Building pointwork / converting manufacturers pointwork

Hi Kevin,

Yes it's bullhead, not FB. No idea how you would connect them, presumably regular connectors or a special BH to FB one.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to track - lay it, ballast it and forget about its lack of resemblance to real track, or try and make it look as reasonably close to the prototype as possible (this is quite frankly is governed by time and money, and whether you want to spend most of your time laying track or playing trains). In an ideal world OO 4mm scale would  use 18.83mm gauge track with rolling stock to match. Not going to happen. And it can be a time-consuming and expensive job converting locomotives to P4 (or even EM) gauge, often almost as much as the locomotive cost.

I usually compromise by buying RTR track, construct my own turnouts to the frog angles I want. Which is the plan for the latest layout (plank). Fiddle yards get what's cheap and handy, usually Atlas HO track. Luckily I will be able to source some very good RTR 16.5mm On30 track (Micro-Engineering).

Nigel

Thank you. Nigel.  I think that I am with you on this “Ideal World” and track laying versus playing trains? I did visit a Scalefour Show , very interesting , but I only went for a Select bunch of traders, better than waiting for the postman? Just before Christmas I sent for three packets of Kadee 146, and today I scewewd one onto the end of the chassis of anothe project, unlike the Kadee couplers that push into  a NEM Pocket, which can sometimes be a bit sluggish , the 146 swung violently to the left as it passed over the first Neodymium , and again violently over to the right as it passed over the second Neodymium . Another thing I found was the Dapol variation of NEM pockets are very loose, I have chosen a Guineae Pig wagon to remove the NEM pockets and screw on 146’s, I just hope it is a good as the project chassis?   Best wishes Kevin 

Richard Johnson of DCC Concepts used to lament on another forum about how people spend all sorts of time and effort on their rolling stock and completely ignore the track.  Building a model railway should include a resonable model of the permanent way in his view.  This is why he released the range of handbuilt track that Sol referred to earlier.  He is also a proponent of SS rail but, from what I've read, you're better off with NS.

As for 4 wheeled wagons, I always found that fitting #5 or #58 (I think - the whisker spring equivalent to #5 anyway) was easy as you like and was less obtrusive than the NEMs.

John

Happy New Year  John . Thank you, I am with on the NEM Pocket , especially .those on Dapol wagons, as I replied to Nigel , the effect of the Neodymium magnet as the # 146 passed was really positive . And the comment on the permanent way which after all is the most important part.   Best wishes.  Kevin