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150 Posts
Hi folks,
I recently built this up for a customer that had a preliminary design for a switching layout based on an industry in Black Hawk, CO. I helped him with the final layout design and drew up the entire 68" x 216" layout plan in Inkscape so there was a scalable vector version for printing on a poster printer. I was able to design some bespoke turnouts for the layout, and the most impressive one is this serpentine ladder. See the build pics below.
I had to screw two boards to my bench to get a surface long enough for the entire unit, about 82" long. This is the first turnout I have designed that needed two pieces of rail joined together for one of the stock rails! With 6ft long sections of rail, that doesn't come up too often. You can see in the pics the method I use to attach two turnout ties together with brass splints heated up with a torch and melted in. I have tried all sorts of methods, mechanical with braces, adhesives, melting two ties together, etc, to make extra long ties out of our standard 5.75" long turnout ties and the brass splints is the best I have come up with for longevity. Ideally I would like to have an injection mold made up for a super long tie, but the cost of those molds is unfortunately cost prohibitive for the owner of Llagas to have made up.
It was a fun turnout to build, I always love breaking away from the monotony of churning out #4s and #6s to work on stuff like this. I do have another custom project I need to get working on soon that uses precut timbers sent in by a customer, so I'll try to get some good pics of that to share when the time comes.
Once this layout is built I hope to get some pictures of this ladder installed and in it's new home.
-Mike
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I recently built this up for a customer that had a preliminary design for a switching layout based on an industry in Black Hawk, CO. I helped him with the final layout design and drew up the entire 68" x 216" layout plan in Inkscape so there was a scalable vector version for printing on a poster printer. I was able to design some bespoke turnouts for the layout, and the most impressive one is this serpentine ladder. See the build pics below.
I had to screw two boards to my bench to get a surface long enough for the entire unit, about 82" long. This is the first turnout I have designed that needed two pieces of rail joined together for one of the stock rails! With 6ft long sections of rail, that doesn't come up too often. You can see in the pics the method I use to attach two turnout ties together with brass splints heated up with a torch and melted in. I have tried all sorts of methods, mechanical with braces, adhesives, melting two ties together, etc, to make extra long ties out of our standard 5.75" long turnout ties and the brass splints is the best I have come up with for longevity. Ideally I would like to have an injection mold made up for a super long tie, but the cost of those molds is unfortunately cost prohibitive for the owner of Llagas to have made up.
It was a fun turnout to build, I always love breaking away from the monotony of churning out #4s and #6s to work on stuff like this. I do have another custom project I need to get working on soon that uses precut timbers sent in by a customer, so I'll try to get some good pics of that to share when the time comes.
Once this layout is built I hope to get some pictures of this ladder installed and in it's new home.
-Mike
