Ross #4 vs Regular 11 Degree

A #4 switch diverges from the straight route by 14 degrees. You can download a full scale pdf  of each switch from the Ross website.

From the Ross web site:  "Premiere #4 LH Switch:  Typically used in the yard.   The #4 switch is 14 degrees in angle and will give you a 3.5" center rail spacing in a ladder configuration and a 4" center rail spacing when used in a crossover configuration.  It uses nothing smaller than 72" diameter curves in it so even your largest locomotives can negotiate it.  Premiere line switches are made to real railroad dimesions and angles.  Premiere line switches are made to real railroad angles and dimensions."  Ron

On a #4 turnout, the NMRA specs indicate the point radius is about 33 inches, but when I talked to Steve [Ross] he said he used O-72 points to support larger 3-rail equipment. The #4 refers to the tangent of the angle of divergence (14.1 degrees). The points on the 11-degree (#5) turnout are broader and the divergence is shallower so they're more compatible as crossover turnouts and don't require as much running length as a #6 or #8 crossover would require (the reason we chose them for the mainlines).

 

#4's are more appropriate for use in yards or feeding industrial areas. I guess, technically, so are #5's but you only have so much space in a model railroad.

I try to stick with ross regulars or atlas #5' as a minimum everywhere