Proto:87 Stores - Comments

I think Andy's doing a great service to the hobby with his Proto:87 Stores offerings.

Proto:87 Stores, for example, is where I can buy the realistically detailed Central Valley HO ties for $4 each (just the plastic ties with the rail slots in them). I then use these plastic ties as a "poor-man's jig" to build my own very realistic turnouts that are spot on NMRA spec. These CVT turnouts look great when completed and their performance reliability puts any commercial turnout to shame. Here's a photo of one I built:

Code 83 #6 turnout built by Joe Fugate using the Central Valley Ties

I discuss step-by-step how I built this turnout (with photos) on my Siskiyou Line web site. It takes me about two hours to build one of these turnouts. I'm slowly replacing the worst performing commercial turnouts on my layout with these sweet little guys. If these tie strips and/or the Fast Tracks jigs existed back when I started my Siskiyou Line layout, this is how I would do turnouts. Unfortunately, the CVT ties are only available for HO - but at least the Fast Tracks jigs are available for all scales.

Even if you're not into Proto:87 per se (and I'm not) but just doing regular HO trackwork, you still owe it to yourself to take a look at Andy's offerings. He has several things of use to us regular HO modelers as well.

I love the Proto:87 stores. My back up resource for Sergent couplers if Frank is all out (which has only happened once).

I'm quite tempted to try out the CVT ties strips when I start my new layout (which could be another 2 years!).

Yes the Proto87 site is in my bookmarks!

Joe, your turnout building technique would be a great video tutorial, hint hint again...

I would pick up a copy...