Thank you Dick!
Fred Tolhurst Maryville, TN -----Original Message----- From: Richard Karnes <[email protected]> To: S-Scale <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, Mar 31, 2011 11:38 am Subject: {S-Scale List} Turnout advice for newcomrs Some of you -- I have just returned from a 16-day vacation and have processed through an amazing number of S-Scale Yahoo digests. There was one particularly disturbing thread (to me), the one advising a newbie as to S scale turnout recommendations. This is a SCALE e-list. Granted that there are AF and hirail members here, but nearly to a man (woman?), all who have previously chimed in have stated that they are here to learn things from the scale side of S. In fact, a few have said they are afraid of posting anything "tinplatey" because of possible backlash. That said, I am providing some backlash here. The newbie (I forget his name-- sorry!) is coming from HO. As such, he is familiar with the implicit concept that anything he ever bought in HO was compatible with anything else he ever bought in HO. This is because everything in HO corresponds to NMRA track and wheel standards. Suggesting hirail and hybrid turnouts as possibilities for this fellow just opens the door to confusion and frustration. He obviously has no American Flyer S equipment, so the ability to run AF and AF-compatible equipment is not a factor for him. To the new fellow: Stick with Tomalco and Shinohara turnouts. You can get Tomalco turnouts in several sizes and with either code 100 (main line) and 83 (yards). Be prepared to check the gauge as you lay them because the rails are glued to the wooden ties. If not in gauge, heat the offending rail with a soldering gun, reposition it as necessary, then hold until cool. Spike the rails in place once the turnout is installed. If you opt for Shinohara turnouts, avoid the No. 6 -- It is too short, and therefore the curved route is too sharp. The No. 8 is good. Be aware that if you use DCC, the Tomalco turnouts are available as "DCC-compatible" for the asking, no extra charge. This means that the points and closure rails are grounded to the stock rails, and the frog is electrically insulated from the closure rails. By contrast, the Shinohara turnout is difficult to make DCC-friendly because the throwbar is metal. Finally, if you are into customizing your trackwork, Bob Nicholson's suggestions are worth heeding. He uses HO turnouts as raw material, lenghtening and widening them to S dimensions. You don't have to construct your own points, frogs, and guard rails. This works because HO and S flangeway standards differ by no more than one hundredth of an inch -- close enough for government work, as they say... Dick Karnes [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
