What to Do 1st When You Obtain Your Street Turnout Point and Mate Castings Before You Mount Them

When you open the package of the street point and mate turnout castings there will be 4 castings plus a sheet of instructions. The 4 castings are the:

• point holding casting,
• the mate casting,
• the turnout point, and
• cover plate.

If you have a right hand turnout, the point holding casting is mounted on the right side with the small square opening on the inside of the turnout. For the left hand turnout, the point holding casting is mounted on the left. The small square opening is again on the inside. Do not mix up the castings as the right hand mate is different from the left hand mate!

Test fit the cover plate. Examine the turnout point to see if the casting is broken. Put both of them aside where you will not forget they are. Next read and re-read the instructions, You'll be using the instructions soon.

The se are the bottom view of the point and mate of a right hand turnout. The 2 separate point castings are shown at the top of the photo. These are a top and bottom view. Only 1 of these point castings comes with a turnout.

Pick-up one of the 2 larger castings. Run your finger over the casting. Remove any excess metal on the casting. This includes the sprue or small beads of metal.

Blue Oval = DLW for David L. Waddington the master modeler who made the original pattern.

Red Arrows = areas to clean with a file or cut-off tool. Sometimes a sprue is still attached on the bottom at the left side of the photo.

Green Arrow = do not touch or alter!

Next test the piece for square-ness using the metal ruler from a machinist square. Place the metal ruler along the sides, top and bottom of the casting.

The most common problem with the castings is the code 125 rails attached to the castings. If one or more of the pieces of rail need to be bent to the side or up or down, use a pair of pliers with wide jaws. Grip the piece of rail where the piece joins the main casting. Bend the rail then again test for square-ness.

Red Ellipse = short piece of rail needs to be bent to the side.

Blue Circle = short piece of rail needs to be bent up.

Normally I work on a 1/4" piece of plate glass. The plate glass is FLAT. When you are truing or squaring the casting place it on something absolutely flat. The casting must rest FLAT and not rock back and forth. Light should not show under the casting. The straight rails must straight through the entire length of the casting.

When you are satisfied with this casting place it aside and do the same with the other casting. Next the casting can be installed. If you are making a street turnout most modelers mount the 2 castings on PC board ties available from Clover House http://cloverhouse.com/Store/ .

Some trolley lines if mounting a turnout in open track will use the street turnout castings for the turnout. I plan to show you this in a later Post.

Cheers,
Ed