Beautiful work Ray 👍 So satisfying to watch a train roll through points 🇦🇺(switches/turnouts) that you’ve built yourself! I use a #7 Fastracks jig for mainline and #6 for yards. Same reason as you $$$, around 120 sets when I’m done. The running characteristics of hand made points are so superior to commercial it’s not funny ! Using paper templates is another skill level altogether 👍
We call them points. Because it points you to the right track . Love watching your layout. I'll never own one but I can enjoy yours instead. I'm near a lot of old steam railways in Wales
Very nice. My updated layout is going to use hand laid switches. Seeing how smooth these flow is very impressive. Love the center over springs too. Thanks for sharing.
Those are exceptional handlaid switches and they certainly operate well with the trains you demonstrated. My only concern is that you have back to back points which are closer than the rigid wheel base of 3 or 4 drive-axle steam locomotives which might prove more problematic (I'm sure I've seen 2-8-0s in prior videos and even 2-10-2s). I'd like to see one of those larger steam loco run through these switches, especially divergent to divergent routes of the two right handed switches at the right end of the junction(as viewed from the aisle). I hope they run through just as well as what you demonstrated but I'd have added a couple more inches between the points just to be safe.
Thank you! I have a frame of a very stiff legged brass 2-10-4 I use testing all my track. When I talk about setting the gage on the wide side, it's crazy what and extra .01" does for the problem you're describing!
Maybe there's no basements in the SC area you was in but I live in central NC and do grading work and clearing lots for houses and over half, I'd say close to 2/3s we dig basements for. My house, my parents house, my grandparents house, and a majority of people I know have a basement under their house. So it's not all the Carolinas that don't have basements it's just pockets of areas that aren't as suitable to have a basement under a house and you might have been living in one of those areas. I've noticed a lot of new houses in huge subdivisions where the houses are thrown up really quick don't have basements especially the closer you get to big cities. Older homes tend to have basements too. It was something everyone, in my area anyway; wanted with their new homes from the 50s through to the 80s. So they're popular in central NC anyway.
Ray, those turnouts are beautiful!😲 I've watched YT videos where new turnouts are a pain in the neck with frequent point-picking-derailments until they finally get the turtles installed. To think that an extra hole and a piece of piano wire could solve that issue indefinitely . . . a little 5-cent fix that's worth a million - how cool is that?! (thinking of nickels reminds me of Yogi Berra, "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore." lol) Anyway, I really enjoyed this video.😊 Thanks for posting. 🚂Lawrence PS Good to see B&LE updates again. How did Summer drum line go?
Thank you! The piano wire spring is in a fast tracks how- to video, but I've seen very few people doing it. Takes a few springs to get the hang of it, then it's so easy and fast. Seems like a way to go to me! Still a week left of drumline, our season wraps up 10/28 and boy is out getting COLD outside at night. They had a great season for a entire crew of newbies. Very proud of them.
@@bessemerlakeerieinhoscale6061 That's great to hear! Yes, it's that time of year - you probably don't want to be walking around in the snow, beating a drum, dodging hail baseballs and avalanches while slowly freezing all your appendages! (perhaps I exaggerate just a wee bit? lol) But, Kudos to you and the crew.🤗 So . . . a lot of modelers are doing manual-throw turnouts to avoid the cost and complexity of motors, wiring, panels etc. Those springs seem such a neat way to accomplish that, and perhaps they could even be hidden underneath the layout, if there wasn't a lot of slop, and with the addition of something to keep them from working their way out and onto the floor below. Hmm, have to think on that.🤔 (the extra hole could be blind, drilled from the bottom using a template or jig, as well)🙂 just sayin' , ya know?🚂
If you are going to have hundreds of turnouts, each with switch machines, you may want to use some cheap arduino controlled servos or something similar. That is what I do, though my train layout is 12'x13' and I have closer to 15 turnouts. Otherwise, good job.
Beautiful work Ray 👍 So satisfying to watch a train roll through points 🇦🇺(switches/turnouts) that you’ve built yourself! I use a #7 Fastracks jig for mainline and #6 for yards. Same reason as you $$$, around 120 sets when I’m done. The running characteristics of hand made points are so superior to commercial it’s not funny ! Using paper templates is another skill level altogether 👍
Another awesome video displaying your awesome work. That crossover is simply amazing. Thank you for the update.
Thank you!
Very well done turnouts! Thanks for the update, Ray.
Thank you!
We call them points. Because it points you to the right track . Love watching your layout. I'll never own one but I can enjoy yours instead. I'm near a lot of old steam railways in Wales
Thanks for watching! "Pointing to the right track..." I like that!
Well done! Rhanks for sharing.
You're welcome!
Very nice work, so smooth, not even a hint of a wobble on any of the equipment.
That is impressive. The speed you moved that coal train in the reverse move was pretty fast. Great work!
Thanks! When I test track work I like to do things harder / worse scenarios than will ever actually happen.
Great update, Ray. Switches are very impressive.
Awesome job on the switches! 👍
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing. Very nice and very smooth, great job, if you ever have a class on building switches I would be interested in joining.👍
Fantastic work Ray.
Thank you sir!
Very nice. My updated layout is going to use hand laid switches. Seeing how smooth these flow is very impressive. Love the center over springs too. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome! Good luck on your build!
I like those passenger coaches
In the intro? They're relettered bachmann with some other minor upgrades
Those are exceptional handlaid switches and they certainly operate well with the trains you demonstrated. My only concern is that you have back to back points which are closer than the rigid wheel base of 3 or 4 drive-axle steam locomotives which might prove more problematic (I'm sure I've seen 2-8-0s in prior videos and even 2-10-2s). I'd like to see one of those larger steam loco run through these switches, especially divergent to divergent routes of the two right handed switches at the right end of the junction(as viewed from the aisle). I hope they run through just as well as what you demonstrated but I'd have added a couple more inches between the points just to be safe.
Thank you! I have a frame of a very stiff legged brass 2-10-4 I use testing all my track. When I talk about setting the gage on the wide side, it's crazy what and extra .01" does for the problem you're describing!
Maybe there's no basements in the SC area you was in but I live in central NC and do grading work and clearing lots for houses and over half, I'd say close to 2/3s we dig basements for. My house, my parents house, my grandparents house, and a majority of people I know have a basement under their house. So it's not all the Carolinas that don't have basements it's just pockets of areas that aren't as suitable to have a basement under a house and you might have been living in one of those areas. I've noticed a lot of new houses in huge subdivisions where the houses are thrown up really quick don't have basements especially the closer you get to big cities. Older homes tend to have basements too. It was something everyone, in my area anyway; wanted with their new homes from the 50s through to the 80s. So they're popular in central NC anyway.
Ray, those turnouts are beautiful!😲 I've watched YT videos where new turnouts are a pain in the neck with frequent point-picking-derailments until they finally get the turtles installed. To think that an extra hole and a piece of piano wire could solve that issue indefinitely . . . a little 5-cent fix that's worth a million - how cool is that?! (thinking of nickels reminds me of Yogi Berra, "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore." lol) Anyway, I really enjoyed this video.😊 Thanks for posting. 🚂Lawrence PS Good to see B&LE updates again. How did Summer drum line go?
Thank you! The piano wire spring is in a fast tracks how- to video, but I've seen very few people doing it. Takes a few springs to get the hang of it, then it's so easy and fast. Seems like a way to go to me! Still a week left of drumline, our season wraps up 10/28 and boy is out getting COLD outside at night. They had a great season for a entire crew of newbies. Very proud of them.
@@bessemerlakeerieinhoscale6061 That's great to hear! Yes, it's that time of year - you probably don't want to be walking around in the snow, beating a drum, dodging hail baseballs and avalanches while slowly freezing all your appendages! (perhaps I exaggerate just a wee bit? lol) But, Kudos to you and the crew.🤗 So . . . a lot of modelers are doing manual-throw turnouts to avoid the cost and complexity of motors, wiring, panels etc. Those springs seem such a neat way to accomplish that, and perhaps they could even be hidden underneath the layout, if there wasn't a lot of slop, and with the addition of something to keep them from working their way out and onto the floor below. Hmm, have to think on that.🤔 (the extra hole could be blind, drilled from the bottom using a template or jig, as well)🙂 just sayin' , ya know?🚂
If you are going to have hundreds of turnouts, each with switch machines, you may want to use some cheap arduino controlled servos or something similar. That is what I do, though my train layout is 12'x13' and I have closer to 15 turnouts. Otherwise, good job.
I've thought about it. I'll only be motorizing the main line switches that are dispatcher controlled, so, it won't be a terribly huge number.
Well. Where is it?
GN is on my upper level, rail south of Branchton, close to midway on the mainline run.
Hi