zephyr1934 Posted February 17, 2020 So I keep wandering back the slip switches listed on the Trixbrix site They look incredible from a geometry standpoint. But I have a couple of their R40 curve switches and the points do not seem secure enough for mainline use at a show. I've used them on a dog-bone track and about once an hour my train would derail on the switch. I don't remember if it was happening on a facing movement (picking the switch) or a trailing movement (running through the switch) though. I'm okay with the trailing movements being an issue for something like the slip switches, that just means the resistance is too high and you have to switch the switch in advance of passing through. But I could not afford to have the trains occasionally pick the switches as they are passing through at speed. Does anyone have more experience with mechanisms on the TB switches in general? Also, anybody have any experience with these slip switches in particular? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteamSewnEmpire Posted February 17, 2020 They sure are pretty. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ecmo47 Posted February 17, 2020 (edited) Were your switches ballasted? We had a slip switch on the mainline at a show recently and it worked pretty good. The problem is the geometry isn’t exactly right. Once you ballast them and get the connection points firmly secured, its about a MM too short. There will be a slight gap on one side or the other of the center piece. Edited February 17, 2020 by ecmo47 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Xris Posted February 17, 2020 (edited) Hi, I ordered a wide range of the R40 switch types and short tracks they offered then. I tested them an a layout for the kids - just on the floor and without ballast. The quality is ok: Optically, they are inferior to injection moulded track elements, but quite good for 3d printed objects. Regarding reliability, I have encountered similar problems as zephyr1934 did, and also recommend not to use the double/single slip switches on mainlines: There were regular derailings (not related to speed) and the parts sporadically fell apart (fixating or ballasting them might help). I think the main reason is that the slip switches are not delivered as a single track element, but as a combination of two parts, most likely in order to avoid warping. Perhaps, the interlocking mechanism could somehow be improved. In contrast, the single left/right switches, triple-switch and crossover all worked quite fine. I have not tested the 45°/90° crossings yet. Xris Edited February 17, 2020 by Xris Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Train 12 Volts Posted February 17, 2020 (edited) I have this swicth with 40° radius and I'm very satisfied, this one wasn't yet present when I made my order but it seems to have a greater radius and therefore guarantee a higher travel speed without trouble.I'd like to try one but I don't know where to put it in my layout Edited March 28, 2020 by LEGO Train 12 Volts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Giottist Posted February 17, 2020 14 hours ago, zephyr1934 said: Does anyone have more experience with mechanisms on the TB switches in general? Also, anybody have any experience with these slip switches in particular? Yes, I have. I've discovered TrixBrix products short after appearing on the market. In the beginning there were several flaws cause by a rough 3D printing process but in the last two years they made large steps increasing quality. Now the quality is absolute ok for daily use. I used in 2017 two R40 cross switches for the Octrainber competition and my locos run without any flaw over the TrixBrix parts. Since then I sold all my R40 stuff and changed everything to R104. This stuff is really good, I did not experience any flaw. The only disadvantage are the click connectors aren't very strong so sometimes switch parts can separate if they are loaded too much. I fixed it with 2x2 or 1x2 blue greyish plates ... Immediately after market launch I bought two R104 slip switches, one left and one right type. They perform without any problem, I can run over them with full speed even with heavy multiple coupled steam locomotives (with your rods ) They look ultrarealistic! There is a minor disadvantage: If you want to equip with the new electric servos, two of them come to close to the neighbor tracks but this is unavoidable due to geometry. I can recommend the new slip switches like (more common) all R104 switches from TrixBrix coming from the new production. They have archieved a lot to increase quality. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zephyr1934 Posted February 18, 2020 Thanks all for your feedback so far. I will probably be buying some of these slip switches in the next few days. But if anyone has more experience with facing point movements I'd love to hear it. I still need to test my older R40 Trixbrix switches with ME track since all of my R104 is ME. ME did something goofy with their designs, it connects fine with lego track but will not connect to BrickTracks. If ME and TB are not compatible then I'll also need a couple of curves. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Giottist Posted February 18, 2020 3 hours ago, zephyr1934 said: I still need to test my older R40 Trixbrix switches with ME track since all of my R104 is ME. ME did something goofy with their designs, it connects fine with lego track but will not connect to BrickTracks. If ME and TB are not compatible then I'll also need a couple of curves. I had problems with ME tracks too. ME rails have a large foot which forms a step between original LEGO rails or actual TrixBrix products. From time to time the flanges of train wheels make a small jump if you are to fast. I had lots of derailments particular with long locos and wagons. The issue can moderated by grinding a ramp into the ME rail foots but not removed. The end of the story was selling all my ME stuff on Ebay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ecmo47 Posted February 20, 2020 (edited) Toss the ME stuff in the trash can right now! It was ok when it was the only option but it fails on the smallest of excuses. It must be glued to have any longevity. Invest in the BrickTracks injected molded curves. https://www.bricktracks.com/products Edited April 3, 2020 by ecmo47 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zephyr1934 Posted February 20, 2020 Oh yes, BT is the top of the line and it is hard to tell BT from lego... except for the fact that BT has radii that you actually want to run on (grin). And yes, ME pales in comparison to today's options, but having made the investment in 4 loops of ME I'm not going to throw it away just yet. I glued it long ago and it remains functional. On a side note, ME does click fine with my older TB switches. Anyway, enough drooling, trigger pulled. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattzobricks Posted March 28, 2020 Hi all, if you consider buying tracks from TrixBrix, check out my TrixBrix Track Library for Bluebrick, that I have just launched a couple of days ago. With the library, you can design your layouts on the screen and try out the geometrics before buying them. Check out https://www.mattzobricks.com for download. I have also added some sample layouts on the website. Enjoy! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry 991 Posted March 28, 2020 8 hours ago, Mattzobricks said: Hi all, if you consider buying tracks from TrixBrix, check out my TrixBrix Track Library for Bluebrick, that I have just launched a couple of days ago. With the library, you can design your layouts on the screen and try out the geometrics before buying them. Check out https://www.mattzobricks.com for download. I have also added some sample layouts on the website. Enjoy! Thanks - this will be useful! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zephyr1934 Posted March 29, 2020 Oooooo! Excellent, I can't wait to play with it. Thanks for making and sharing these designs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vaxx Posted February 27, 2022 I bought a 3d filament printer just to print my own tracks :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JopieK Posted February 27, 2022 Welcome at Eurobricks @vaxx. Hope you enjoy your stay, but some suggestions: - The topics you posted in are at least two years old and the only thing you post is basically "I have a 3d printer". - While I think a 3D printer is a great addition to a LEGO hobby, this forum is all about LEGO so that is our focus. - Share what you are doing to get feedback on it, then you can fully enjoy the LEGO hobby. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
