@roll_the_dice posted:Thanks Phil all good information! I think $84 is reasonable also. I have Brads website saved on my list of train items. I had 5 or 6 #5 Atlas switches I bought at a great price and sold them last year since I didn't have a layout. I had a carpet switching layout for a while, but had to take it down...then I sold them since I knew I was going to move. They worked fine for what I used them for, but I like the look of Brads better.
I have no problem buying switches...I just want to lay my own rail...maybe one day play with making my own switch.
My question is with the numbered switches...what do they equate to in terms of radius? I know the larger the number the larger the radius (I think), but is a #5 equivalent to ?What? radius or do they not equate that way?
Not direct relation. A numbered switch diverges at an angle and both tracks head off in a straight line from the frog (you can certainly bend it shortly thereafter). You can sometimes find an "effective" or "diverging" radius or something of the sort listed for a given switch. A #5 is about a 50" radius, and an 11 degree angle between the legs.(https://www.handlaidtrack.com/...wnloads/tt-o-t-5.pdf), but thats just the divergence in the switch. An 8 is a 7 degree divergence but the radius jumps to 120". The higher the number of the switch, the shallower the diverging angle and the larger the diverging radius gets.
