How to make a "cross junction" in Surveyor?

[jakobkh]

As I have no idea what the official name is for this type of junction, so it has turned out to be a bit hard for me to locate any info about it

The type of junction, I'm trying to make is something like a cross between a normal crossing of two tracks (in which a train has to follow the track it's on and cannot just turn onto the track it's crossing) and a junction (where one track splits into two separate tracks). I have located a picture of such a "cross junction" (albeit from a model railroad) at this link: http://www.marklin.com/start/pops/24905.html (bottom center).

When I try to make thise junctions in surveyor, I first make one of the tracks (beginning way before the later to be cross junction and ending way after). I then make the other track (the one that crosses the first track) in the way that I first make it go from before the track it will cross and until this track (thus creating a junction). I then make the other half of the track by creating the track from after the track it will cross and back to junction I just created, creating a sort of double junction in the same place.

This works in so far as it is possible to use the created junction as if it was in fact a "cross junction", but the red and green arrows seem to be placed rather arbitrarily (a green arrow can point to the left when a train is closing in on the cross junction, but the train still continues straight ahead. If I change it, so the green arrow is now pointing to the right (= straight ahead) the train turns to the left. The behaivour is consistant, but confusing.

Is there some simple way of creating these cross junctions so the arrows for the junctions work correctly?

 

[daveinblock4]

It is called a "single slip". If it had the curved bit on the other side as well then it would be called a "double slip".
Have you tried the ready made points from A J Smith. Might be worth a try:
http://ajsmith.ueuo.com/trs/junction01.shtml

EDIT: I have just checked the page and Double & Single slips are included.

 

[jakobkh]

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, these are the tracks I'm looking for

I will take a look at it and see if I can make it work.

 

[daveinblock4]

You will also need to read the tutorial that comes with them. These points don't work "straight out of the box". You need to some other jiggery-pokery as well to make them work. The tutorial will explain all that.

 

[cascaderailroad]

Slips can be created using any track, even MP Wood v2 looks good.

As for the levers ... you have to apply either R or L custom levers (which either one shows the correct arrow you want for the intended path), and flip them using the rotate button.

Viewing from directly overhead, in a pretty zoomed in mode, lets you apply the blank Spline Point circles ... then all you do is Straighten the straights, and apply the cross tracks.

Frog R & L by NorfolkSourthern37 may help to dress up your crossovers.

I have made may a complex crossover using any old track, and it is easy as pie.

Also the Hold/Don't Hold-Shift key is a invaluable tracklaying tool, as it makes track to not join like magnets.

 

[jakobkh]

Hi Cascaderailroad,

Thanks for the tip about rotating the levers - that solved the problem. Now I have rotated the levers that needed rotating, so it's always possible to see the setting of the slip by comparing the setting of the lever with the straight track of the slip (I hope that sentence makes sense in English)

You shouldn't happen to know how to set the default position of the different levers? That is, when I make a junction, the lever is placed in a postion (one arrow red, the other green), but I haven't been able to figure out how to change that position in Surveyor, so I don't have to do it by hand every time I use the track (it would for instance be nice to have the main lines clear for traffic by default and not having to change a few levers every time I take the route for a spin).

 

[daveinblock4]

Go into minimap and change it there

 

[jakobkh]

Thanks!

I will try that