Which commercially available turnouts to buy?

I definitely would not use Shinohara, unless you are ready to drill holes in the points and run jumpers.  The bronze wiper that Shinohara uses for power to the points provides a very unreliable connection.  They will work for a while, but eventually you will spend more time cleaning and trying to restore the electrical cinnections that running trains. 

I've never used Micro Engineering turnouts, but the design looks good.  Be aware that if your club runs small steam or small diesel engines with short wheelbases, you will need live frogs for reliable dcc operation.

The other question to ask club members is what is our budget for turnouts?  I think a large club layout will probably use $10,000.00 worth of commercial turnouts if you go with Micro Engineering. 

I think it is moving to the extremes to suggest that commercial turnouts are always a bad choice, as some seem to be saying.

Some posters to this forum are in love with handlaying, Sergent couplers, and other ideas that are not used by the majority of model railroaders -- and that's great. There's a lot of variety in the hobby, providing a variety of challenges (and products) based on individuals' interests.

But many other folks certainly build fine operating layouts with commercial turnouts, Kadee couplers, etc. And in a club environment, where there may be a variety of skill and interest levels (and a lot of pre-existing equipment to be accommodated), there's nothing wrong with using a quality off-the-shelf track component. And that's true for either the new DCC-friendly Walthers HO C83 or ME C83.

Thread drift happens, but it's also good once in a while to think back on the Original Poster's situation and consider what might work best for them, not us.

I took Joef advice and looked on E-bay for Fast Tracks Turnouts (I have the jigs and build my own) the average price for a duel gauge HO/HOn3 turnout is $58.00 ea average 7-10 days shipping + $7.00 ea shipping charge (Costs me $7.28ea in supplies to build and 1-3/4 hr to build 1) That's great that there are people trying to rip off make a living off of the Model Railroad community but $65.00 for 1 turn out is a little insane. I suggest Visit Fast Tracks and purchase their turnouts assembly jigs and point form tools direct and build your own turnouts. As soon as you build your 5th turnout with a jig it's paid for itself. The average price for standard gauge HO turnouts on E-Bay run about $32.00 ea and that's still 4 times what it would cost to make 1.

Joe tells how to use another pre-made turnout tie system for HO only that will keep the price down even more. As I don't use standard gauge without Narrow Gauge it doesn't work for me so I use Fast Tracks for both Narrow Gauge and Duel Gauge and ME weathered and un weathered flex track for my straight and curved sections.

Fast Tracks is the best turnout system on the market as far as am concerned and when no body was making Duel Gauge turnouts 3 years ago and none were to be found anywhere in America I found Fast Tracks and their Track building Fixtures and I became a lifetime user.

I will never pay the people charging 10 time the cost to build a turnout on E-Bay as I find them to be abusing the hobby but that's MY opinion of them.

The average price for standard gauge HO turnouts on E-Bay run about $32.00 ea and that's still 4 times what it would cost to make 1.

I would be hard pressed to charge much less if I was doing it.. you have to figure in time as well as materials. If I am not making $20/hr (or more), is it really worth the effort? If you are doing this as a self-employed business, by the time you figure tax your cut is not so much.

Not saying that they are not pricey, just you can't go only on the cost of materials when the labor, skilled labor, is the real product.

Chris

it wasn't the $32.00 price that bothered me it was the $65.00 each for the Duel gauge that look 10 times harder to to build but are not, they just take a few minutes longer to make with the two extra frogs. once you build one you would say the same thing. I could see charging 40.00 or 42.00 but then you add the 7.50 shipping.

My point is BUY THE FIXTURES and build your own. They are fairly easy even if you ruin the first couple it beets paying the trumped up prices on E-Bay.

Three years ago just before I found Fast Tracks these exact same dealers were selling Shinohara Duel Gauge HO/HOn3 turnouts for buy it now $125.00 each. at the time if you could find them in hobby shops they were $18.00 ea I hate exploiters and would give up the hobby before I would pay those prices. At that time I didn't know how to hand lay duel gauge turnouts and was just about to go with just narrow gauge when I found Fast Tracks so now I hope these exploiters GO Broke and end up with big piles of turnouts they can't get rid of Karma will get them.

Dan

Understood..

Its been something I been thinking about. Were I to get a N-scale code 55 #6 fixture.. and found myself with a need to generate income.. what could I reasonably charge to make it worth my while.. and how would I go about the business. Presuming, of course, my skills are up to it. I am handy with a soldering iron so after I make the 25 I need for St Johnsbury I probably would be pretty good.

I figured to make $20/hr ($12 after taxes..) I would need to charge about $25 each after parts min.. and like would need to go to $30. Hardly seems worth it to me from a customer point of view but some folks just don't want to be bothered. Problem is.. Altas makes a really nice line of code 55 turnouts that run $10 each on the better websites. They work and look great.. and come in 5,7,10 and soon curved. Really a nice mix..

Chris

btw- on the bright side.. if I put a few up for sale.. could deduct the cost of all my fast tracks stuff as a business expense :)

 Fellows ,

 In the dim dark past I hand laid track because I could afford rails and thought ready made was financially outta sight  . Switches are not hard to build . Any switch ,any place , any  angle . There are a few points to remember when laying track . That is really not the thread so I will refrain for now.

I am using code 83 Atlas custom line switches and flex exclusively . No other reason than it is what I decided fit my parameters  when I started looking . Price and asthetic being the factors. Now three years in , the point blades are a bit dirty . It took a friend to  show me how to run a bit of sandpaper inside the blade / rail to clean it up.Some people run jumpers .

Some people seem to think that handlaid is better looking . It is , when done well , the proto 48 guys are laying in individual tie plates . They are modeling track to a high standard , rail braces etc . personally , I do not want to spend time on that area of the whole . So I choose to use ready made. Point is , handlaid is not necessarily better , or better looking . it too needs done well . In fairness , large plastic "spike heads" give the game away as well .

In sum , time verses monies verses the result desired . A balance , some of the fellows do not have that insight . That is where we of the electronic  coffee klatch come in .

Dan , Chris , fellows ,

I brag on having painted "O" scale freight cars professionally . I had a patron , really , who told me once , Charley ,quit your job, I have enough to keep you busy for the rest of your life. I thought that quite a deal , I figured out that I would need to charge $50 per hour to make the taxes and biz expenses . Probably not really tenable . That said , who knows ?. If a fellow was to ignore government regulators and  tax collectors . If a person  had income some other way , or retired  . Perhaps the rate comes down, but why should somebody sell their life blood cheap . I ruined my hobby for five years plus by flogging it . A heck of a thing to have a fine enthusiasm and love of life ruined by deadlines and having made "work " of it .

Off topic a long way so please accept my apologies in advance . It does relate to cost of custom made turnouts ..sort of...

EBay is interesting ... it also has $15 frieght cars that have been nicely weathered and graffitti'ed going for $400 each!

It appears people charge what the market will bear - and more than a few people who shop for model railroading supplies on eBay have money to burn, but not much time.

If you have some skill in the hobby and you want to make stuff and sell it - eBay's the place to do it. If your work's any good, you'll get top dollar.

You can also find some good deals on eBay, but you have to look a little harder.

Once again Joe you are 100% correct as I have and do a lot of business on E-Bay and like our hackers they are there on E-Bay too trying to get something for nothing.

Watch what and who you buy from as every seller is rated and most are honest 99.9%.

There are short timers that pop up now and then with special deals that look unbelievable that are really good deals and are just people with stuff they want to get rid of and make a little money at the same time and you can get stuff at great prices.

Then there are the cons that are around just a few weeks with seconds and store returns that sell damaged goods and disappear after 2 weeks, after selling their junk so, make sure your dealing with the high end sellers that have the high ratings.

E-Bay has gotten pretty darn good at catching the chumps that rip people off but still every now and then somebody has to pore a little dirt in the soup and a con man gets in.

Like Joe said watch what you buy and how much you pay you can find some great deals on E-Bay you just need to look a little harder.

Dan