Bachmann turnout

[Larry48]

Can someone tell me the difference between a WYE turnout 44869 and a regular turnout e.g. 44861.  thanx  larry48

[ABC]

The wye is a more gradual turnout with two divergent routes and no straight route. The standard turnout is sharper with the divergent route being 18" radius and with a straight route. The wye would be ideal for a reverse loop for example.

[Larry48]

Thanx for th info. I don't have a large setup (8x4) with multiple turns, circles, etc) for now ( will be made much bigger) but would rather spend a little more $ now than have to spend additional $ later on. i guess i should go with the WYE. also how large of a layout or how many locos would I need if i wanted to purchase a 5 amp booster now. thanx again  larry

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Larry,

As a general rule, it helps if you mention your scale, especially if you post in the "General" sub-forum. 

Wye turnouts are symmetrical, and are usually used in a wye track configuration (wye, L and R turnouts) for loco turnarounds (short tail-track) or train turnarounds (longer tail-track).   

l main
l
l\Left
l \
l  \_______tail end
l   /Wye
l  /
l /
l/Right
l
l main


Numbered turnouts (e.g. #6) are straight between the frog and the end of the divergent route.  Bachmann's regular (non-numbered) turnouts have a curved divergent route with a specific radius.

I'm surprised that there are no numbered L and R turnouts (in N scale) to complement the numbered wye turnout.

Perhaps those will be the next released. 

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik   

[ABC]

also how large of a layout or how many locos would I need if i wanted to purchase a 5 amp booster now.

The standard Bachmann E-Z Command DCC System can handle 4 DCC locos (I've run 5 that were all barely drawing any amp). So if you plan on running 6 locomotives or more simultaneously, then you would want to purchase a 5 amp booster, but if you are only going to run 1-4 locos then stick with the E-Z Command.