Point Construction
This article is on point construction, giving the basic procedures, without bombarding the reader with soldering techniques and basic workshop practice. There are two very good books on point construction (refer to the bibliography) which go to great lengths and into great detail, but these were written as in-depth books.
I’ll be describing point construction using printed circuit board (PCB) sleepers, because that is what I use. It is the cheapest of materials and very forgiving of mistakes (just unsolder and redo!).
Point construction is not difficult as long as you adhere to standards and measurements, and this is easily attained with the use of gauges and jigs. These can be purchased from various specialist suppliers, model railway societies and even be homemade.
There is no better time to start than now and remember if you make a mess, start again – as I have done many times; again the beauty is that nearly all material can be salvaged and there is minimal waste.
Why build your own points?
1. Build track work that flows and you are not constricted to manufacturers’ configurations.
2. Price – materials (PCB and rail) for an O gauge point is about $20.00 and less than half of that for, say, an HO point.
Point Templates
The first items you
