# Best turnouts



## Demus (Jan 27, 2014)

Ok, I went to order 2 turnouts for a passing siding and became thoroughly confused. The price difference between the brands is substantial, and it was unclear to me what the differences are. My layout will only have the two initially, and possibly expand in the future but never have more than 4 or 5. They will be 5 feet up on a wall so I need to operate them remotely. I'd like to do this as inexpensively as possible. I'm using code 83 track; who makes the best turnouts and why do you think they are the best? My layout is DCC but I don't want the added expense of powering the turnouts with DCC. I'll probably use a separate power source and wire them up in the traditional 3 wire way. Any advice/suggestions?


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

i have atlas c100 on my layout, had lots of them, also have peco and older shinohara c70 and 83 around...i prefer the shinohara, look much better, and very reliable, and no clunking when the wheels go over like my atlas ones


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## Demus (Jan 27, 2014)

Anyone use the new Walther's ones? Do they come ready to plug into a wired remote switch and the switch?


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Demus

You ask for it when you ask which is better turnout...Forum members each have their
favorite makes. 

I'm Peco all the way. You just do not have derailments when your
trains run on Peco. Since you have DCC, order the Insulfrog version.
They can be powered by either the Peco twin coil motor or tortoise
slow throw motors.

You do not power turnout motors with your DCC track power.
An old used DC power pack would be ideal to run your turnouts.

Since you are using code 83 track make certain your turnouts will
be also.

Don


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## Demus (Jan 27, 2014)

I'm sure Peco is good quality, as reflected by the price. $28 per turnout and then you have to buy the switch machine? Ouch. Do the Walther's come with the electric switch machine? I realize opinions will vary, so please help out a noob and explain why one is better than another....


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## Demus (Jan 27, 2014)

Are they all sold separately from the remote switch machines? I can't even find the Peco switch machines...


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Here's just one site offering Peco turnouts and motors.

http://www.compare99.com/compare.ht...LHHxqBfh9bU0aCnp9SI1m6ZlNbViZSalNOf0w==&baa=P

Don


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## Demus (Jan 27, 2014)

So $28ish for the turnout, $10 for the motor, and how much for the actual button you wire it to? So I'm looking at spending $40+ per turnout? Ouch. Do any sell them as a complete kit besides Atlas? Why is Atlas so much cheaper?


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Go to radio shack and get inexpensive normally OFF push buttons.

They're much less costly than those offered by the turnout people
and usually of better quality.

However, I do recommend that you use a capacitor discharge unit
which you can build yourself for less than 10.00. It will save you
replacement of an expensive twin coil motor due to a button pushed
too long or stuck. When a button is pushed using a CDU, it sends
a burst of power then dies. It recharges automatically when the
button is released.

You might shop around on the Forum buy and sell section and also
Craigslist for used turnouts and motors. Post there that you
want to buy Pecos and motors and see what turns up.

Don


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## Demus (Jan 27, 2014)

So there's no all included right out of the box versions out there?


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

Well, yes there is...Atlas. But, you still have the buy the push button.

I bought used Peco on Fee Pay. Cost was the same as brand new Atlas. I'm using code 100 though.


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## Demus (Jan 27, 2014)

How does Micro Engineering stack up? How do you power them? It seems like the Atlas are the cheapest; are they low quality? They're always sold out on modeltrainstuff...


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

Atlas is way better than the Bachmann or Life-Like stuff.


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## Demus (Jan 27, 2014)

rrgrassi said:


> Atlas is way better than the Bachmann or Life-Like stuff.


And you can get them remote with everything you need for under $20. Do you know if they cause issues with DCC? Their advertising doesn't say either way...


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Turnouts really have no effect on DCC in any way. Because different
makes use frog designs that must be isolated, or powered thru
relays, they can cause short circuits or loss of contact to
the locomotive, either of which can't be tolerated with
DCC or DC.

You will find that Atlas or Peco Insulfrogs are easy to use with
DCC layouts. Some of the other makes may be also but I am
not familiar with their frog design.

Don


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## Southern (Nov 17, 2008)

* Peco *


.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Southern said:


> * Peco *
> 
> 
> .


I couldn't agree more.

Don


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Demus said:


> Ok, I went to order 2 turnouts for a passing siding and became thoroughly confused. The price difference between the brands is substantial, and it was unclear to me what the differences are. My layout will only have the two initially, and possibly expand in the future but never have more than 4 or 5. They will be 5 feet up on a wall so I need to operate them remotely. I'd like to do this as inexpensively as possible. I'm using code 83 track; who makes the best turnouts and why do you think they are the best? My layout is DCC but I don't want the added expense of powering the turnouts with DCC. I'll probably use a separate power source and wire them up in the traditional 3 wire way. Any advice/suggestions?


Demus;

These files have lots of info on turnouts including a comparison of brands. My offhand recommendation would be Peco or Micro Engineering. Each sells for about $30 but their quality is well worth any extra cost. Cheap turnouts are like cheap anything else. They fulfill both meanings of the word cheap! Inexpensive, and poorly made.

I build my own turnouts, and that is much cheaper in money, but uses up a lot of time. If you're only going to need a half dozen or so, I don't know that it would be worth making your own. This would be particularly true if you were to use Fast Track gauges to build your turnouts. The gauges are quite expensive. I don't use any. One of the files explains my method, and contains a cost breakdown.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

For what it's worth I have some ME turnouts. Alas I literally have them in their packaging. I did take one out to look at but that's it. (They seem constructed well enough)

But I've been wondering also, having had the complete out of the box turnout solution with o gauge fastrack, using track power or not, remote throw or wireless throw... All in one package.

Why there appears to be nothing similar in ho.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

This guy hasn't posted in six years. He either found his turnouts or got out of the hobby.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

ok but i still think a complete out of the box solution would be winner in HO.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

But he's improving. The last two he dredged up were 9 years old!


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Demus said:


> I'm sure Peco is good quality, as reflected by the price. $28 per turnout and then you have to buy the switch machine? Ouch. Do the Walther's come with the electric switch machine? I realize opinions will vary, so please help out a noob and explain why one is better than another....


Demus;

Having "a switch machine come with it" Is not a good way to pick a turnout. Understandable yes, we all like to save money, but not wise. With the exception of Kato Unitrack turnouts, the only turnouts that come with switch machines attached are not very good turnouts. Bachmann EZ-Track turnouts come with a built in switch machine , but the turnout, and the switch machine inside it, are both junk. 

The Atlas "Snap Switch" turnout looks like a bargain. After all, it does come with a switch machine, and a button to control it. Both are included in the slightly lower price.
However, like a lot of train sets, getting more stuff for less money, means that you should be suspicious of the "stuff." The manufacturer is not a charity. He has to make a profit to stay in business. Therefore if he's offering what looks like more for less, buyer beware.

The Atlas Snap switch is a marginal turnout at best. Out of the box, it has a tendency to derail cars passing through it. The materials used to make it are considerably lower quality than those used in Peco or Micro Engineering turnouts. Over time parts, particularly the rivets, or pivots, used to let the points be "loosey goosey" enough to be thrown by the very weak Atlas switch machine, will wear out, leading to more derailments. That switch machine is not very well made either. In my opinion, based on personal experience with both the HO-scale, and N-scale, snap switches, it is one of the worst switch machines available. I have had several N-scale ones actually shake themselves to pieces!
Even the button is low quality, and has been known to short internally, causing one of the coils in the Atlas switch machine to melt. This renders the already poor switch machine useless, and converts your once "remote" snap switch into a "manual" snap switch.

Now none of these potential problems are insurmountable. By modifying the snap switch, you can prevent derailments. If you want to keep using the Atlas switch machine, you can protect it from coil burnouts by replacing the included, but inferior, Atlas blue button control with a Stapleton 751D turnout control. This is not only a much better quality turnout control, but also contains a built-in CDU (Capacitive Discharge Unit) which makes it impossible to burn out a coil, but you have to buy the Stapleton control.
If you are willing to forgo the use of Atlas's considerably-less-than-stellar-quality switch machine, you can further modify the snap switch to eliminate the rivets or pivots, thus eliminating the wearing out of those components. However, then you need to buy a stronger switch machine like a Tortoise or Switchmaster, because the Atlas machine is too weak to move the points without the rivets.

In short, "There is no free lunch." You will need to invest either money, or time, in whatever turnout you select.
Buying a high quality Peco, or Micro Engineering, turnout will save time since they don't need much of any modification. Peco Unifrog turnouts, and Micro Engineering turnouts, have the DCC friendly configuration factory-installed, and they work well right out of the box.
Atlas Snap Switch turnouts will probably need modification, sooner or later, to prevent derailments, but that modification is easy, quick, & fairly cheap. You will still have a weak switch machine and a risk of coil burnout if you hold the blue button down more than two seconds, or if that cheaply-made button itself shorts, and smoke starts pouring out of your "included switch machine."

I think you said your layout would only have five turnouts, and they would be far enough away from you that they would need some sort of remote control. Well, since you are concerned about costs, there are less expensive ways of operating a turnout than buying five Tortoises that retail for about $18 ea. (Note if you want Tortoise motors, there are discounts available.) One such item is in the files about a "Five dollar switch machine" below. There are others too. "Remote" doesn't have to mean electrical. Simple, inexpensive "rod-in-a-tube" type mechanical linkages have been used successfully for many years. I use them on my layout, and I am including some on my grandson's layout too.

Picking a brand of turnout, and paying the cost of turnouts, are problems that every modeler faces. When you're new, the choice can be confusing, and the cost can be downright scary.
If you have not read my files about turnouts yet, I suggest you do so when you can. ( I have included copies below.) I wrote them to help new people learn more about turnouts, and then be able to make their own, better-informed, choice.

Good Luck & Have Fun;

Traction Fan 🙂


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