As with other Peco Streamline 83 components, these turnouts feature code 83 nickel-silver rail on dark brown plastic ties that are spaced a scale 21″ apart. The ties have molded-in wood grain and realistic tie plates. Each tie has four molded spikes per rail.
On the Insulfrog turnout, each route receives track power regardless of the position of the point rails. This turnout has a plastic frog and a piece of plastic that separates the metal closure and wing rails. When installing these turnouts, you should follow two-rail insulation practice to avoid short circuits.
The Electrofrog turnout has an all-metal frog. This type of turn-out routes power to one leg at a time when a point rail touches its corresponding stock rail.
For increased reliability, the Electrofrog turnout includes instructions and provisions for wiring it so that each point rail and its corresponding stock rail always have the same polarity, so if a metal wheel happens to touch both the stock and point rail, it won’t cause a short circuit. The turnout has a wire lead to the frog and gaps already cut in the closure rails. (Out of the box, the gaps in the closure rails are bridged by wire jumpers, so the turnouts can also be installed as is.)
Using code 83 flextrack, I made a temporary siding to test each turnout. I ran a short train consisting of a sound-equipped United States Railroad Administration light 2-8-2 Mikado, 40-foot boxcar, 50-foot boxcar, and 65-foot mill gondola. The train stayed on the rails without bouncing or making excessive noise as I ran it forward and backward through each route.
Like previous Peco Streamline 83 turnouts, these new no. 8 turn-outs have realistic details and perform reliably.
Price: Insulfrog, $35.99;
Electrofrog, $36.99
Manufacturer:
Peco (Distributed by Wm. K. Walthers, Inc.
P.O. Box 3039
Milwaukee, WI 53201)
Description: Code 83 HO scale no. 8 turnouts
