Not actually #'ed turnouts

Dear Papa,

Um, can you check which actual PECO turnouts they are? AFAIK PECO only ever did HO Code 100 in their "StreamLine" (BRMSB) and "Setrack" (continuously curved radii) ranges. Both of these ranges have specific geometries, neither of which use the US-style "frog angle" straight-route-thru-frog style of geometry.

Only the newer (last few years) "US Geometry" Code 83 range uses "numbered frogs", starting with a #5.

The following is a link tot he PECO website, which gives downloadable templates for all of their ranges, inc
- Code 100 "Streamline"
- Code 75 "Finescale"
- Code 83 "US geometry"

http://www.peco-uk.com/page.asp?id=pointplans

The major change between the Streamline Insulfrogs of old, and the current ranges, is that the insulating plastic known at the tip of the frog has been minimised. This gains better pickup and less "dead area", and improves appearance (Never be a Proto87 turnout, but under BRMSB spec, they were never meant to be... ).

Hope this helps,

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

My Insuflrog inquiry

THANK YOU PROFESSOR for your speedy reply! And, yours truly stands corrected on Peco turnout data! My oldies ARE Streamline version; are Small, Medium respectively. Am just so darned accustomed to using US terms for turnouts, just forgot. HAPPY NEW YEAR!  TTFN.....Old Tom in NH

PECO Small, Medium, and Large StreamLine turnouts

Dear Papa,

Glad to know it helps...

NB that the PECO Streamline turnouts actually use a common, and fairly tight "frog angle" if we can use that US term to describe PECO's Streamline frogs that way,

the primary differences between the Small, Medium, and Large Streamline series turnouts is the "length of lead",
or the distance between the tip of the frog and the throwbar/tip-of-switchrails.

By lengthening that dimension, the larger turnouts act (kinda) like a larger radii curve (or more correctly, a longer transition between straight and curved), while maintaining a common frog angle, so you can form a valid crossover between parallel tracks by connecting the diverging tracks of a "Small" and a "Medium" turnout.
(try the same thing with a #5 and #8 turnout, and the "straight tracks" thru the turnouts will not end up parallel to each other).

This also allows PECO to match virtually any of the streamline turnouts, in any combination, with a single "diamond crossing" or common-geometry double-slip...
(all the frog angles are the same, so they match with the common angle of the x-overs ).

The Setrack turnouts, on the other hand, have a constant radii (think like Atlas Snaptrack turnouts),
which IIRC wound up at something like 17 3/4" radii.

Anywho, wouldn't be the first time that someone has considered the PECO Small, Medium, and Large Streamline turnouts as "#5, #6, and #8", and then wondered why a track arrangement drawn with those angles "for some reason just did not work" when actually laid with PECO components...
(Ask me how I know this... ).

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr