bought 2nd hand double slip on ebay.....

In the throat of a double-tracked terminal station as a space-saver.

--------------------- x / a -----------/---\----------------- / \ ---------/-------\--------------- b c

The crossing at x would be a double slip. There would be regular turnouts at a, b and c.

Most likely to be used at the entrance/exit to a busy station (the trains entrance that is!!) and would be used to permit a train entering one track of the slip to either slip and exit on road A or by crossing over to road B. By the same token, the second line into the crossing could either slip to road B or cross over to road A. Also likely to be found in any goods yard where a lot of shunting is taking place. Less common nowadays with our more 'rational' track layouts. Plenty of examples in books containing old track plans.

Luke

There's an example in "Simple Model Railway Layouts" (which has recently been reprinted) of an O Gauge Light Railway station plan which could be built using a conventional crossover at both ends but a slip point would allow much more flexibility in running. Incidentally, does anyone know the author of this book as it is not credited anywhere?

(kim)

Answered by Richard Spanton via e-mail. My thanks to him. The uncredited author is Trevor Booth.

(kim)