What radius are HO atlas #4 and #6 turnouts?

What radius are HO atlas #4 and #6 turnouts?

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Turnouts don't have a radius, since they have an angle of frog.

The turnout is made up of two points: the frog, and the point rails. They are connected by the diverging rail. The curve does not have a true radius, since it starts straight and the curves until it meets the angle of the frog.

In other words, don't put the turnout in a circle and expect it to remain a circle.

I find that an Atlas #4 switch will fit into a 28-inch radius curve quite nicely.

They have an angle, not a radius.

In terms of choosing a turnout, if you have the space, use the #6. it puts less strain on the couplers, and not to mention, but I think that they look a bit more like the real thing, than the #4's

#4's are more suited to yards, and tight layouts. #6's are more for high speed and more generous layouts.

A #4 is like an 18" radius, and a #6 is like a 22", but what Cyrus said in the first response is correct. Don't assume a turnout makes a part of a perfect circle.

Unless it is a curved turnout, they do not have a specific radius, but rather a complicated bending of the rails to meet the frog angle. Without measuring, I feel the #6 is comparable to a 22" radius, and the #4 is comparable to a 18" radius. In general, try to use the #6 everywhere you can, even if you have to carefully trim it down to the points and frog to get it to fit, and #8's on long stretches of high speed main line track. Use the #4 only when in a tight industrial area or seldom used yard tracks.
Follow this advice, and you'll likely have less derailments, smoother coupler slack operation, longer trains, and more realistic looking track structure.

Nothing looks weirder and more out of place than a passenger train, with full length passenger cars, trying to negotiate curves of 18 inch radius.

As stated, #4's are for yards. If you have the space for #8 and #10, those make for a smoother, more realistic transition as large trains change tracks.

D/

Dieter wrote:If you have the space for #8 and #10

Who makes #8 and #10 turnouts?

No. 8's and up are high-end product offered by Walthers/Shinohara... New they sell for $18 to $25+ a pop, unless you can pick up a used one from a swap meet or E-bay. A lil bit too pricey for my budget, so I only have one I acquired from a club I used to belong to, that needs to be rebuilt or handlaid.

On my layout I have a simple oval with a siding on each end, One end was made when I designed the layout the other was added a few years later. The one originally planned with the layout included 2 Atlas custom line #4 turnouts, the main track is a 22" radius (snap track) and the siding is actually 4 full and one 3/4 section(s) of 22" radius curve (snap track). What I have observed is the #4 turnout is very close to the 22" radius track section then I originally thought.
From my personal experience:
Snap switch- 18"R
Custom Line #4 (Closest to) 22"R

Dieter wrote:If you have the space for #8 and #10, those make for a smoother, more realistic transition as large trains change tracks.

D/

Sorry to drag up a year old thread, but which one of those turnouts, #8 or #10, is "like" a 26" curve?

Sorry to drag up a year old thread, but which one of those turnouts, #8 or #10, is "like" a 26" curve?

Neither. The #10 (and possibly the #8) have a curved section followed by a straight section after the frog, and any curve they have is far broader than a 26" radius. The #6 switch would be a closer match, although even then the curve is broader than 26". In the past, I found #6 switches to integrate well into a 36" to 40" radius. You can always trim the plastic between the ties, which allows the switch to be shaped to a small degree like Flextrack.