Switch - DCC Turnout - What is the difference.

[jbsmith]

The term "turnout" is also used by the track manufacturers in the full size world and the railroads who are their customers.  The term "switch" applies only to the moving parts ("points") within a turnout, together with the gear for moving those parts.  Ask a railroader working on a track crew about those giant size Atlas snap switches you see filling full size gondolas and he will call them "turnouts."  Ask a trainman how he gets the train from one track to another and he will tell you "by throwing some switches."  And both of them are correct.  But they are NOT talking about exactly the same thing.

Think of it this way.  You own an automobile.  The motor is only part of it.  A century ago, you would probably have referred to your car, the whole car, as your "motor."  Eventually, people started to use the term "motor car" for the whole thing as a way to avoid confusion.  Similarly, you will sometimes hear the term "turnout switch" used for the whole track appliance.

As part of a savvy model railroad club, you might talk about putting in a passing siding by adding one turnout here and another turnout over there.  But after the siding is in place and you are now using it, you will probably ask for someone to throw those switches.

Having said all that to explain the difference between switch and turnout, a DCC turnout is simply a turnout in which the switch can be operated via your DCC throttle.  I suppose they call a turnout a "switch" in Your First Railroad Track Pack because the term "switch" is more familiar to beginners.  But by the time people are more advanced and thinking in terms of operating their switches by DCC, they call it a "turnout."

Where's the ice pack.  I think I'm giving myself a headache!

Jim

 

I got some Advil if you need some Jim!

Genrally i just call them switches. I mean afterall, i have NEVER seen or heard of a loco called a "turnouter" , never seen a "turnout tower" and so on.

[Jim Banner]

The British reference to "points" fits right in.  The points of a turnout are the moveable rails.  The British speak of just the moveable rails.  We speak of the moveable rails plus the bits and pieces to make them move as a "switch."  In both cases, we are talking about parts of a turnout.  Now if you will excuse me, I have to get back to the point work I have been having a spot of trouble with.  Seems I have a sticky switch in the turnout I'm building.

I figured I might as well add some more to the confusion.  After all, I helped open this can of worms.  And closing a can of worm is about as easy as unringing a bell.

Jim

P.S.  Thanks, Mr. Smith.  I think I will have one of those Advil now.

J.

[jward]

just to add some gasoline to the fire.......

having worked in the railroad industry for severla years, i can tell you the operating departments of the roads i ran over (we had trackage rights) never referred to turnouts. we received permission to open the switch. we double checqued the points as a safety measure. when we were done we reported the switch lined and locked in the normal position. if you ran through a switch, you were in trouble especially if you "put one on the ground" (derailed.)....

power switches had a setting which converted them to manual operation. this had to be done by the signal maintainers, and if i recall effectively disabled the signal system for the affected tracks. you'd have to get permission by the stop signal from the dispatcher, who would tell you if the switch was in manual or motor mode....

just to confuse things a little more, some railroads refer to locomotives as motors. and the little level that operated the points in a yard was a hand throw not a ground throw. it was also called a switch stand. and the "switch" towers were referred to as either signal towers or block stations depending upon the railroad....

bear in mind that  different railroads call things different names. the ones i dealt with were the norfolk southern/conrail (former prr) the buffalo & pisstburgh (former b&o} and the pittsburgh & shawmut.

[mabloodhound]

just to confuse things a little more, some railroads refer to locomotives as motors.

I'm still smiling.    Of course with today's locomotives, either term would be correct as they use diesel "engines" to power electric "motors".

But I did get a good education on terminology; a sincere thanks guys.

[Jim Banner]

having worked in the railroad industry for severla years, i can tell you the operating departments of the roads i ran over (we had trackage rights) never referred to turnouts.

Thanks Jeffery for the confirmation.  Now if we can just get someone who works/worked for the track construction and maintenance department to confirm what they called turnouts, we can either confirm or dispute what I was saying earlier.  In the meantime, take a look at the link below.  It leads to the section of Harmer Steel Co.'s catalogue that deals with the real world subject.  The index on the left side of the page expands on many aspects of the subject.
http://www.harmersteel.com/catalog/frogs-switches-turnouts/ 

Jim