During the "planning?" of my grandson's Thomas railroad I decided to go with a double slip to get trains from the inner loop to the outer and the reverse. I chose this route because it took less than half the space of two conventional turnouts. Plus the two longest straights on the layout are on opposing grades. This was done to add two features, a tunnel and a grade for helpers to be used.
Trouble is I find the DS confusing and that's before I try to run a loco on both loops simultaneously, I'm thinking an excited 5 year old might get frustrated.
Is there an easy method of remembering which way the switch is thrown as to which way the train will travel or perhaps a method of marking ground throws?
I need to resolve this before I start the scenery as perhaps the grades will have to go. (And that will mean ripping up half the layout :()
Andy - Knowing the 'routing' of a double-slip turnout can be frustrating. On the Monks Island Railway I use Caboose Industries ground throws wherever possible. I first paint the 'head' of the throw arm (the part you hold to move the mechanism) reefer (or whatever) yellow. After this dries, I use the ground throw to place the point rails in the 'straight' position. Using some "White-Out" I paint the face of the exposed surface of the ground throw 'head' white. Once dry, I move the ground throw (and hence points) to the diverging position. Using nail polish, I paint this exposed face - red.
While this works well by providing a visual cue for normal turnouts...double-slip can be a little difficult as there are no separate 'straight' or 'diverging' positions. In this case I would use a color coded card (on the upper backdrop, fascia or on/near the throttle) as a reminder. [Note: This would be used in conjunction with the Caboose Industries ground throws mentioned earlier.] You would be amazed at how fast you learn to glance at the positions of the double-slip's point rails and determine what route is selected.
I hope this is of some help. I should state that I use Peco track products and my suggestion is related to that range.
Regards,
Ray
Thanks Ray.
I use Peco too. I will give your method a try before I redesign and rebuild the layout.