EZ track & 22" radius

[Mom of two]

I am new to model railroading in that I am building my son a layout.  We have the 22" radius Nickel EZ Track and I would like to install some switches to add an extra layer in the oval (outer half circle) in the oval we already have, however I am not sure what turnout we need - any suggestions?  I apologize if I am not using the correct terminology, kind of learning as I go with the layout.

[simkon]

If you have 22" radius, that means that you turnouts that have to equal out to 22" radius, so you would want to get #5 or #6 turnouts. The #5 turnouts are Product Codes: 44565 (left) and 44566 (right) as seen here:



The #6 turnouts are Product Codes: 44560 (right) & 44559 (left) and are as seen below:

[Mom of two]

Thank you very much! 
I have seen both of these but was not sure which one worked with the 22" radius track.  They looked very similar, # 6 being longer. 
Every layout plan I have found only had the turnouts for the 18" radius track, you have made my day, and my five year old's - he is going to be so happy when I install some switches for him!

[simkon]

Just be sure you know which track pieces you want to use to make the half circle, because it is not straight forward. If you only want to make a passing siding that is a half circle you will likely need some straight pieces and possibly curved track that is a radius other than 22" depending on what you want to do.

[Jim Banner]

While I agree with simpkon's recommendation of either #5 or #6 turnouts, I am having somewhat of a problem with logic in arriving at that recommendation.  Bachmann's "standard" turnouts (part nos. 44461 and 44462 with black base and 44561 and 44562 with grey base) have a constant radius through the turnouts of 18" and can be used to replace a section of 18" radius track.  But turnouts with a 22" radius through them are not manufactured.  So there are no turnouts "that ... equal out to 22" radius" in either meaning of the term.  Number 5 turnouts have a minimum radius of 26" and #6 a minimum of 43".

You will notice that Bachmann #5 turnouts (part nos. 44565 and 44566) and #6 turnouts (part nos. 44575 and 44576) come only with a grey base.  There are no black base equivalents which is a bit of a bummer if all the rest of your track have black bases.  If that is the case, you can paint the grey bases black but be very careful not to get any paint into moving parts of the turnouts.  There should be no reason to get paint on the tops of the rails, but if you do, wipe it off right away, then thoroughly clean the rails after the rest of the paint is dry.

There is some references to working with #5 turnouts on this post:
http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,14978.0.html

Good luck with your railroad building.  You could be starting your boy on a lifetime hobby, a hobby that can lead him to learning for the love of learning and success in whatever field he chooses.

Jim

[jward]

it is not a question of whether the ez track pieces will work together. they are designed to all work together. the real question is, how much room do you have. a crossover (2 switches that provide a route between parallel tracks) made from #6s will take up more length then a crossover of #5s. not being familiar with ez track lengths, i can tell you that a crossover made of atlas #4s is 16" long, one of #6s would be 20" long. i provide these numbers as a sort of ballpark figure of what to expect. if you don't have a straight section on your layout at least 16" you will have trouble fitting in a crossover.

it is NOT adviseable to use the 18" radius switches for crossovers, on account of the wicked s curve that results. you will most likely have derailment problems if you try to do that.

[Mom of two]

thank you all of you for your help.  I will look into the references for using the # 5 turnout before going back to the model train store to get the turnouts.  We do have a sizable train table for his layout - 6' x 8', we made it that big so that we could have some room to grow AND keep the track from being right on the edge so our little guy (who is 18 months) can quite reach the track!

I remember playing with my dad's train table when I was a child and how much fun it was.  I am not sure who is having more fun with this, my 5 year old or me!  He truly loves trains, it started out with Thomas and friends and now has moved into all kinds of model steam trains.  I look at it as being much better than sitting around playing video games like so many kids his age.

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Mom of Two,

I suggest you download a track CAD program called Anyrail.com.  It is free to use for the first 50 track pieces.   Try your new layout before buying new track pieces.   

Using that program, I have made an "early cutoff" with a left and right #5 turnout pair, which is what you describe, a 180 degree turn at the end of your oval (using the main route), with an inner 180 degree turn if you choose the divergent routes of your left and right turnout pair.

Rt #5 (main route)
Four 22"R curves
One 3" straight (or Two 1.5" straights for complete symmetry)
Four 22"R curves
Lt #5 (main route).

Rt (divergent route)
Three 22"R curves
One  22"R curve (or Two Half-22"R curves for complete symmetry and ease of expansion in layout width)
Three 22"R curves
Lt (divergent route)

Notes: 

3" straight needed for other end of oval.
51" minimum table width (more than 4 feet of sheet width needed).
There are small errors in turning degrees on the inner curve and in fitter length on the outer curve.  (Small enough that it should work, though.)   

Hope this helps.

Sincerely

Joe Satnik