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Issue with Gargraves Turnouts

John C.John C.OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER

Just wanted to share this!  I have a layout full of Gargraves turnouts!  These are excellent turnouts that I've had for four years now.  All are the largest radius!  All function flawlessly!  I'm well pleased.

 

However, I discovered a manufacturing flaw in two Gargraves turnouts.  I have NEVER had this occur before!  The rails touch—the two rails that are used for the non-derailing feature.  I had to bend the rails at their base to separate them electrically.

 

I was going nuts trying to figure out why something as simple as the non-derailing wiring wasn't working and the points were bouncing back and forth wildly when wired correctly.  The answer:  LOOK REALLY REALLY CLOSE and you see the metal rails touch one another! 

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Dennis LaGruaDennis LaGruaOGR Forum Member

Gargraves switches are economical and of good quality but I have found that on most of the new ones that I purchased (a while back though), they sometimes needed to be massaged a bit to work properly. I was experiencing derailing on back to back GG switches and had to file the plastic triangle insert to ramp it so that the car wheels didn't bounce off the track. Some cars derailed while others went over fine. Now with the adjustment all is OK.

While Gargraves makes fine products, they are not quite the quality of Ross. Ross are more expensive but have been "headache free". Ross is now my go-to source for switches. I still use Gargraves track, other products and they still enjoy a place on my layout but if you want tp upgrade (and don't mind paying for it) you can't go wrong with Ross.  

Barry BroskowitzBarry BroskowitzOGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER

Dennis,


I'm big fan of Ross and Gargraves switches and I have nearly 100 of them installed on my layout, which is approaching 12 years old. Both have their idiosyncrasies.

 

In particular, I recently had an issue with a Ross switch that was the same as John's issue, noted above. In this case, it was a spike that holds the control rail on an O54 Ross turnout that was shorting to the other control rail and actuating the non-derailing mechanism.

 

Sometimes, bad things happen to good turnouts!  

Last edited by Barry Broskowitz
JohnSJohnSOGR Forum Member

we have this issues all the time with our turnouts and isolated rails, usually something metallic stuck in the gap. sometimes a rail will slip and close the gap. a good fix is to epoxy a piece of plastic such as an old credit card in the gap. once filed down the gap just blends in with the rail.

D500D500OGR Forum Member

I have GG and some later Ross; like them both. Most brands of track can need some fiddling, but one of the things I like about GG is that it CAN be fiddled with and not implode. But, I haven't bought much in years; it just keeps going.

 

Let's hope that GG (and Ross) don't change their business model.

 

When I think of a new layout, the only "other" track I consider is MTH ScaleTrax - it just

looks so low and unobtrusive - and the center blade is about as good a look as 3-rail gets. 

Erie BobErie BobOGR Forum Member

My railroad is modular.  Early modules were Lionel tubular track with Lionel 072 switches.  Certain car uncoupling mechanisms would contact the center rail and short.  I then changed track to Gargraves with Ross turnouts and experienced throwbar issues with the Ross turnouts.  My latest modular endeavor incorporates ScaleTrax, ScaleTrax turnouts and Tortoise switch machines.  Also has issues with the ScaleTrax turnouts closure rails coming in contact with the frog wing rails causing a short.  Bottom line is as much as we would like turnouts to be perfect, they sometimes have to be tweaked.  They are mass produced and a few are bound to get past QC.  Just saying...

I've included a picture of  Module #1 with ScaleTrax.

Rockland & Erie Module #1

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