituted ones cut from tanalised roofing batten.
Although the kit is sold as being a 10ft radius LH or RH turnout I'm actually building it as a wider radius wye point. In EM I would have used Templot, but in this gauge I just went with some basic school boy geometry scribbled on the back of a scrap of paper.
The instructions it came with were also pretty dire, so I'm basically following Geoff's excellent advice on building EM gauge turnouts but scaling it up. I won't say that I'm feeling confident about the outcome at the moment, but I'm working on the basis that pretty much anything I do during construction can be undone and redone with less effort than in 4mm.
Can you not get copper clad sleepers big enough then?
ReplyDeleteCan you not get copper clad sleepers big enough then?
ReplyDeleteIf I could my soldering iron wouldn't be big enough for the job. However for hose who can weld I can recommend this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Build-your-own-7-1-4-Gauge-railway-Points-miniature-railway-narrow-steam-7-25-/252392722356?hash=item3ac3c74fb4:m:m3ga87R2mjZ_HLZn-AeWs1Q
DeleteHi James
ReplyDeleteI see you wisely went for the live frog option.
BW Kane
I'm told that cast aluminium crossings work well, but it does seem a little odd
DeleteThis looks a bit daunting! I've worked on full-size track as a volunteer both on the FR and K&WVR, but under supervision from someone who knew what they were doing...it still looked easier than this :-) I am keen to see how it works, and I am sure it will.
ReplyDeleteIain,
ReplyDeleteAs with 4mm track having the right jigs and components helps, and one of the delays has been sourcing upgraded components including a better tie bar, slide chairs and check rails. In some ways it is a lot easier. The upgraded check rails for instance come with brass spacers to ensure the correct clearance, and you don't need to combine cosmetic features with functioning ones - I've lost count of the 4mm scale tiebars I've messed up.
I might buy yet more track gauges, and it would be useful to have the equivalent of some of the gauges available to the indoor modeller.
16mm aluminium rail was a deliberate choice knowing I was going to have to do a lot of work single handed. Some people using it even get away without using a rail bender. The downside is working with 2.5m lengths which I sometimes find too short to get a flowing curve, and it is going to limit the maximum size of loco that can work the line, but then so is the minimum radius.
And if all else fails I have a source of Penryhn style quarry points.....