3D printed turnouts

[Chris333]

This is what I did for bridge ties.



This is all Nn3 Z gauge BTW.

[Scottl]

Nice.  Could add a few track nubs to support the frog guard rails and for positioning the outer guard rails. 

That will be a robust turnout.

[John]

So glue it in place?

Pliobond maybe

[ednadolski]

My spikes hold the rail.

More like rail chairs than a typical North American spike, no?   Scale NA spikes would be smaller and easier to break.

The trick is, when the rail gets long then it becomes harder to slide the full length, unless there is some degree of looseness built in (think of the Atlas sliding rail flextrack vs. ME flextrack).  Also, make sure that you file a chamfer on the base end of the sliding rail.   Is there anything that can be put onto the rail to help it slide easier? (no jokes, pls., that's not a straight line, but I know this audience....)

Seems for a frog you'd have to file a fairly precise angle, and be careful not so slide either frog rail too far, as one could push the other out of gauge.  Then, solder the frog point where the filed rails meet.  (quick solder, no need to overheat the resin).

In the guard rail areas, wouldn't you have to remove the spikes/tieplates on the gauge side of the stock rails?

Ed

[Chris333]

Oh yeah they are not scale spikes at all. But I wanted them to last longer than a day. 

These turnouts are about 4" long, but all other tie strips are about 1" long. I have some for straight, curved, and hopefully flexible. Along with straight and curved bridge track. All in 1" sections. I know it will take a while to thread it to the rail.

I printed a few tries to get the rail to slide just right without a lot of play. I have some Atlas Z scale C55 flex and the rails can just about tip over they are so loose. I do make sure the end is perfect that get inserted into the ties.

I think there is enough room at the guard rails to just butt the rail against them. If not I will need to change the drawing.

This is all an experiment. I hope it works 

AND I'm using Sketchup... most of the turnout was drawn by hand. I twisted every single "sleeper" to match the curve of the rail.  Trust me I have no idea what I am doing.

[vermonter_railfan]

This is all Nn3 Z gauge BTW.

Do you have any plans on offering these files to the public like the railbus?

[Chris333]

Beats me. I need to figure it out first. Then you find out your printer is few microns off from mine.

This is where I stopped. The flangeways do need to be narrower. But then again there are no standards. When I used to hand lay Z scale track I used a MTL coupler height gauge as my track gauge (code 60 gauge being used on code 40 rail).

So what should the flangeways be?

[samusi01]

AND I'm using Sketchup... most of the turnout was drawn by hand.

That's a lot of work... thought you might be using Templot or something similar.

[Chris333]

That's a lot of work... thought you might be using Templot or something similar.

That sounds much easier, but learning a whole new program for one turnout might be a wash.

I found a listing for .025" wide flangeways , but it was from 1981 and said there are only 2 companies making wheels. I altered the drawing to give me more room to slide of the guard rails. Also looking at my photo- I'm too old for this $hit.    I need the thicker glasses.

[ednadolski]

So what should the flangeways be?

For Z scale IIRC it's 0.023" per NMRA S-3.2, but best to double-check.

There is no standards gauge for Z scale, so I use an automotive feeler gauge to set the flangeway width, and a digital caliper for the track gauge ans everything else.  FastTracks does have a 3-point track gauge, and claims that their turnout fixtures are NMRA compliant.

Ed

[ednadolski]

I'm too old for this $hit.    I need the thicker glasses.

LOL, welcome to my world - including the part about Sketchup 

Ed

[Lemosteam]

@Chris333 Seems like a printed  breakaway U shaped slip guide/support for the PC ties in the CAD model would be quite helpful for the soldering.  You could also add some breakaway nubs to position the guardrail away to the gap you want in the areas where there are no spikes.

I am surmising the idea here is to use the print as an assembly tool then snip off the printed supports after for a finished turnout.

[Chris333]

@Chris333 Seems like a printed  breakaway U shaped slip guide/support for the PC ties in the CAD model would be quite helpful for the soldering.  You could also add some breakaway nubs to position the guardrail away to the gap you want in the areas where there are no spikes.

I am surmising the idea here is to use the print as an assembly tool then snip off the printed supports after for a finished turnout.

I got a Harbor Freight band saw to slice prints from their supports. It runs slow so the dust is way down compared to a cut off wheel and 90% of the supports are removed leave just a few to knock off.

The supports for the PC tie is a good idea, but it would take seconds to draw and an hour to add supports for printing. If I need to do a revise at all I will add them

[Chris333]

@Chris333 Seems like a printed  breakaway U shaped slip guide/support for the PC ties in the CAD model would be quite helpful for the soldering.  You could also add some breakaway nubs to position the guardrail away to the gap you want in the areas where there are no spikes.

I am surmising the idea here is to use the print as an assembly tool then snip off the printed supports after for a finished turnout.

OK you talked me into it     But first I need to take the one I printed and see how the flanges work out. (and I don't need to waste rail to find that out)  But I also added a groove so I know where to kink the rails and a small pocket for the frog point to fit into so I don't push those rails in too far. And added a support for the drawbar besides the other PC ties.

[Scottl]

How heavy are the supports that you cut them off?  Mine come off with a nudge from my finger.  I only use nippers when the part is fragile.