Turnout tuning and maintenance: best practices

[Scottl]

I have spent quite a bit of time over the last month or so trying to get my turnouts to perform reliably both in terms of minimal derailments and power losses.  I have read many comments about turnouts in n-scale and the various pros and cons of particular manufacturers.  I also read in a separate thread the comment about the idea that turnout maintenance is often thought to take about 1 hour per turnout per year.  I don't debate this point, but rather, the notion implies to me that there are things that we can do to keep turnouts operating reliably or to tune their performance in general. 

Without focusing on a particular brand, I thought it would be useful to have people contribute and discuss their tips and techniques to get the best performance out of their turnouts.

I'm all ears! 

[mark dance]

I have spent quite a bit of time over the last month or so trying to get my turnouts to perform reliably both in terms of minimal derailments and power losses.  I have read many comments about turnouts in n-scale and the various pros and cons of particular manufacturers.  I also read in a separate thread the comment about the idea that turnout maintenance is often thought to take about 1 hour per turnout per year.  I don't debate this point, but rather, the notion implies to me that there are things that we can do to keep turnouts operating reliably or to tune their performance in general. 

Without focusing on a particular brand, I thought it would be useful to have people contribute and discuss their tips and techniques to get the best performance out of their turnouts.

I'm all ears! 

big topic.  A few things I have found although in reading them most are design/construction related rather than maintenance related:

A) Minimize vertical transitions and changes in roadbed "slope" in the area of the turnout.  This includes both the frog and points areas and changes in elevation due to super elevation changes or where roadbed is transitioning between the main and a siding or a spur for example.  I couldn't get away from the need to do this in some areas, even if only in a minor manner, and it bit me back until I filed down the top surfaces of the turnout and adjacent rails to plane them close to flat

B)  If you wish to rely on your turnouts point spring mechanism for conductivity, don't mess with the spring or the point shape.  You may intuitively think it will help, and that you are smart enough to know how to do it, but it will only reduce reliability.  Ask me how I know!

C) Using edge connectors to connect the wires to Tortoise machines helps with maintenance and replacement but it is another connector which is another mechanical thing to fail.  Soldering to the tabs is more electrically reliable but can make maintenance or replacement difficult in hard to reach areas.  Pick your poison!

D) Curved turnouts help create beautiful flowing track but they can still create S curves just like straight turnouts and an S curve is an S curve.

E) the only truly routine turnout maintenance for me is I routinely throw every switch and test each direction with a short wheel base loco before each operating session.  Of the ~210 turnouts I might find <6 where I need to clean the points for conductivity reasons and there a quick wipe with a business card between points and stock rails and we are done.  So this testing, which is in conjunction with testing all the track, may take 2-3 hours but the maintenance takes less then 10 minutes.  And it is the only time I "operate" the layout myself between sessions.

hope that helps.

md

[Santa Fe Guy]

Scott great subject.
I first purchased M/E turnouts in 1995 when the #6 was first made available. The first lot had a bow in the cast frog (it sat too high) so I filed that to the same height as the rail head. I initially relied on the spring and the throw bar that M/E had designed until just before our 2003 convention when one failed.
I then decided that to be fully reliable I needed to have Tortoise motors to throw all of the turnouts, not big fingers.
I set about removing all of my T/outs and they underwent a major re work. I installed PCB for the throw bar, fitted new point rails filed to fit (long before Fast tracks fixtures were available) added PCB at the frog end, cut insulated gaps where needed and powered the frog using the hole cast under the turnout frog to add the wire.
I then wired the Tortoise motor directly to the board from behind and a nice shinny solder joint with good sized fillets for additional strength. All 8 wires were then added to a good quality terminal strip and zip tied to make the wires into small looms.
As I purchased newer turnouts I just kept them standard as far as the point rails but still changed the throw bars to PCB's.

When I went to DCC and then to full CTC almost all of my turnouts are wired individually especially those on the mainline that are detected so I do not rely on the rail joiners for power on any of the turnouts.

I DO NOT use a rubber or abrasive track cleaner on my turnouts as I have found in the past that small pieces can get in the flange-ways and cause derailments and lack of contact.
Not that long ago I relented and paid a kings ransom for an NMRA track and wheel gauge. I found a few issues with guard rails being too tight and believe it has paid for itself already.
I have 108 turnouts on the SFRSD all powered.
Occasionally some of my older modified turnouts might break where I soldered them to the PCB on the throw bar however that was my problem as I did not have enough solder on the joint.
As mentioned in an older post I clean my track and turnouts with Lighter fluid which for me works a treat.
Rod.

[peteski]

I think that the brand of the turnout is very important as far as tuning it is concerned.  For example shimming inside of the guard rail might be needed for certain Peco turnouts while Atlas or ME do not need it.  Atlas c55 turnouts sometimes have the washers which hold the points fall out. Making sure those are secure before installation is a good idea.  But this is not needed for Peco turnouts since they use different method of attaching points to the closure rail.

Atlas C55 might benefit from sharpening/re-shaping the end of the points or/or notching the stock rail.  Peco turnouts don't need that.

Universally, it would be a good idea to create a solid electrical connection between the points and closure rail (by soldering a flexible wire jumper between them.

As far  as maintenance go, a property tuned good quality turnout should be basically maintenance-free (other than the rail cleaning of course).  After all, except for the slight movement of the points/throwbar, turnouts are just bunch of fixed tracks.

[kelleywpns]

Peteski

Do you know of any photos/references that shows soldering flexible wire jumpers between the point and closure rails?

Mike

[peteski]

Peteski

Do you know of any photos/references that shows soldering flexible wire jumpers between the point and closure rails?

Mike

Not off the top of my head, but I seem to have seen such photos somewhere. It might have been between the point and the adjacent stock rail (but the end result is the same as closure rails are usually connected to their adjacent stock rails.  It is important to solder the wire close to the pivot point of the point (to minimize the wire flexing).

[nkalanaga]

DO NOT soldier jumpers between the points and stock rails if the points/closure rails/frog are one piece, as many handlaid turnouts still are.  If the frog is insulated, plastic, gapped and dead or gapped and powered through contacts, you can do it IF the points themselves are isolated from each other.  That means that, if using PC throwbars or ties, the two points and closure rails have to be isolated from each other.

If the points are electrically connected, and you jumper them to the stock rails, you get a dead short. 

Today, many turnouts are made to be "DCC friendly", with the points isolated from each other, so that the open point and the adjacent stock rail aren't at opposite polarities.  This is designed to keep under-gauge wheels from shorting against the open point, but it also means that they can be jumpered to the stock rail with no problems.

Peteski:  My handlaid turnouts are old-fashioned, and none of the closure rails are electrically connected to the stock rails, instead using solid closure rail/frog assemblies.  Not "DCC friendly" at all, but then, I started building them before DCC became mainstream.

[eja]

Great topic ....

Perchance some of our experts could post a diagram that might help any "newbees" to explain our terminology..

points, frog, etc...

just saying ....   

ribbit.... eja

[peteski]

For modeling purposes.



For more detailed description (not usually used for modeling)

[nkalanaga]

And while I was typing up a written list of definitions, Peteski found an animated diagram.  Much better!

[eja]

Gotta love The Railwire ... 

Great information


Now, should I tune it to an A440 or a Bb456?

[Ken Rice]

Do you know of any photos/references that shows soldering flexible wire jumpers between the point and closure rails?

Here's how I did it:
http://rices-rails.blogspot.com/2015/01/point-jumpers-and-track-feeders.html

[Scottl]

Thanks everyone so far for great contributions.  I'm picking up all sorts of useful knowledge.  Keep it coming!

[Santa Fe Guy]

A further note to my comments that I forgot to mention is on several of my turnouts M/E code 55 we soldered a very fine wire across the hinge of the closure rails from underneath out of sight. We first used a Dremel to cut a fine grove along the ties and then fit the wire. Still left the hinge flexible but now not relied on for contact.
Sorry no pics.
Rod.

[Ron McF]

Do you know of any photos/references that shows soldering flexible wire jumpers between the point and closure rails?

Mike

Here's how I modify my Atlas (and ME) C55 turnouts:
http://gulflines.blogspot.com.au/p/wiring-atlas-c55-turnouts.html

I haven't modified my Peco C55 points, but here are some tips on how to go about that:
http://tropicalnscale.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/making-peco-points-dcc-happy.html
http://kdrail.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Turnouts
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches_peco.htm

As for spending an hour a year per turnout - that has not been my experience.  With a few minutes of remedial maintenance before installing them, they're usually fine 'for life'.

Regards,
Ron