Speed when switching

Alan,

 

Yes, at least they should.  Mine do and usually at 2-3 smph.  I have a MTH NW2, RS3 (with TMCC guts), an Atlas GP9 (with PS2 guts), and a Lionel Legacy GP9.  As long as the Ross 072 switches are wired like they say they should work fine.

Will most Atlas&MTH diesels run smooth through O-72 turnouts

 

Which O-72 switches??????

I'm uncommitted as of yet to my track brand,but am leaning towards Atlas O-72.
Any suggestions on brands? The pic's on the Ross site really look nice though.
1 thing I'm having trouble with is finding a switchstand with moving targets that can be connected to a Caboose Industry 208 ground throw,since we O scalers don't have a ground throw as of yet that has both working targets&that will through the turnout at the same time like HO does. Any suggestions? 
Al

Thank you,that's great to know&helps in making the move to O Scale much more reassuring.
Alan

Your enemy will be pickup roller spacing that matches the center rail gaps in turnouts. Other than that, slow speed operation should be fine...and very satisfying. Kadee couplers will couple at very low speeds, especially if you pre-treat them with some graphite in the moving parts.

Thank you for your input. Since I'm using mostly decent based diesels,GP 35's&GP15's,no switchers with short wheel bases,I thought I'd be okay but the more advice the better I feel as I'm all knew to O Scale. I'm missing a lot as far as availability going to OvsHO,but the massive size and detail is what attracted me. Thanks again.
Al

Alan;

I have a bunch of Steam engines in PS2 and  one PS3. They will all travel through most switches at 2 Scale MPH. Again, the short ones on tight turnouts are the trouble children so you should be fine.

You can't go wrong with Ross switches.

My TimeSaver layout is all Gargraves 072 manual switches. These come with the Caboose Industries ground throws pre-mounted. We run 2-5 smph.

 

The best advice I ever got was to pick a switcher with two dual roller pickups. I have a MTH scale VO1000. It came with "fat" pickups and bumped over the Gargraves uncouplers. After I switched to the small diameter pickups, it ran flawlessly. We have also run another club member's MTH SW2 extensively w/o any issues.

 

Gilly

Thank you for the information. Would you prefer Ross over Atlas switches? I'm using ground throws on most switches so the Ross would work fine,though I purchased an Atlas wye to look over&a ground throw works well with it.
Thank you,
Al

What type rollers would you venture to say the Atlas GP15'S&MTH GP35'S come with? Thank you for the input.
Alan

As for the Atlas pickups, I dunno. Just make sure there are two dual rollers.

 

Ross, definitely!!! They have the broadest selection of switches, bar none! All USA made and the customer service is great.

 

Gilly

If you are going to do slow speed switching you really have to have 4 pickup rollers for reliable operation. I have Atlas switches and engines with two pickup rollers are problematic. The ones with 4 pickup rollers work fine.

 

As far as Atlas engines go, be careful. The early Master diesels and all Trainman diesels (until now) do not have cruise control. Without cruise switching would be difficult. Also earlier Master Atlas diesels only have 2 pickup rollers. Later ones have 4. Make sure any Atlas diesel you get has 4 rollers and cruise control (EOB or ERR Cruise).

 

Ken

Alan

 

I have to second the caution on low speed control on Atlas diesels.  I have operated several older Atlas RS-1s and they are not good at slow speed.  The MTH Rail King RS-1s or RS-3s are much better slow speed performers.  Even the Atlas EMD switchers with the highly regarded horizontal single motor mechanism has a hard time bettering a Rail King diesel for slow speed switching performance.

 

If you are considering going the three rail scale approach with fixed pilots and Kadee couplers the MTH GP-35 is a great way to go.  Just order the -2 version, install rollers and Kadees and swap axles with a 20-89008 kit.

 

Switching speed and techniques and will vary with the couplers that you chose.  Just like in HO, Kadees don't take too much of a bump to close if properly aligned but you can often push cars gently without closing the Kadee knuckles if you try.  Three rail knuckle couplers take a little more energy to close but the newer Atlas, MTH and Lionel couplers can all be closed reliably in most cases without resorting to the 0-5-0.

 

On the layout where I usually operate the speed limit within yard limits is 15 smph.  When switching cars with three rail couplers I usually max out about 10 smph and hit the reverse button on the DCS remote 3 to 4 inches out from making a joint with factory momentum settings in the locomotive.  That results in reliable coupling, not 100% but definitely most of the time.  And just like in HO moving over switches at more than absolute minimum speed will result in more reliable operation.  It gives those flywheels and multiple pickups a better chance of getting across dirty or imperfect track without stalling.  Again, about 10 smph seems to be a good speed.

 

O-72s are about the O scale equivalent of an HO Atlas snap switch.  Just like in HO, numbered switches are usually better choices for sidings and yards.  Altas, MTH ScaleTrax and Ross are the O gauge track systems with numbered switches. Atlas makes #5s and 7.5s, MTH has #4s (really a #5) and #6s and Ross makes #4s, the regular (close to a #5), 6s, 8s and 10s.

 

 

 

 

 

The roads I model are CSX&Chessie,& except for road diesels,I really like the general purpose Atlas GP15 & MTH GP35 looks. If available in Chessie&CSX,I'd have GP40-2's & GP38-2's as my local switchers&SD35&40's as my road diesels. So since I can find some CSX&Chessie in the Atlas GP15's,&Chessie in the MTH GP35's,that's what I'm hoping to buy. I'm totally ignorant to O scale,so I don't know if these diesels,particularly the Atlas diesels have the necessary number of rollers for electrical pickup or not. With what tiny bit of knowledge I have,I assumed the diesels would be long enough to span the electrical gap at turnouts with no problem.
As for couplers,I'm going to go the whole 9 yards so to speak & use either Protocraft couplers or San Quan couplers. The San Quan's I can't get to operate reliably at all yet,but think there's got to be something  I'm not doing right that they won't open&close properly. A friend of mine hopes to make an E coupler with upper/lower safety shelfs for the modern era freight&loco's. The Protocraft couplers work flawlessly every time. The only complaint I have with them is in the design on the nonknuckle side of the coupler;it's not the standard E design,but either it was designed to model a different coupler builder,and or is set for an earlier era.
As for the fixed pilots,I was hoping I could get by with leaving the pilots as they come from the factory to get a layout started,maybe permanetly.(?)
I'm fresh from HO with my 30 years of equipment to sell,so I've got a very daunting venture ahead of me.
Thanks to all for their VERY HELPFULinputs.
Alan

Al,

 

I use Ross switches and Gargraves (and Ross) track and it has performed just fine.  However, Atlas track IMO is the best looking track available and solid.  I don't know  how their switches perform but I have seen posts of folks having problems in the past.  I saw one of our old forumites (Windy) layout and he used Atlas all around, just gorgeous and when he ran his trains I saw nothing to indicate any problems.

 

I've actually come to prefer Ross track over Gargraves.  Gargraves track is embedded into each tie:

 

 

 

The silvery part you see in the above photo is the sides of the rail that are bent/inserted into the ties.

 

Here's a photo of Ross track:

 

 

 

You can just see the spikes holding the rail to the ties.  The Ross track has taken those silvery pieces you see on the Gargraves track and bent them underneath (not embedded in the ties).  Not sure if it's done that way on all their track, but it is on all the Ross track I have.

 

The Railking Imperial 0-6-0 is the smallest engine I have and runs fine thru the Ross switches.

On my switching layout, which is Gargraves with Ross turnouts, I have run my Atlas GP9s and my Lionel GP35 and they will crawl so slow, it's hard to tell if they are even moving. Most of the turnouts are Ross Reg (11 degree) and a couple 072's, with a 30 degree crossing. I've never had an issue with stalling out, or having to run too fast for "switching speed". The layout is 20' x 3', and if I switch the entire layout, it will take a few hours at 10 smph and 4 smph for coupling. I don't have any MTH switch engines, but all my road diesels will crawl as well.  

Thank you for the information&the GEORGEOUS photos!! Are the rails painted that way,or did you weather them to that color?
I've looked at all brands of track&Gargraves had the best price compairatively as I remember,but will pay extra for quality as I painfully learned that lesson in HO,you get what you pay for. OH THAT WAS AN EXPENSIVE LESSON TO LEARN!! (But NECESSARY).
 
Al

Thank you for the input. That's what I'm looking for with my O scale is realistic switching speed like I had with the HO. It's fun to let them inch their way along,even though I'd never switch at that speed.
Thank you,again.
Al

The Ross turnouts come "unwired" according to the webpage,keeping all legs of the turnout isolated electrically. Is this require wiring to switch from 1 track to the other,I'm lost?
They say you can save money&do it yourself or for $5.95,they'll do it for the customer.
Al

I have Gargraves switches currently but plan to update to Ross switches as my MTH get derailed in the Gargraves switches, MTH won't take the curved part of any Gargraves switch I have.

The MTH engines do well with Lionel and K-Line switches in tubular track that I have.

 

FYI, Williams engines will work with most switches current except Lionel tubular 031 & 072 switches made from 1994 up to and including new Lionel switches. Can not comment on Fastrack switches.

 

Lee Fritz

We bought all our Ross turnouts "manual" and wired them ourselves. $6 x 50 adds up quick, and it only takes a couple minutes to add a couple wires to the bottom.

 

This is Gargraves flex, Gargraves sectional curves, a Ross turnout, and all painted, ballast, and weathered. It's controlled by a Tortoise switch machine, and then the Keil-Line static switch motor glued to the ties.

 

Even though we made these turnouts "Ross Ready" ourselves, power is still fed from all 3 sides, and trains will still creep through them at very slow realistic speeds.