For those of you that are adding or building a layout and want to have a single main line switch into a double line here's the switch to use. The Ross 11 degree wye. Always before I used a regular Ross 072 right or left switch. The wye works much better because you can keep your double track much closer together and run your train at a higher speed. Don't know why I didn't think of using the wye before. They are also great in a yard. Don
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The 11 degree wye is very narrow, at 5.5 degrees per side. If you have lots of room to open it up, its a good choice. Also on the order sheet but not in the list of patterns online or in most track planning software is the 22 degree wye, #158. This little wonder switch mates with the 100 and 101 regular #5s, as the wye is the same 11 degrees of divergence. If you butted a #5 switch directly to it, I'd say you can get 3.5" center to center out of it.
To shift a single main into a double, I'd probably just use a normal switch, so that only one line diverges, but the right switch in that situation is part designers choice, and part layout design. Certainly, there are instances where a wye could be used in that scenario.
Back in my HO days when switches were cheap.....I had a number of passing sidings using only wye turnouts. They make for a great set up that's versatile. I had them set up this way.....
I'd like to include a few on my new layout.....butr 6 Ross, on anyones, wyes are not cheap!!!
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