2 Rail Track And Turnout Options

I used Gargraves track for the straight (it's a flex track) and Ross for the curves and turnouts.   Very satisfied.  Bought it all directly from Steve  at Ross Custom Switches.   Two years in and I'm still very satisfied.

Here is the link to O Scale Central site for 2R O Scale turnouts and track options:

https://oscalecentral.com/Prod...duct-category/track/

Also, do a search using the search feature on this site as this question has been asked many, many times and many track/turnout photos have been posted in those past posts.

Scott

Check out Signature Switch Company.

I use a mix of flex track (Atlas and Micro Engineering) and hand laid turnouts. I prefer the latter over commercial for 2 reasons - cost, and appearance.  By hand laying one can fit  turnouts  into curve easements making better use of space, while providing  a smooth flowing look.  When I was starting out I filed my own components, but now I use Right O Way castings for the points, frog, and guard rails.  

Fast Tracks (the company, not the Lionel track system) offers a pretty broad range of both raw supplies and tools for handlaying track.  Tools for turnout and tangent track construction range anywhere from free downloadable paper templates to track gauges to shaping tools to milled aluminum fixtures.  Materials include wood and pc board ties, as well as various precut tie strips.  Rail and detail parts will need to be sourced elsewhere. 

You can build simple track and turnouts or add all the various details, without regard to whether you choose P48 or Ow5 for your gauge.  It only depends on what level of detail you're interested in.  Either way you obviously need the rail, which you can source from Right-O-Way, Microengineering, or even O Scale Turnouts.  Ross or Gargraves as mentioned above may also stock rail, but I'm not familiar with their products lines.

If you choose to add extra detailing, or choose to use things like cast frogs and points for turnout builds, you can get all sorts of parts from Right-O-Way, or a more limited range is available from O Scale Turnouts.

Signature Switch Company that Chris mentions will make just about any track arrangement you can imagine, usually those are turnouts but can include sections of straight or curved track.  However, I don't think he uses castings in his turnouts, so that may be an issue if you want the additional details.  Also, he can only make what you tell him to make.  Turnouts aren't really affected by that criteria, they are sort of compartmentalized by default.  But for all the rail in between, where you might use flex track, you would have to already know what your track arrangement will be before he can make it.  It's akin to using sectional Atlas track.   That can create issues if plans change. 

Jim

I am in the process of building a small switching layout. I hope to have it done by spring time. It will have the ability to be built into a larger layout. Below is a picture of a Signature Switch turnout and two #6 Fast Tracks turnouts. Both were built by me. The middle one is done just needs paint but still working on the bottom one. On the middle switch I used Fast Tracks Quiksticks. These are wooden ties that you glue or spike or both glue and spike to the turnout. They save a real lot of work but they due add to the cost a lot. Time is a factor for me which is why I bought a few Quicksticks. They are about 25 dollars each. When I have more time I will use my own ties. I didn't show an Atlas switch because I figured everyone knows what they look like. I have heard good things about O Scale Turnouts but have never actually used them.

I think the Signature switches are really great and will perform flawlessly but like big train posted they don't have the detail that O Scale Turnouts have which doesn't bother me. I am getting better at building turnouts and these last two that I built perform very well. One thing I have found is it is critical exactly where you put the frog points. I wish I could just throw Signature Switch Two thousand dollars and say build me 20 switches but that is out of my budget. Here is a picture of the turnouts:

Picture of Quicksticks:

I wonder if the lack of ready-made turnouts in code 100/125 is why 2 rail is not more popular? We are fortunate to have code 100/125 flex track available, but why not turnouts?

Thank you. I’m looking forward to learning more. I’ll try to share what I learn.

@42trainman posted:

I used Gargraves track for the straight (it's a flex track) and Ross for the curves and turnouts.   Very satisfied.  Bought it all directly from Steve  at Ross Custom Switches.   Two years in and I'm still very satisfied.

That's cool but aren't those brands (Gargraves and Ross) more for 3 rail?

Mark in Oregon

Don't know about Ross but Gargraves makes 2 rail flex track.

The GarGraves 2 rail is a hi-rail track minus the middle rail.  In a nutshell the GarGraves option provides a platform for running hi-rail wheels on a 2 rail format. If you tried to operate hi-rail wheels on 2 rail O scale track as seen in the photo below, you will run in to issues at some point due to the rail height. Wheelset in photo is M.T.H. rolling stock. Not sure if other companies' flanges are deeper. 

I think the lack of ready to run turnout options greatly impacts the popularity of 2R O scale

Many years ago I talked with micro engineering about some turnouts to go with their flex track - the size (cost) of the mold and associated injection machine is the impediment (I tried explaining the then available two piece turnouts from Europe as a means of minimizing mold size / cost)

@bob3 posted:

I think the lack of ready to run turnout options greatly impacts the popularity of 2R O scale

Signature switch Company

     https://signatureswitchco.com/

Atlas Switches

    https://shop.atlasrr.com/c-207-061.aspx

O scale turnouts, Inc

     https://www.oscaleturnouts.com/

Should be enough of a selection to have no effect on the popularity of 2R O scale

And there is always Fast Tracks which operators in all scales seem to use

Corrected...

Going back to the OP's original comment," nice to have matching track".  Wood ties and plastic ties can be made to look identical by simply painting the track.  Rustoleum Camouflage Earth Brown is the shade I use.  No need to worry about which track has plastic ties and which track has wood ties.  

Ed

Honest to God, building your own turnouts with Fast Track jigs and tools is really easy. There is a bit of a learning curve, especially in not using too much solder, and making sure you get the gaps right in the rail to avoid shorts but after a bit you can make a turnout in about 45 minutes. The initial cost is high but once done you can always sell the jigs for somewhere between 50 to 75 percent of the cost new.  My entire layout is hand laid using this method.  If I had it to do over again I would still make the turnouts but use ME code 100 flex to save time

Peter

Hi Guys.

The 'go to' company over here in the UK is Peco who produce flexitrack and a range of switches (or points as we call them here).

They also produce track for Lenz, the German O scale company. Both companies come up with a Google search.

There's also a company over here called Marcway who make a large range of switches and crossings and also do bespoke work too.

@Steve Adby posted:

Hi Guys.

The 'go to' company over here in the UK is Peco who produce flexitrack and a range of switches (or points as we call them here).

They also produce track for Lenz, the German O scale company. Both companies come up with a Google search.

There's also a company over here called Marcway who make a large range of switches and crossings and also do bespoke work too.

I believe Atlas O scale 2 rail track is Lenz track.

The turnouts are not US prototype in most details.

Even 40 years ago HO had Shinohara track but 2r O scale hasn't come out of the 1950s in many areas.

Yep, lots of options for handlaying turnouts.   Not much RTR track other than Atlas or Micro Engineering.   Atlas track is decades behind in fidelity but not necessarily in cost.  Not fingering Atlas, it takes a boat load of money for the equipment to make "switches" and a small family owned business just doesn't have it.  I wonder how they did it when they made Snap Track in Hillside NJ?

Sad, since O scale is big enough where good looking accurate track would make a difference.

With all do respect Lenz O scale 2 rail track is not the same as Atlas 2 rail track. Atlas 2 rail track is code 148 and Lenz 2 rail track is code 143.

Lee Gustafson

Lee,

When you said Lenz is 143, is this by measurement ?  It may well be, since Peco already made 143 under their own line, and it is certainly logical that they would be the same.  I note however that Lenz on their web site refers to their rail as being 3.75 mm high, about .1476 inches;  but it's certainly possible that Lenz forgot to change their web page when they changed vendors -- perhaps when they acquired that MTH tooling [ or acquired the use of it, not quite the same thing...] they also got infected with MTH-neverupdateawebpage-itis....

I don't have any Peco-era Lenz track, or I'd measure it myself.

Best, SZ

A long time ago I had some Peco track and turnouts that I measured .143. At the same time I had and continue to have Atlas track that measures .148. My reference to Lenz track measuring .143 came from their website not from personal experience. Given the global nature of companies and manufacturing anything is possible now in the world of model trains. All of this is in reference to 2 rail track. To further complicate this topic rail head and rail base profiles can differ even if the track code, rail height is constant.

Lee Gustafson

Another company is called Right-O-Way. Quick ship

Dick