This isn't my first attempt at building my own turnouts.  I've made a few of them when I modeled primarily in HO scale.   However, this is the first time I've attempted this in N scale and also such a large quantity(the completed layout will have over 50 turnouts).   The reason I'm building all my turnouts is dictated mostly by economics; I can find the time to do this easier than the money.  Now the question of whether I know what I'm doing is a completely different issue.   I sort of do so those who are seasoned turnout builders should find this page sort of funny (at the very least it will be as interesting as a traffic accident).   For this reason I consider this page more of a journal than a tutorial.   If you find these pages on turnouts helpful feel free to drop me an e-mail if you'd like clarification/explanation of what I'm doing.   Overall the results have been a bit rough looking yet functional.   

Anyway...

My first step was to search the web for some templates. This is what I found:

You can get these templates here.  This is a template for a number 8 turnout.

Next, I cut some old PC board I had on hand in tie width strips using a Dremel Moto Tool.  I set up a pretty funky jig using some C clamps and some quarter inch Masonite for a fence(I won't get into details as to how I set things up. I'll only say that OSHA would definitely not approve).   

I then cut the ties to length and glued them to the template using water based contact cement.

I added extra ties underneath the frog and at the two areas where I'd be cutting the wing and frog point rails to electrically isolate the frog.  With that done I cut the straight stock rail and then notched it where the points would rest.  

  

Starting about 2 inches back from the notch, I began tapering the rail using a 6 inch triangle file making sure that for at least one inch before the notch the rail base was filed even with the rail head.  This way I could be sure the points would rest cleanly against the stock rail.  I filed a slight notch in the head of the stock rail to accommodate the points.

Now it was time to solder the straight stock rail to the ties.   I began slicing 1/32 inch(approx) disks of Rosen core solder.  I did this so I could keep the amount of solder I used under control and use just enough to solder the rail to the tie. 

I used a small triangle file to pick up each disk and set it on the rail base where it touched the PC tie.

I touched the rail, solder, and PC Tie with a HOT, soldering iron.  If the iron isn't hot enough, the solder won't flow properly and the Rosen will burn off before a strong bond between the rail and PC tie can form.

Here is a shot of the turnout with the straight stock rail completely soldered.

I then cut, filed and soldered the curved stock rail to the ties.  I started at the points and used a Micro Engineering Code 55 gauge to hold the curved stock rail in place.  I then eye balled the rail with the line on the template as I soldered the rest of it.  I then moved on to the frog point rails.  I found it a lot easier and faster to use a Dremel moto tool with a grinding wheel to create the points than to file them by hand.

I checked the angle of the point by holding the rail in place with two code 55 gauges and then eye balling the angle to see if it was parallel with the lines in the drawing.  If the frog point looked "Ok" checked the distance between the flat part of the point and the opposing rail with an NMRA N scale standards gauge.  The rail was held in place with with the code 55 track gauges so I could slide the rail forward until the point was in the proper(more or less) gauge.  I then soldered the rail to the ties.

I then cut, ground and soldered the other point rail into place.

I soldered the two frog points together by filling the gap behind the two points with solder.

I cut slightly over sized pieces for the wing/point rails; I could always trim them once I had filed the points and bent the rails to create the frog.   I filed the rail profile so that the rail head slightly over hung the base at the tip of the points.  This helped assure that the the points would fit snugly against the stock rail.

  

I then bent the rails to create the frog.    I held each rail in place with the code 55 rail gauges and used the standards gauge to make sure the flanges were the proper width.    I then soldered the rails into place.

  

I filled the frog with solder and cut the flanges using a hacksaw blade checking the depth of the flanges as I went with the standards guage.   I added the guard rails and then removed a truck from a box car to check for any irregularities.   I cut an over sized PC tie for the through bar and soldered the points to it.   Whew! I finally cut the rails above and below the frog to electrically isolate it and used a small triangle file to cut the foil on the PC ties.   With this done I placed the turnout face down on my workbench and gently peeled the template from the back of the turnout.  I weathered the turnout using Micro engineering rail weathering solution.  Unfortunately the straight point rail came out a little longer than the curved one...but it works!   

  

When I was in the planning stage I wanted to have a decent interchange between the two railroads.   I decided to make the turnouts needed to build the interchange pictured below.

This should look familiar to those who read Model Railroad Planning.  I fact it comes straight out of an article written by Jeff Wilson in the 1999 Issue(with apologies to Wilson...the rest of the layout is designed by me, with no apologies).  Unfortunately the drawing in the magazine didn't seem very clear to me and it looked like the crossover consisted to two turnouts set point to point.  That's how I drew the interchange.  I had second thoughts about how I drew it; the two turnouts looked a little cheesy so I re-drew the interchange with a true crossover.

Of course this meant I had to build the sucker myself.   Wow! I nearly got in over my head on this one.   Check out this page to watch the death and resurrection of a crossover.