Ross 170 Switch to build a yard

I would use gargraves flex track to do it.  That is what I use with my small yard and my ross 3 way switch.  

Chris, Ross sells a track the brings those outer track back parellel to the inner ones, I have them in my yard, they work perfectly.

 Larry

Larry do you happen to know what track number it is? I am not seeing any mention of it on their site

Larry will correct me if I'm wrong, but Ross sells these and I think they are what you need depending on the what you want:

TR35 3.5” center return for 11 deg. regular or 4-way 8.99

TR40 4.0” center return for 11 deg. regular or 4-way 9.99

TR45 4.5” center return for 11 deg. regular or 4-way 10.99

According to the switch PDF on the Ross site, the center tracks are 3.5", center rail to center rail. I assume that would suggest a TR35.

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I'm wondering if such a switch is troublesome or not? Even if I end up gong with ScaleTrax, I'd like to use Ross switches. It's not cheaper than 3 regular switches needed to get the 4 yard tracks, but it sure looks more elegant and makes better use of space.

Chris:

This Ross 4 way switch is great! I added an additional 2 "regular" switches for my yard. As you see in my pictures below, I use rossbed under the switches together with tinplate track, but the goal is to get the tracks evenly spaced. It has worked flawlessly, except for some glitches with the DZ 2500s at times. Good luck with your yard. here's mine:

Chris, so for the delay getting back to you, Dave is right TR35 is the right call and it will look beautiful

 Larry 

Dave

We have several of these on our club layout and they work great. We have had no issues and as you said look really nice.

Wow! That looks really nice and I like how you added the regular switches to get 6 yard tracks. Even though I won't have room for a complete pass-through yard, I think half of that would fit the design I'm working on for a simple back-in storage yard. If you don't mind, how wide do the 6 tracks end up being and how long is it from the front to the end of the switches? Time to redo my design using Ross and GarGraves. I think this is the kind of stuff that will determine what brand of track I decide to use. Thanks for the photos.

Thanks for the info John. Being newly returned to O-Gauge, so much has changed since my childhood and I'm still trying to settle on what brand of track I want to use. I vacillate between ScaleTrax, GarGraves and Atlas, but since I want to use Ross switches, I think I'm narrowing my choices to ScaleTrax and GarGraves. And I think GarGraves has the edge on both price and ease of installation, though I've heard ScaleTrax flex is the easiest flex to work with. But, since I just want to use flex to add some gentle curvature to some straight sections, I think GarGraves will be just as easy to install.

Thanks for the info, I guess RR-Track doesn't have these transition pieces in the library (Or I can't find them)

Atlas flex is easy to work with for gentle curves,  like a 2-3" offset in a 40" section, its the tight curves that are a pain. Atlas will need to have more fasteners or glue to hold in place. If you like the Atlas look better than the others do not let gentle curves stop you. No matter what track you use the prebent curve sections make life easier. I have used gargraves but will use Ross and Atlas for my new layout, just like the look and how quiet the Atlas is

They are there. In the Ross library under "# turnouts". Also in the Gargraves library in the turnouts section

Unfortunately, unless I'm doing something wrong, they don't work.

Edit: Never mind, I used the #4 transition instead of the Std 11 transition further down in the list.

Note to self: Why won't RR-Track let me join Ross to ScaleTrax?

From what I've seen so far, I do like how quiet Atlas is, but it's been on a cork roadbed on HDPE/ABS lattice sub-roadbed and I can't afford that stuff. How hard is it to connect to Ross switches? I know GarGraves connects right up and ScaleTrax just needs a thin roadbed under it to connect. I do intend to use standard sectional track for the curves.

The switch works well, but like all large turnouts, the whole turnout needs to be in the same plane. If you mount it on a twisty, lumpy base you'll have problems because of its size. We have two on our through yard using ground throws and they've been great, even with scale-wheeled equipment.

Thank you , I found it in RRTrack, it looks great

I was able to reproduce the yard setup in RR-Track and was able to figure out the dimensions. The switch setup for 6 yard tracks is approximately 4' long and the tracks are under 18" wide outer rail to outer rail, so it should fit easily in my 3'x10' wide space and give me yard tracks that are 6' long. That should be enough for the rolling stock I'll eventually purchase.

Thanks, Matt. This might be one area where I'll use 3/4" plywood.

Ours is sitting on 1/2" which is fine. Where you have problems is when you "cut in" a new large turnout where there wasn't one before. You have to scrape and level the roadbed. We had to re-lay this turnout because the roadbed leaving the 48" radius curve was sloping and there was a sub-roadbed seam underneath, so when the turnout was mounted, it tweaked just enough to derail even 3-rail equipment.

That's good to hear Matt. Thanks.

Atlas joiners will work with Ross switches, you will need to trim about 1/16"  off the Ross end of the joiner.

Thanks for all the info and the pictures look great.

I just got an email back from, Ross (Sunday at 11pm eastern, great service)and they confirmed it's the RC35 I am looking to use

Thanks for the tip. I guess all 3 brands are back in play and it may come down to nothing more than price. I don't think the LHS carries ScaleTrax or GarGraves, I think they just carry RealTrax and Atlas. I did talk to them about ScaleTrax and they said there were too many returns, so they gave up on it. I didn't check on switches or any other track because I'm not ready to purchase any track yet. I'm not hung up on appearance, etc., all I want is relative quiet and decent operation. Ease of installation is also a factor, so I need to view the Black Diamond videos again to see the ScaleTrax it uses.

I used the Ross 4 way for my yard along with the two transition pieces. It is equipped with the DZ2500 machines operated by the Z-Stuff data wire driver like the rest of my Ross switches.

One suggestion is to program the yard tracks as routes that way you will avoid derailments in case you forget to put one of the turnouts in the right position.

You can do a lot in a small space with a Ross three way switch also.  One track less.
Ross 204 3 way switch The 204 is a #4(tighter) switch, as pictured it is mated with #5 switches to complete the cross overs. Some custom grinding was done to get the 204 to match-up with the 100 and 101 switches (11 degree switches). It should match with 200, 201 switches. 


The switch combinations pictured for 5 tracks is done on a 6 ft Fort Pitt High-railers module. Click to access a video.

Thanks for starting this topic Chris. I just happen to have a 170 that I picked up on general principles some time ago. I also have "in stock" 2 pair of the matching switches. Now I know what I'm going to do with them...

An 8 track hump yard!

I wish I had room for a 8-track, but at 5'-6', that would leave me only 4'-5' for tracks. I am considering a pair of 4's side-by-side though. I only plan on buying 4 engines though, so maybe the 4-track is all I need. Maybe I should just plan it so I can easily add another 4-track if I ever need the storage. I think a pair of 4's would fit on a 36" wide shelf.

Add my thanks to Chris for starting the thread, I've learned a lot.

Dave, maybe we'll be able to roll some trains down when you visit.

I look forward to it Elliot. I'm thinking late August or early September timeframe. I'm working on a trip that would take us up through Glacier NP and Banff/Lake Louise, over to Minot AFB ND and Minneapolis, then to the Green Bay area, so we'll see how it all works out.

That's a big trip Dave. My wife and I have taken a few monsters like that. Normally we travel right after Labor Day, but we probably won't be doing anything in 2014.

By then we should have a lot more done.

That's nothing, Elliot. In 2009 we did 18,700 miles in 90 days up and down the East Coast. We based ourselves with friends in Maryland for a few weeks. We went to Toronto and all the way up to Algonquin Park one time and then to Montreal another time. We did all of New England before relocating to our daughter's in Fayetteville NC. From there it was all the way down to Key West and along the Gulf Coast home. This trip will be our shortest and most limited (only 2 major stops) since I retired in 2009. I do have the advantage of using military lodging, so we get really nice rooms for Motel 6 prices and suites for just a little more. I've been surprised to find Navy bases in so many unexpected places.

Here is how I used my first one.  I have a second one as a lead on the second level to my passenger yard.

Did you design your layout with that switch in mind?

Wow Dave!! The best we've managed is 3 weeks and around 6500 miles. By the end of that, I'm ready to get home and work on the layout.

Dave,

Yes, I had it planned for one on the lower and one on the middle as my leads.  As a point of interest, the outside two tracks in the lower picture are my mains, the inside 3 are the staging yard and go from the Ross 170 around to the inner three on the left that feed back into the outer main.

If I could get my wife to agree, I'd sell the house and become an RV gypsy. I've always loved driving and love being on the road. Having been in the Air Force for 27 years and now with the internet, we've got friends all over the country and we enjoy visiting as much as we can.

We don't mind making new friends either (we've met 23 from the internet since 2009), so there's always someone to see along the way wherever we go. And, with family in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia and Colorado, and military bases everywhere, there is no shortage of inexpensive beds, though we try not to impose on friends unless they "really" insist.

We also try not to drive the same road twice on a trip and we avoid freeways unless time is a priority between destinations. As we found out in Northern Minnesota in 2011, the danger in that is finding places to eat when we're hungry.

And when it comes to trains, I'd just contact the nearest club to see if I could run there while I was in the area.

Thanks for the reply Allan. I'm thinking of a hidden yard (through a wall into another room) and I'm considering doing it completely with Ross and then Atlas or ScaleTrax everywhere else. That way I'd get the uniform look I want (the transition track would be in the wall tunnel) both in the yard and throughout the main layout.

Here are some pictures of the 4 ways on the club layout. We have four of them.