Photo Etched Turnout Details: N Scale Code 40 No. 10 Turnout

[svedblen]

Your latest track sample looks very good! Much better than the flextrack. But I do not understand how you manage those small spikes. You must have a really steady hand. 
I agree that the P87 tie plates are too small to actually be possible to see. That is also my experience from some years ago. Interesting to see how your latest sample would work out with ties in a lighter color and rusty tie plates. Would the tie plates still be readily visible?

EDIT: What tool do you use to hold the spikes? How large is it compared to the spikes? (Pic?) (I’m really intrigued by this  )

[ednadolski]

What tool do you use to hold the spikes? How large is it compared to the spikes? (Pic?) (I’m really intrigued by this  )

@svedblen  my tool of choice for these spikes is the Xuron Tweezernose 450:  https://xuron.com/index.php/main/consumer_products/5.   The third pic (with the truck and the track gauge) caught the tips of the pliers so that gives a bit of an idea for their size.

My hands aren't any steadier than anyone else's (probably less so than average, I suspect), so for me it's more a matter of finding the tools and techniques that make the job easier (it really sucks the fun out to be always fighting poor quality tools, weak lighting, etc.).  For example, I used to cut all the spikes from the fret before using them, but that makes them very hard to pick up and very easy to lose.  Eventually (I can be a pretty slow learner) I realized it's much easier to simply grab a spike on the fret with the pliers and give it a little twist or two, and it pops right off the fret, still held fast by the pliers and ready to push into place.

One other note on tools, I do really like the Excelta precision tweezers for picking up and handling really small parts like the etched tieplates

Ed

[peteski]

The sample c40 track looks impressive.  Are you using chemical "browner" to make those spikes and tie plates look weathered?

[ednadolski]

Are you using chemical "browner" to make those spikes and tie plates look weathered?

No, that's just a base color of Model Master Railroad Tie Brown acrylic paint with an over-dusting of some weathering powder.   I'm still trying to find a color that comes close to the look of the Micro Engineering weathered rail.  That has a really nice mottled grey-brown color with a bit of texture, but I've found it very hard to replicate that with paint.

One of the things I try to avoid is letting the lighter-colored powders accumulate too much in the crevices and nooks around the spikes,  as it can create a kind of unrealistic pattern and draws too much attention to those areas.

Ed

[peteski]

No, that's just a base color of Model Master Railroad Tie Brown acrylic paint with an over-dusting of some weathering powder.   I'm still trying to find a color that comes close to the look of the Micro Engineering weathered rail.  That has a really nice mottled grey-brown color with a bit of texture, but I've found it very hard to replicate that with paint.

Hmm .  .  . ME rail is nickel silver, and it is chemically "browned". ME also sellsl (or used to sell) rail weathering solution.  Maybe using that on your plates and spikes would result in exact color match?  If not, Jax Chemicals sells a wide range of chemical metal tinting solutions.

[Sokramiketes]

Are the tie plates prototype size, but hiding under the oversize base of the rail?  They look a little narrow to my eye, once mounted.  Like the area that is exposed should be prototype size, and then the area under the rail lengthed, resulting in an oversize plate, but the better appearance of the exposed part being the right size and proportion.

[ednadolski]

Hmm .  .  . ME rail is nickel silver, and it is chemically "browned". ME also sellsl (or used to sell) rail weathering solution.  Maybe using that on your plates and spikes would result in exact color match?

A quick look, it does appear to be available.  Seems it should work fine for the tieplates, tho since the surfaces are mostly a half-etch I wonder if that could affect the coloring?   Not sure about the spikes tho since those are stainless steel.

The only other trick would be that immersing the parts in a solution would affect the whole exterior surface, but there still are some areas on the turnout fret that I likely will want to solder together (like the frog and guard rail areas).

Ed

[svedblen]

my tool of choice for these spikes is the Xuron Tweezernose 450

Thanks for the tip! I just ordered one 450 and one 450S (serrated).

[peteski]

A quick look, it does appear to be available.  Seems it should work fine for the tieplates, tho since the surfaces are mostly a half-etch I wonder if that could affect the coloring?   Not sure about the spikes tho since those are stainless steel.

The only other trick would be that immersing the parts in a solution would affect the whole exterior surface, but there still are some areas on the turnout fret that I likely will want to solder together (like the frog and guard rail areas).

Ed

The satin surface of half-etched areas might affect the color, but I still think it is worth trying.  As for leaving areas unweathered, I would brush paint them with a coat of "etch resist" (any "stinky" paint like Floquil, Scalecoat, Testors, or even nail polish), then clean it off after weathering.

[ednadolski]

The satin surface of half-etched areas might affect the color, but I still think it is worth trying.

It does sound like it's worth a go.  Parts have to be immersed for some amount of time in the solution, is that how it works?   For a full turnout, it might work to first build out a full fret & rail as a subassembly, including all soldering and attached wiring, then immerse it, and afterwards install onto the tie bed.   Not all that different from painting with an aerosol or airbrush, overall.

Ed

[ednadolski]

Are the tie plates prototype size, but hiding under the oversize base of the rail?  They look a little narrow to my eye, once mounted.  Like the area that is exposed should be prototype size, and then the area under the rail lengthed, resulting in an oversize plate, but the better appearance of the exposed part being the right size and proportion.

IIRC those scale out to either 8"x13" or 8"x14".   Prototype tieplates do vary somewhat, to accommodate different rail sizes and types of installations.   The P:87 ones tho are considerably smaller, presumably modeling some sort of light-duty prototype.

Ed

[peteski]

It does sound like it's worth a go.  Parts have to be immersed for some amount of time in the solution, is that how it works?   For a full turnout, it might work to first build out a full fret & rail as a subassembly, including all soldering and attached wiring, then immerse it, and afterwards install onto the tie bed.   Not all that different from painting with an aerosol or airbrush, overall.

Ed

Yes, it takes some time for the weathering solution to darken the metal. Warming up the solution will speed up the process.  Just make sure that the metal is absolutely clean and grease free (not to inhibit the darkening process). I would first dunk the parts in acetone, lacquer thinner,  or at least 99% IPA, to  clean them.  If there is any exposed solder, it will likely not be darkened.

[Cajonpassfan]

Beautiful work Ed, and a lot of it (work )
Agree on the ties, especially with artificial indoor lighting.
I use the photo below (taken in Poughkeepsie, of all places) as a good reference for color and variation...
It’s a mainline track on the old NYC.
Otto

 

[ednadolski]

Well, I guess I have to classify this layered frog part of the project as a "fail".   The individual layers looked ok in the CAD, and the parts looked good when stacked together.  But I am finding it just too hard to solder everything together consistently, and the individual parts are so small and delicate that they are quite easy to bend out of shape with the tip of the iron.   My design also has a few dimensional shortcomings, which need to be corrected but are in themselves fixable;  however there does not seem to be too much point to that if I cannot figure out the assembly process.









So it's time to re-think the approach, and in the meantime I will fall back to constructing the frogs from rail.   Live and learn.

Ed

[ncbqguy]

Ed-   It has been maybe 25 years since I did them but I assembled two Athabasca N Code 55 60 degree crossings and I don’t recall having any issues with them.   My soldering skill wasn’t particularly good but they went together well and operated very well.
As I recall they were double etched and consisted of only two layers.  Maybe the thin sheets are the issue. 
Using a torch to solder would eliminate the mechanical pressure but the fine point ends might still warp under heat.  Tack one end of the sheets and work down using a chisel knife blade advancing just out of the melted soldered area to tightly solder the layers together?
Charlie Vlk