S2 E3 Handbuilt Turnouts for Model Railways

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Күн бұрын

In this video I start my journey with hand built track and I show my first attempts at turnout building. Whilst this is not a tutorial video, I hope it shows that the process of building a turnout by hand need not be too tricky but that the results can be highly realistic and work well. I must stress, that I am no expert in this field and present this as an encouragement to other beginners who, like myself, might perceive the task as challenging.
If you are experienced in this field, and have some positive constructive feedback, then do please leave it in the comments, as I and other non-experts alike will no-doubt find them very helpful.
I have intentionally left-out some of the details relating to filing-up and assembling the crossing 'V' to keep the video short. I anticipate covering this in more detail in a forthcoming video.
Next time, I will get into the revised baseboards for my Bexhill West project, and hopefully make some headway at rebuilding the trackwork which had gone before.
Thanks for watching,
James

Пікірлер: 64

@johnyoung3675 8 ай бұрын

I have been following you for a wee while James. Love what you do. John Young St.Catharines ,Ontario, Canada

@BexhillWest 8 ай бұрын

Thank you John, I'm pleased you enjoy the videos. Lovely to hear where viewers are watching from. I'd love to visit Canada one day, and see the country by rail. Thank you for watching. :)

@maryginger4877 3 ай бұрын

The hardest part is learning the basics of Templot2.... but its so rewarding.

@BexhillWest 2 ай бұрын

I completely agree. It's a fantastic piece of software. Thanks for watching, James

@chrissouthgate4554 2 жыл бұрын

Eyes; I highly recommend getting a headband magnifier. Even if you already wear glasses these can flip over the glasses & give that little extra vision that helps so much with fine detail.

@ericsainte290 2 жыл бұрын

I agree, I use those when working on my N scale models or detailing 1/35 scale military vehicles... also a must have is some good daylight lighting. I use two lamps (11 or 15 watts daylight lamps) to light from two directions in supplement to my room overhead lighting to kill shadows and ensure a good lighting of the model I work on. This helps quite a lot too.

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Chris, I think I'm going to invest in a magnifier. I'm picking up a new pair of reading glasses next week. Apparently my long vision is still 20/20, but up close it's guesswork these days. :) All the best, James

@brianbs7348 2 жыл бұрын

I also Agree working on 2mm and N you really do need a headset P4 as well

@mathergeoff1055 Жыл бұрын

Good to see this I will be having my first go at building a turnout in the next couple of weeks

@melvynwoodman5787 2 жыл бұрын

Good demonstration of wheel and track system that works unlike oo.

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Melvyn.

@rodsmith3911 Жыл бұрын

I've just watched this after seeing some of your Bexhill videos. Your attention to detail on the turnout is superb. Having spent 30 years maintaining trackwork I can only admire the way you set out your stall to construct a turnout. I have to say that I would rather work on a standard gauge turnout than the 4mm equivalent! Your crossing nose must be an excellent one as it seems to run just like the real thing with no dropping in of the wheels. So nice to see a scale model which uses the correct chairs and proper scale timber lengths and spacings even down to the heads of the chairscrews! A very well demonstrated and explained video without overcomplicating things.

@1BCamden 2 жыл бұрын

incredibly enjoyable to watch, definitely food for thought

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the kind comment, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I enjoyed making it. All the best, James

@paulhayton3423 2 жыл бұрын

Great video and explanation, thank you!

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Paul, I’m glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching, James

@petereaton6982 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Just watched this after a bit of Bexhill West research & by coincidence seeing a glimpse of its existence on the Hornby Railways program last night on the Bexhill museum model. highly inspiring videos - thank you.

@pauldaley576 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant video again James and very informative, having built a few points in EM gauge myself, yours are spot on.

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Paul, it's heartening to hear that I'm heading in the right direction. Thanks for watching, James

@stardust5379 2 жыл бұрын

fantastic achievement. Shows what can be done with a little thought.

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

I've surprised myself again. :) Thanks for watching, James

@medwaypeninsulaMR 2 жыл бұрын

Hi James - That was interesting and you are correct in pointing out how smooth they are. Cheers Kev

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Kev, I'm pleased you found it interesting. All the best, James

@peterjhillier7659 2 жыл бұрын

Really excellent, on that basis I would now have no Qualms about converting my old OO Gauge Stock to P4 Standards, thank you for sharing.

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Peter, I'm glad you found the video of some use. All the best, James

@petertownsend8276 2 жыл бұрын

P4 is definitely worth the effort. Nice work. Pete.

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Pete, I agree completely. Thanks for watching, James

@nigeljohnson8022 Жыл бұрын

Great video. I have been making track now for a while. I buy my point blades and bees in. I would love to see how you make your own.

@gregoryhale2202 2 жыл бұрын

Hi James, certainly an interesting video, especially due to the fact that you are able to build a turnout to your own measurements not available from the various manufacturers of turnouts. Are you going to show in a future video the mechanism for switching the point blades. Cheers Greg

@dialwright 2 жыл бұрын

See, James, I knew P4 was the right answer for you and your project! (Smiley face.)

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

You were quite correct Michael, have you any more pearls-of-wisdom? If so, do please share it will probably save me lots of time. :) I believe it was who you made a comment a while back when I was deliberating between EM and P4 in which you described EM as 'neither fish nor foul', this stuck in my mind and so I have you to thank for the considerable learning curve I've been on over the past few weeks. It's all been rather enjoyable. All the best, James

@vincenthuying98 2 жыл бұрын

James, love what you’re doing with the chair system. Looks absolutely beautiful. I have seen these chairs before, nevertheless wasn’t really familiar with ‘m. A few years ago I invested in a few jigs from Fast Tracks or handlaid track. Their system uses pcb ties and soldered on rails, which is of course less detailed. However, the experience of rolling a bogie or stock through the hand manufactured turnouts is as smooth as you convey. The main purpose of building my own turnouts is to build them to my specific needs, designed (let’s say) along the French curve. The v-points of the frogs are as easy as the point blades. I use a tin-silver solder to join these filed down parts. Filed with or without jig. The main issue is to maintain the point of the v as long as possible, in accordance with the drawing. That gives a truly smooth point, considering the other rails and flangeways are put correctly in gauge.

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Vincent for the helpful info. I'm still building my skills, but with a curved scissor crossing to attempt at some stage hand building is the only way to go - hence me getting the practice in. Out of interest what gauge are you working in? My best wishes, James

@vincenthuying98 2 жыл бұрын

@@BexhillWest HO scale, 1:87. Check for Tim Warris’s CNJ Bronx Terminal and more recently on Boomer Dioramas his technique to scratch build turnouts.

@maryginger4877 3 ай бұрын

@@vincenthuying98 Boomer shows how easy it can be to build that common crossing V shape that can terrify beginners who "over think".

@smokest4k 2 жыл бұрын

Nice. I always start with the common crossing assembly as the check rails, and subsequently the stock rails, are measured from this. I have a specific check rail gauge for P4 but not much use as I now model in S. Have done quite a few turnouts in P4 and Exactoscale do some sprues with the various unique chairs on them for turnouts. There is a nice diagram on their website showing where they all go. In terms of power do you use feeder wires or are you fitting brass chairs to each section?

@andrewstevenson5449 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks James. I've never built any trackwork, but always felt it must be very satisfying to do, as well as meaning you could model a prototype, instead of making a prototype fit the geometry of commercially available track. Others might find it useful if you said who makes all the components you used (I'd never heard of all those types of chairs!) and maybe where you got them. It will be interesting to see if the the whole "templotted" trackplan traced from the OS maps actually works, or if the Ordnance Survey surveyors cheated at all.

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion Andrew, I didn't think to include a supplier list, I will next time. As for the templot plan, it is interesting as there is a slight discrepancy around the station platforms between the OS map and the official track drawing/gradient chart. It's amazing that Templot has enabled me to narrow down the inaccuracy which I hope to cover in my next video when I will start to layout the track I've built thus far and contemplate the workload ahead. All the best, James

@Fly0High 2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same about the profiled rods for the rails. That's the only bit of kit I could not find a way to source for my likings. Also, does Master Turnout Builder John James have a youtube channel of his own?

@scrashnet 9 ай бұрын

@@BexhillWest We need that supplier list, please!!! =D

@williamsworkshopuk 2 жыл бұрын

9:39 - In 2mmFS I used a pair of miniature smooth jaw pliers with the tip of one of the jaws slimmed down on the rear face with a file to 0.5mm so it can slip between the check rail and stock rail

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

That's a great tip thank you. I also found a spark plug feeler gauges quite helpful. Thanks for watching, James

@kevinstaddon8517 8 ай бұрын

What's the book place? I have a PWI book but that one looked different.

@JohnTarbox 2 жыл бұрын

I absolutely love this video! When looking at a photograph of a model, for me, the "gold standard" is if one can not see anything that would identify it as a model as opposed to the real thing. Clearly, this is an ideal instead of a realistic objective, but one always needs something to aspire to if one's work is to improve. I would love to see you do a follow-on video that goes into greater detail on the trackwork, particularly examining particular details at Brexhill West that pose unique challenges. Finally, would you be willing to comment on your choice of the P4 (Protofour) standard rather than the closely related S4 Standard?

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much John. My ambition always exceeds my ability, but as you say that does motivate one to improve. I plan to cover in detail my choice of P4 and I'll have brief look at S4 as well in explaining my final preference. I think at the end of the day I just like making things, and so the challenge of P4 appealed to that instinct in me in addition to the realism. Thank you for watching and I'm pleased you enjoyed the video. Best wishes, James

@lassunsschaun6859 2 жыл бұрын

Nice model of a model at the beginning :) Your self build P4 turnout looks clearly very much better then the normal out of shelf OO/H0 ones :) Have shoot some pictures from Härtsfeld Museumsbahn new rebuild station tracks / turnouts in German metre-gauge for comparison therefore - well, there are some characteristics and national flavours and changed by era parts that in detail are noticeable (not only that they actually have "Doppelschwelle" all 10m screwed the old way at the straight track) - but yes "this is already small stuff" [14:45-14:49] ;)

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Fascinating, I wonder whether anyone has written a book about railway engineering across the world. I'm sure there must be lots of regional differences due to material availability and terrain etc. I'm sure such a book would be a fascinating read. Thanks for watching, James

@lassunsschaun6859 2 жыл бұрын

@@BexhillWest would say that would be certainly more then one book and then you would look up one example out of it and notice that the turnout you look at is different to what it should be ;) And it´s not much about the material more about topography, money, speed, transport volume ("Feldbahn" vs. Gällivare−Kiruna−Narvik), not building the same as the neighbouring country (Spain) or the same as (Finland got mainly Russian gauge), ...

@davidorf3921 2 жыл бұрын

As per usual James your videos are really clear and very informative, my own efforts will involve meter gauge track and a central rack (as in rack and pinion) rail, same principles with the outer rails and the crossing V but with more moving parts required, I have a couple of options based on the prototypes as to how to achieve this which I am looking into. I don't suppose for one minute that the book you mentioned also has details for rack points ?

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you David, I've had a quick look in the book and whilst there are no specific detail for rack points, there is a rather interesting photograph of a Grant Lyon Eagre Rack and Pinion Turnout. I could send you a copy of the picture if it would be helpful. Thanks for watching, James

@davidorf3921 2 жыл бұрын

@@BexhillWest that would be appreciated many thanks I've sent you an email at your engineering email, hope thats ok

@ericsainte290 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video. It comfort me in my idea of building my own bullhead switches since Peco's range is limited. Still I dread making single slip and double slip crossings... have you made one yet ? This would be also anime video to do shoping how to do it...

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

HI Eric, I'm pleased you found the video useful. I haven't built a slip yet, but I have a single-slip to do so will no-doubt cover that in due course. My best wishes, James

@ericsainte290 2 жыл бұрын

@@BexhillWest thanks James. About the chairs and ties, are they available via mail order ? (I'm living in Belgium thus I have to order by the Web, mainly from TMC and a few other small companies for my supplies as I'm an avid scratch builder of buildings and sometimes of rolling stock.)

@medwaymodelrailway7129 2 жыл бұрын

Nice video very helpful

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I'm pleased you found it helpful. Thanks for watching, James

@medwaymodelrailway7129 2 жыл бұрын

@@BexhillWest No worries James and Thank you very much for replying to my comment. I would love if you could take a quick look at my page and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

@nigelericogden3200 2 жыл бұрын

Hi James, as per a very interesting and informative video. Brilliant work. Have you come across the “mpeterll” KZfaq channel. I would consider Peter to be a master at this, perhaps there is some content on his channel that might be helpful to you (?). I’m only sorry I cannot “point” (sorry) you to a specific video. Nevertheless, you have done brilliantly, you’re becoming our teacher on so many topics. I hope your regular students appreciate how lucky they are to have you as their teacher. Very best wishes, Nigel

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Nigel, I shall check that channel out. Thank you also for your kind feedback. I get very little positive feedback from my regular students, in fact sometime only abuse. :) So it's nice to feel appreciated on here. All the best, James

@NEAR_1910 2 жыл бұрын

Hello James As always you have made something that appears to be daunting look relatively simple to construct in its entirety. May I ask where you got your supplies from i.e. track gauges, track supplies and what the track reference book is called? I have a few bespoke turnouts that I am going to attempt to construct as the RTR versions do not have the correct symmetry and throw my prototype of shape so to speak. Stay safe, keep sharing and model on Regards Lee@NEAR

@BexhillWest 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Lee, I've used Exactoscale components which I purchased through the Scalefour society stores. C&L finescale do a similar range also, and their website is worth a visit. As for the book, it is : An approach to building finescale track by Iain Rice. It was recommended to me by a viewer and is an excellent read. Thanks for watching, James

@NEAR_1910 2 жыл бұрын

Hello James Thank you for taking the time to reply as I know you must be inundated with comments. I have already purchased the Iain Rice “ An Introduction to 4mm Fine Scale Railway Modelling” and will pour through this no doubt many times before making a start. Again thank you for taking the time. Stay safe, keep sharing and model on. Regards Lee@NEAR

@talltimberjunction7140 11 ай бұрын

Where can I buy these chairs and are they HO ?

@maryginger4877 3 ай бұрын

The chairs are ExactoScale and available on the EM Gauge & P4 Gauge website shops... also C&L do chairs... All in 4mm scale. You just need to know what type of chairs the prototype uses.