What’s the point part 1

Over the past month or so, I have been working on something pretty important as I think about extending the original micro layout. 

I’ve been building a turnout. You’ll all be familiar with my method of building plain track using Plastruct embossed corrugated sheet. I needed to know if this construction method would work for turnouts. I know there’s lots of people 3D printing turnouts, and I may well go that way. But first I have to know if my method of track building would work. 

I decided to build a Y turnout from the drawing in the late Roy Link’s Industrial narrow gauge handbook.

I enlarged the drawing to size and got to work. I shall try not to bore you with a ‘How I blew my nose” approach to describing the work. Just list the significant steps. Suffice to say the method of building turnouts is little different whatever scale or track you use.

The template from the Roy Link handbook, blown up  and taped on a board. During an earlier rush of blood to the head, I had cut all my embossed styrene into sleeper lengths. In order to get the correct length sleepers I had to glue them together. Each butt joint was reinforced with styrene strip in the channels.

A lot of people asked me about my railbender. This is it. I found it on eBay from a seller called harrgar52. It looks to be an adaptation of the tool for removing watch backs, that has been described in the model railway press in the past.

Stage 1. Cut all the sections of rail to size. I made multiple easy passes through the railbender in order to get the curvature correct. The rail came from some sections of Atlas O scale 2 rail track. I think that makes it code 148. 

A simple jig was needed for the crossing vee. Just a couple of pieces of wood set to the correct angle. Filing the rails to the correct angle of the vee, gave me a good idea of how much rail would have to be removed for the blades. A lot.

Then I had to leave the project for a couple of weeks as I prepared to run my 24th marathon.