Turnouts

It's a mess here in the USA too.

I've been a railfan for over 40 years, traveled all over the USA, and Canada, spent LOTS of time with railroad crews (including track workers), and I can't recall that I've EVER heard a railroad employee call a "switch" a "turnout".

The "turnout" term seems to have arisen with Model railroader magazine (perhaps in the 1960's ?) to eliminate the confusion in MODEL railroad applications caused by the term 'switch' having two meanings (electrical and track).

In USA terms, a "Switch" is a branching from one track to two (or occasionally more). While there are several types of "switch", the most common has the usual "Points" (the moving portion), "Frog" (where the rails cross), and "Wing Rails", "Guard Rails" (usually, not always), "Tie bars", and a bunch of other parts.

As started this thread, the British use the term "Points" to describe the whole device. But, as someone else observed, not all "switches" even have "points" (stub switches).

This is lot like the thread on "what's a bogie/truck/etc.?" a few months back.

Dan Mitchell ============

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell
Loading thread data ...

"Daniel A. Mitchell"

Agree 100% Daniel, you've reiterated what I wrote in my previous post(s).

Again, you support my previous post(s)

No matter what modellers or the magazines may do to try and convince you otherwise, railroaders call 'em "switches", period.

-- Cheers

Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

formatting link

Reply to
Roger T.

Daniel A. Mitchell spake thus:

Just for the sake of my ignorance (and possibly others), what is a stub switch? Can you point to any examples?

Reply to
David Nebenzahl

Try Google images "stub switch" and it's amazing what you find.

-- Cheers

Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

formatting link

Reply to
Roger T.

So you won't be backing my proposal that we start calling switch engines "turnout engines"?

Reply to
video guy - www.locoworks.com

"video guy

LOL. No.

-- Cheers

Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

formatting link

Reply to
Roger T.

Switch engines? Has the one on the train broken down?

Reply to
Greg Procter

Nah, hit the mushroom with his elbow!!!

-- David J

Reply to
L.Hamilton Silkitis

OK, I have read most of the replies and there was really no reason to.

{we use switch and turnout interchangeably} The difference between a Snap Switch and a #4 switch is: A snap switch will take the place of an 18 inch radius curve and a 9 " straight section. A # 4 switch does not. I don't know what it works out to, but a #4 is straight when it comes off the frog. (the frog is the V where the wheel will cross over the opposite track.)

Reply to
Frank A. Rosenbaum

It was explained in the model press many years ago that switches are to be called turnouts so they wouldn't be confused with the toggle switches used to control them.

formatting link
Also see
formatting link
for more information about the club.

Reply to
Arizona Rock & Mineral Co.

Given a half-a$$ decent writer of English sentences (yeah, I know, not somethinc that's exactly thick on the ground these days), and a reader with an IQ (and yeah, I know, it's a seriously flawed measure, just go with the basic idea) above 90, it should almost always be possible to tell from context what sort of switch was meant. And if there appears to ba a good chance of confusion, it's teh writer's job to fix it.

Reply to
Steve Caple

By way of illustration, even late night typos are easily interpreted in context

Reply to
Steve Caple

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.