Details of the new #6 & #8 Right of Way equipped turnouts

Tom meant to post the link to the Turnout data sheest but I gave him the link to the thread on the OST Forum with photos. Here is the proper link to the data sheets.

Turnout Data Sheets

Then don't buy them. Buy another product or make them yourself. Problem solved. Many others modeling their 5' gauge "real railroads" will be quite content with these.

You could set the turnout in place, throw enough plates and spikes to hold it in gauge, on some wood ties then cut the PC tie off and add a new wood tie.  Pretty hard I know but sometimes you gotta use your imagination (we are "playing" trains with some sort of imagination)

Or just scratch build your own.

 I bought some rtr Old pullman turnouts. As I moved them around the ties would come loose, or even fall off. I don't blame them as there's no way to attach them. Glue for me is a waste of time. Now that they're fastened down, no more problems.

 I would be interested in getting these and trying them. I love the idea of making it easier as I have way too much work on other things. Are they for sale yet?

 What's the difference between the rail bound frog and bolted? is one more modern? Joe

[ I admit to having some turnouts without tieplates;  I installed three 'finished' OP double slips without them because they were in key positioning locations, intending to replace them with ones I built myself with tieplates -- I had purchased that materiel at the same time.  Retrofitting just one location was such a pain I just faked the other two -- though I confess I don't sleep well at nights...]

I was using the term "real railroads" to distinguish them from folks modelling logging lines, etc, where tieplates are the exception.

Best, SZ

Steinzeit, are you saying that you would purchase Right of Way detailed turnouts hand spiked four spikes per tie over tieplates if they were available?

No.

What I was saying, perhaps poorly,  is that -- in my opinion -- any "RTR" turnout [ for 0 scale ] should have tieplates.

SZ

Edited to add:

   I am very much a 'good enough' modeller, especially as far as track goes.  I would probably never buy a 'super detail' kit for a turnout -- but I think offering one as a package for those that desire it is the right approach, as that helps keep the cost down for everybody else.  But tieplates strike me as something essential, whether on turnouts or plain track, and they should be in the basic built up turnout -- again, in my opinion. 

  One pretty much has to build the turnouts with tieplates or without them, due to the difficulty of retrofitting.  There's also the matter of matching railhead height; OOP provided ties with different heights, depending on whether one was using tp's or not.

So, those of us that model prior to that time are modeling "fake railroads",

Yes, but you're doing such a darn good job of it nobody has noticed -- until you let it slip.......

SZ

Ah, but do I care?  Let me check....

Martin, that is great!  Where did you find it?? 

I can think of quite a few places that could be well placed in my world. tt

If you had looked at the photos in the thread you would have seen that I added not only tie plates, but rail braces and gauge pates as well. Here is the "nekkid" turnout:


Now, here is the detailed turnout:


It's pretty easy to add tie plates after the fact. I still have more to add. Piece o cake!

Joe G.

I personally consider this is an important step forward for the betterment of 2 rail O Scale. We have been struggling with turnout issues, witness the frog filling thread for the troublesome Atlas product...the unannounced, but apparent departure of Old Pullman as a supplier...and in spite of available materials the general hesitance by many to hand lay their own...etc.

Now this enterprising individual seeing opportunity, has stepped forward where no one else was willing to. He is offering what appears to be a viable solution to the main stream turnout needs for our beloved 2 rail O scale. Sure there are no tieplates, but I think that's a minor concern compared with the bigger gain I can see from this products arrival. As Patrick pointed out there are workarounds if you’re insistent upon such features. I’ve followed Joe G’s online comments and assessment of this product as it was progressing towards availability. I’m convinced it will be a very good gain for 2 Rail O.

Bottom Line...we will have turnouts which by all estimate from Joe G. are a very nice product overall, and realistically priced and made in America to boot. Moan all you want to anyone who finds this an unacceptable approach, but I bet plenty of these will be bought and installed. Model railroads in 2 rail O scale will benefit as a result…good stuff for the hobby! 

That's all I got.

Bob

Bob, Well stated.

0 Mag, I did look at the photos you had previously posted;  however, I thought the 'after' photo of the entire turnout was more revealing for the purposes of my post than the closeup of just the points area.  If by adding tieplates after the fact means with just paint, I agree with you; that's pretty easy, by comparison [ speaking from my experience, having done it ].

SZ

Edited to add:

   Flanger, perhaps I was moaning a bit.  But for the nth time, I was expressing my opinion --  that's all. I would like to see this supplier succeed, and nothing I have said should be interpreted otherwise.  I just think his RTL product should include tieplates !  [ I still think the photo that 0-mag posted above this am of the 'nekked' RTL turnout illustrates why I think that.  And he will be competing against Atlas, Lenz, and maybe even MTH in the marketplace, after all.]

Best,  SZ [ who has owned only American-made-by-American-companies cars for over fifty years....]

I also agree whole heartedly with what Bob said.

I wish these were available when I laid all my track work.  I have over 50 Atlas switches on my layout, and have had to come up with all sorts of engineering solutions to overcome their poor electrical performance, sloppy construction, and poor mechanical durability.  Not to mention their weird frog angle.  This is amazing to me as these are made by the same company that set the standards in ready to lay switches in HO and N.

I have not even begun to address appearance items like the overly long wing and guard rails, lack of tie plates, etc.  Maybe with all this hardware that is now available I can start to address that.

Kudos to Oscale Turnouts for making this stuff available.

PS Some of the posts in this thread are reminding me of that quote from Clare Boothe Luce:  "No good deed goes unpunished"

There is a very big difference time wise between building a turnout without tie plate and one with tie plates. Time is money too and a person's time should be compensated for. Not just the materials. I have no doubt that a fully detailed turnout would increase the price out of what most people would pay. Having injection molds made would also run about $10K per mold so that is too much up front cost to bear with demand being a question. This technique is about the only way that a person can offer these at an affordable price.

It is too late for me, but this should be a welcome addition for newcomers. I'd have bought them and added tie plates if they were available when I was getting into 2 rail. I hope he does well.

Christopher, Couldn't agree with you more!  I hope Bill does extremely well and he is able to offer all the products he has listed in his future offerings and then some for both gauges. IMO, Some fairly aggressive future offerings and somewhat time consuming to produce.

I think this is a huge step forward.  The Atlas product is lacking and this will definetly fill a need.  I think what is nice about this is the options that are available in terms of detail.  If you want them then you can add them, if not then you are not committed to it.

I love the hand laying as it is "my thing" but for others who do not wish to go that route then they now have a great option.  Very great news for us all....

 Hello.......Hello........check 1 2 3

I also hope he does well. 

Me too.  I now feel guilty - there are no tie plates around here, and spikes show up only at every sixth tie.  I remember being quite happy with Old Pullman switches.

That said, Joe's turnout is a real model.  Nice work.

Personally , after seeing parts for turnout on eBay from ROW , if you factor in those parts , rail , labor of at least $20 per hr, and it would be hard to stay focused at that ,  so these should have to be pushing $80 bucks per , at a minimum. With as expensive as just surviving paying the basics is today , I wish Bill well , can you imagine getting an order of 40 or 50 turnouts or 100  . WOW

 I visited OLD PULLMAN once and saw how they assembled turnouts , basically no different than home hand laid , super labor intensive , a young lady was doing them .

I suspect thats why they no longer are around.

 Same reason Apple makes all the components here for their devices and then ships them to China for final assy.When asked about this ,

Stephen Jobs  said American workers could not sit and build phones all day , did not have the attention to detail , too many coffee breaks , out sick , etc.Plus the size of building to house all the workers would be huge.

I was told the same by a train manufacturer about freight cars made in USA , he said , can you imagine a thousand boxcars , and they all need 32 grab irons installed , he said he would need so many workers and even at minimum wage , he would lose money .

So if Bills turnouts are expertly built , they should have a final cost that reflects what it takes to  hand make a quality product , I would think a price of a fully detailed turnout would be $125-150 minimum .