another at an angle or into a curve, or they may lead from a curve into a tangent or another curve. Because of
increased wear, turn-outs should not ordinarily be located on curves.
2.20.
Certain decisions and arrangements must be made before construction can begin. The track supervisor
has been notified that the turnout from the westbound track to the new installation north of Burton Division's
main line is to be constructed before the crossover from the eastbound. Coordination has been made with the
dispatcher to take the westbound main track out of service until the job is completed. The foreman must
determine the proper length of rails to use so that no rail joints will fall between the ends of either guard or switch
rails. He will see to it that all the rails are cut to the correct lengths with a rail saw, such as the one shown in
figure 1.19. None of them are to be cut with a torch, because this leads to early rail failure, as paragraph 3.29.c(2)
of RT 670 explains. Now that the construction preliminaries have been taken care of, go on to the first and
subsequent steps in turnout construction, described in paragraphs 2.21 and 2.22.
2.21.
ESTABLISHING TURNOUT POSITION
The first step in installing a turnout is to locate the actual point of frog (PF), as shown in figure 2.18A,
and set a stake to mark the position. From the PF, you can locate the other parts of the turnout. The first one you
establish is the point of switch (PS). Again refer to figure 2.18A. To decide on the locations, you refer to a
turnout plan, such as the one given in figure 2.2, or to a table of data, such as table II.
2.22.
REMAINING STEPS
The turnout position has been established and the point of frog and point of switch have been located.
What are the other steps in turnout construction? They are given in the remainder of this paragraph and illustrated
in parts B through F of figure 2.18. Although there are several satisfactory methods of turnout installation, only
one is outlined here.
The next step is for the gang to remove the old rails, ballast, and ties between the point of frog and point
of switch, as shown in figure 2.18B. After the old ballast has been cleaned and replaced or new ballast
substituted, new switch ties and switch and tie plates
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