Making Tracks

This time last week the weather was bright and sunny with temperatures around the 20degC mark, To-day it is blowing a blizzard outside, putting the damper on any chance of wood butchering the baseboard for Penmaenpool MPD, the next module in my Modular Cambrian model railway layout.

As it happens there is always other work that can be done indoors in the warm!

I need two points, (turnouts) for Penmaenpool and one Trap (catch) point.

I also wanted the minimum radius to be no less than 36inches, use bullhead rail and look a bit more prototypical than the Peco offerings.
I have down loaded the excellent Templot software and after playing about for an hour or two managed to print some full size  templates of a B6 left hand turnout.

I have built PCB sleeper track before but, that was donkeys years ago when I was a member of Stourbridge Model railway Society. However I set to and built this B6 left hand turnout.

(Click picture for larger image)


The tie bar that operates the switch blades was designed to be similar to a RTP point so that I can operate it from below the baseboard using Tortoise point motors.

Electrically the switch blades are bonded to the appropriate running rails and are gapped just before the crossing.
The finished job being exactly like the DCC friendly modified Peco points.








So, there we have the result of an afternoon on the work bench, Just one more the same as this one and a trap point to make.

Better I shut up and get on with it then!

Cheers!
Frank