Dual Gauge Turnout
Part of the Fast Tracks NMRA Train Show Display
click on images for larger version…..
No, I’m not starting another layout. For the upcoming NMRA Train Show in Anaheim California next month I have built several displays of finished trackwork showing some of the numerous scales and gauges for which Fast Tracks produces fixtures.
One of these displays is for Dual Gauge turnouts, like the example shown above. This piece, HO/HOn3 is code 70 and is built using our Dual Gauge Left fixture. With dual gauge track, the narrow gauge portion can be either to the left or to the right of the standard gauge track is shares. This gets very confusing! Especially because there are left hand and right hand versions of dual left and dual right turnouts. To make it even more fun, there isn’t always a turnout for both gauges, sometimes the narrow gauge will diverge, but the standard gauge will be straight. There are quite a few combinations, all of which can be built with the dual gauge fixtures.
With all those rails its hard to believe the trains can find their way through the turnout! But they seem to manage….
There are several more pieces like this being displayed at our booth in Anaheim (booth 64-65). If you make your way down to California, drop by and say hey!
About the Author:
I'm your host, Tim Warris, a product developer in Port Dover, Ontario. Since March of 2007 I have been documenting the construction of the former CNJ Bronx Terminal in HO scale. For my day job, I design track building tools for Fast Tracks, a small company I own and operate. Fast Tracks makes it fast and easy to hand lay your own trackwork. Stop by our website to learn more!
Posted by: Tim | 06-27-2008 | 10:06 PM
Posted in: 2008 NMRA Train Show - Anaheim | Latest Posts
You know, just *looking* at that thing gives me a headache, trying to figure out which rail leads where, and all those guard rails! Worse than a double-slip!
That’s a very beautiful turnout! I really like complicated trackwork like this!!
Nice work Tim!
Nice Dual Gauge trackwork there, where’s the triple gauge for us South Australian’s on the web.
You need to throw together some HO scale 3’6″, 4’8 1/2″ & 5’3″ so we can accuratly create some of the triple gauge stations that we had 😉
I admire your work.
One hint, I make my turnouts with hinged points, but faked. I make only a cut through the head of the rail. This way it looks like hinged points but you will get no electrical problems.
BTW, I’ve just built my first crossing, dual / narrow gauge for my Pueblo & Salt Lake RR.
Wolfgang