From the time I first got into the model railroading hobby one of my greatest sources of frustration has been turnouts (for those of you reading this who are not in the hobby these are often colloquially called switches). This is a picture of two prototype turnouts found in the real world (the one in the foreground is a left turnout and the one in the distance is a right turnout):
In this post I am not going to venture into the terminology associated with turnouts as this is a very extensive topic about which many authors have written a great deal. My purpose is to provide the hobbyist with an outline of my experiences in the past few years that have solved one of the most annoying aspects of the model railroad hobby – sourcing reliable, well-built and reasonably priced turnouts that meet my needs whenever I need them. You may have experienced some of the same frustrations when it comes to turnouts:
- Even when local hobby shops were much more plentiful than they are today, the odds that you would be able to find a number 4.5 left turnout or a curved number 8 right turnout on the day you need it would be slim. It would involve having the hobby shop order what you needed and waiting … and waiting. The alternative and often the only source for many hobbyists is online. This involves searching the websites of one or more websites to locate the type of turnout(s) that you are looking for. If you are looking for several turnouts for some new trackwork you are laying this often means that you need to place multiple orders because no one vendor has everything that you need. Again, you wait for the order(s) to be shipped.
- My modelling skills may not be as advanced as many who read this but there have been many occasions when I thought I needed three number 6 turnouts only to find that I would have been better off to have ordered two number 6 and one number 5 because of space limitations. This means that another order must be placed, and you are left with an extra turnout because it is usually not practical to return one that you have mail ordered.
- It is not unusual for me to have a carefully thought out track plan when I place my turnout order only to realize during the actual construction phase that the design could be improved. I know many of you will be better than me at visualizing the result of your planning. I, however, often will change my design on the fly because when I see the track and turnouts loosely placed on the benchwork I realize that a left turnout would produce a more pleasing result than the right turnout I had anticipated (and purchased). When this happens, I have to place another order and wait…and wait for it to arrive (Are you getting the impression that I can be rather impatient? You would be correct.)
- It is not hard to pay anywhere from C$30 to C$80 for a turnout, depending on the type of turnout, the exchange rate, customs brokerage and shipping charges and how large the order is.
- I have had very mixed experiences with the quality control of commercial turnouts. Over the years I have had encountered commercial turnouts which are not built to the proper specifications. On more than one occasion I have incorrectly assumed otherwise only to find that the installed turnout has chronic derailments. By this time the turnout has been fastened down, the wiring soldered to the frog and rails and the turnout has been soldered to the adjacent track. Curses!
The solution is
Fast Tracks turnouts. About three years ago I saw an advertisement in
Model Railroad Hobbyist that had been placed by
Fast Tracks. Since MRH is an on-line magazine it has handy hot links to all its advertisers. Intrigued, I clicked on the Fast Tracks link and was totally blown away by what I saw.
I spent quite a bit of time navigating around the Fast Tracks website looking at their product lineup. I downloaded the very extensive PDF file that they provide with clear instructions on how to build one of their turnouts. I watched some of their videos. It quickly became apparent that this was an ingenious idea. I haven’t purchased a commercial turnout since. Instead, I have built every turnout I have in the model railroad that I am currently building including crossover and curved turnouts. I am guessing that by now I have built 40 or 50 turnouts.
Fast Tracks sells you the jigs and special parts and tools you need to build one or many different types of turnout. I won’t get into much more detail here because their website contains so much clear documentation. A note to Canadian hobbyists – even though Fast Tracks is in Canada they sell everything in US dollars (clearly, these guys are smart business-people too). This also means that you are not paying to ship their products across a border.
Yes, your initial investment is high compared with the cost of a commercial turnout. However, when this is spread across the many turnouts you can build your cost per turnout drops each time you build another one. It now takes me between 60 minutes and 90 minutes to build a turnout. Once you have built a couple you get faster at it. I now rarely need to look at the instructions.
For your efforts you end up with a very precise turnout built to accurate specifications. I find the construction process relaxing. It is also very satisfying. If I decide a need a number 6 left turnout this afternoon I can simply sit down at the workbench and build one.
I should note that Fast Tracks purchased Mount Albert Scale Lumber in recent years. A link to their lumber products is found on the Fast Tracks website. They also carry many other very useful items for your modelling needs such as frog juicers, track gauges, wood and PC board ties, QuickSticks (see the second picture below) and even building kits.
Please note that I have no personal or financial connection to Fast Tracks. I am simply a very satisfied customer.
A few pictures for illustration:
 |
| A couple of assembly jigs - the one in the foreground is for making number 5 code 83 left and right turnouts and the other one is for making number 8 code 83 gantlet tracks which are a form of turnout which have no moving parts (to pass two parallel tracks through a narrow opening, such as a narrow bridge). |
 |
| PC ties at the top and a QuickSticks assembly for making a number 6 turnout (it can be turned over to make a right turnout). The completed turnout is glued to the QuickSticks using Pliobond adhesive (see picture below). Once the adhesive has been vulcanized to the QuickSticks the excess wood on either side of the turnout's ties is snapped off, leaving the wood ties under the turnout. The visible gaps in the ties are where PC board ties fit that have been soldered to the turnout in a jig such as in the first picture. |
 |
Some of the tools used in the making of a Fast Tracks turnout. The rail bender is optional - I have had good success gently bending rail by gently running its side along my thumb to make a smooth curve that fits into the assembly jig.
|
 |
| A completed number 6 left turnout before being weathered (I do all my weathering after the turnout has been mounted in place on my model railroad). |
Here are a couple of completed Fast Tracks turnouts in place on my model railroad:
