AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a specific product
TOMIX turnout part numbers look cryptic and are actually completely readable once you know what each field means. Getting them wrong is expensive in a specific way: two turnouts that look almost identical produce parallel tracks at twice the spacing from each other.
Decoding the part number
| Field | Means | Do not read it as |
|---|---|---|
| PR / PL | Diverges to the right / to the left | A different radius or electrical specification |
| 541 / 280 | Diverging curve radius in mm | The length of the turnout — every single-lead body is 140 mm |
| 15 / 30 | Divergence angle in degrees | Track length or track spacing |
| SY | Synthetic tie appearance version | A different power standard |
| Manual / electric | Thrown by hand or from a control box | Anything to do with how the train's speed is controlled |
Check the hand against the manufacturer's own diagram and the direction your trains actually approach from. Retailer photographs get rotated and mirrored routinely — do not judge left from right off a thumbnail.
The current single-lead turnouts
| Item / name | Operation & appearance | Geometry | Japan list price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1225 PR541-15-SY | Manual, synthetic ties | Right, 140 mm, R541, 15° | ¥2,904 |
| 1226 PL541-15-SY | Manual, synthetic ties | Left, 140 mm, R541, 15° | ¥2,904 |
| 1271 PR541-15 | Electric, wood ties | Right, 140 mm, R541, 15° | ¥3,762 |
| 1272 PL541-15 | Electric, wood ties | Left, 140 mm, R541, 15° | ¥3,762 |
| 1281 PR541-15-SY | Electric, synthetic ties | Right, 140 mm, R541, 15° | ¥3,872 |
| 1282 PL541-15-SY | Electric, synthetic ties | Left, 140 mm, R541, 15° | ¥3,872 |
| 1273 PR280-30 | Electric, wood ties | Right, 140 mm, R280, 30° | ¥3,872 |
| 1274 PL280-30 | Electric, wood ties | Left, 140 mm, R280, 30° | ¥3,872 |
| 1247 N-PX280 | Electric double crossover | 280 mm long | ¥7,744 |
Japanese list prices including tax on the date checked. TOMIX does not operate a US store in the way KATO does, so what you pay outside Japan depends entirely on your importer or local retailer — treat these as a reference for the relative cost of the options rather than a price you can buy at. TOMIX may change specifications without notice; open the exact product page before ordering.
R541-15 and R280-30 are not interchangeable
Both bodies measure 140 mm, which is exactly why people assume they can be swapped. The diverging geometry is completely different. PR/PL541 turns 15° on a 541 mm radius, and with a C541-15 curve added it forms a crossover at 37 mm track centers. PR/PL280 turns 30° on a 280 mm radius, and TOMIX specifies two C280-15 curves with it, producing 74 mm track centers.
So "my table is small, I will just use R280" is not automatically right. R280 has the smaller radius and the bigger angle, but if what you need is a crossover between tracks at 37 mm centers, it is not an equivalent substitute. Draw the whole formation, settle your track spacing and your platforms, and only then choose the radius — check it with the track planning guide and the track planner.
Our take: R541 first, R280 only when forced
The practical rule for radius: use R541-15 as the baseline wherever the plan does not force a sharper divergence. The gentler curve is much less likely to pick the points or derail a long car or a full-length Shinkansen set, and it is the general-purpose choice for passing loops and station trackwork. R280-30 is what you reach for when space genuinely will not allow anything else — it saves room and its wider 74 mm spacing suits two clearly separated lines, but a sharp divergence is unkind to long stock.
The temptation with a small table is to use R280 everywhere and save space from the start. Put R541 on the main line passing loops at minimum, and keep the sharp divergences for branches and the yard. And whichever you use: before you fix anything down, run your longest and most sensitive car over it slowly, in both directions. Turnouts are the most common derailment point on any layout, and that test is not the step to skip.
Manual or electric? The gap is smaller than you think
The manual 1225 and 1226 can be thrown by hand now and motorized later by adding the 0107 drive from the side. If you already know you want to operate from a control panel, buying electric outright is usually simpler. Comparing the synthetic-tie PR541 at the prices checked:
| Route | Arithmetic | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Manual now, motorize later | 1225 ¥2,904 + 0107 ¥1,210 + N-S ¥1,056 | ¥5,170 |
| Buy electric outright | 1281 ¥3,872 + N-S ¥1,056 | ¥4,928 |
Neither includes a Power Unit, and they are about ¥242 apart. With a gap that small: if you are sure you want it powered, buy electric. If you are still undecided and want to get running now, manual keeps the option open at almost no penalty.
Which control box does what
| Item | Japan list price | What it switches |
|---|---|---|
| 5531 N-S | ¥1,056 | One switch throws one electric turnout |
| 5532 N-W | ¥1,584 | One switch throws two electric turnouts together |
| 5533 Universal Switch Box | ¥3,300 | Switches two feeder inputs at the same time as throwing a PX280 |
"Control" here means throwing the turnout, not controlling train speed. The N-S and N-W need power from a Next Neo series Power Unit or a High Power Point Supply. The most common misunderstanding worth naming directly: the N-W can make two turnout motors act together, but it cannot give two trains independent speed control. Those are entirely different problems.
What fully selective power routing does, and does not, do
Fully selective operation is one of the real strengths of TOMIX turnouts: contacts inside the turnout switch power to follow the route the points are set for. Whichever way the points face, that is where the current goes, and the unselected road is not powered. On a simple passing siding that means you can park a train just by throwing the turnout, with no isolated section to wire yourself — genuinely friendly for a beginner.
What it does not do is complete the electrical design of your whole layout. Which produces the classic question: "the unselected side of my siding is dead, is it broken?" No — that is it working. And whatever you do, do not bridge a feeder across to the unselected side to "fix" it, because the road you wanted to park on becomes live again and the feature is gone. Where you genuinely need isolation at a particular joint, replace the metal joiner with the 0111 insulated joiner, following the manufacturer's own diagram. For feeders and districts more broadly, see the feeder and voltage drop guide.
The safety line for two-train operation
To run two DC trains independently, the thing you need is not another turnout switch — it is two electrically isolated sections, each with its own feeder and its own controller. The hazard appears the moment you add a crossover or a PX280: as a train crosses between lines, the rails can connect two sections that were meant to stay separate, joining two power supplies together.
PX280: only when two parallel lines must exchange trains
The 1247 N-PX280 is a 280 mm electric double crossover, for letting two parallel lines swap trains. It is not a substitute for a single turnout. If all you need is the two turnout actions synchronized, an N-W does that. If the two lines the PX280 joins are fed by separate feeder systems, the 5533 can switch both feeder inputs at the same time as it throws the crossover — which is exactly why "an N-W" is not the same thing as "independent power for two trains". Take the gap positions and the wiring from the PX280's own diagram; a general illustration is not a construction drawing.
If you are choosing between TOMIX and KATO
Both are 9 mm gauge and there the similarity ends for planning purposes: straight modules, track centers, roadbed thickness, joiners, feeder connectors, turnout control and power-routing logic all differ. KATO's turnouts are numbered #4 and #6 and behave differently again — the #4 can be switched out of power routing while the #6 cannot, which is the mirror image of the question this article answers for TOMIX. That comparison is in the KATO #4 vs #6 guide, and where the two systems can meet is covered in the compatibility guide.
Sources
Last checked 2026-08-01. Part numbers, geometry, accompanying curves, control box functions and power routing behavior follow TOMIX's own product pages and FAQ. Prices are Japanese list prices including tax on that date. For any specific item, its current product page and instruction sheet take precedence.
- TOMIX N gauge products — turnout part numbers, geometry and accompanying curves
- TOMIX support FAQ
Settle the track spacing before you pick a radius
TOMIX turnouts: common questions
How do I read a TOMIX turnout part number?
Take PR541-15-SY as the example. PR means it diverges to the right and PL to the left. 541 is the diverging curve radius in millimeters — not the length of the turnout, which is 140 mm on every single-lead unit. 15 is the divergence angle in degrees. SY denotes the synthetic tie appearance version, which is a cosmetic variant and not a different electrical standard. Check the hand against the manufacturer's own diagram and the direction your trains actually approach from, because retailer photographs are often rotated or mirrored.
What is the difference between TOMIX R541-15 and R280-30 turnouts?
Both bodies are 140 mm long, but the geometry is entirely different. The R541-15 turns through 15 degrees on a 541 mm radius, and combined with a C541-15 curve it produces a crossover at 37 mm track centers. The R280-30 turns through 30 degrees on a 280 mm radius, and TOMIX specifies two C280-15 curves with it, producing 74 mm track centers. So they are not interchangeable — swapping one for the other changes the spacing between your parallel tracks.
Should I use R541 or R280 to save space?
Use R541-15 as the default wherever the plan does not force a sharper divergence. Its gentler curve is much kinder to long cars and full-length trains, which are the ones that pick points and derail. R280-30 is the answer when space genuinely will not allow anything else, and its wider 74 mm spacing suits two clearly separated lines — but a sharp divergence is unfriendly to long stock. Reserve it for branches and yards rather than the passing loops on your main line.
Is it cheaper to buy a manual TOMIX turnout and motorize it later?
Barely, and it works out slightly more expensive. Taking the synthetic-tie PR541 at the prices checked: manual 1225 at 2,904 yen plus the 0107 drive at 1,210 yen plus an N-S control box at 1,056 yen totals 5,170 yen, against buying the electric 1281 at 3,872 yen plus the same N-S at 1,056 yen for 4,928 yen. About 242 yen apart, neither including a Power Unit. So if you know you want it powered, buy electric; if you are undecided, manual keeps the option open.
What do the TOMIX N-S, N-W and Universal Switch Box control?
The 5531 N-S throws one electric turnout per switch. The 5532 N-W throws two turnouts from one switch. The 5533 Universal Switch Box switches two feeder inputs at the same time as throwing a PX280. All three switch the turnout, not the train's speed, and the N-S and N-W need power from a Next Neo series Power Unit or a High Power Point Supply. The common misunderstanding is that the N-W throwing two turnouts together somehow gives two trains independent speed control — those are unrelated things.
My TOMIX siding has no power. Is the turnout faulty?
Almost certainly not — that is fully selective power routing doing its job. Contacts inside the turnout switch power to follow the route the points are set for, so the unselected road goes dead. That is what lets you park a train on a simple siding without wiring an isolated section yourself. Do not bridge a feeder across to the unselected side to wake it up, because that removes the parking behavior you were given. Where you genuinely need isolation at a joint, use the 0111 insulated joiner in place of the metal one, following the manufacturer's diagram.
Do TOMIX turnouts give me independent control of two trains?
No. Running two DC trains independently needs two electrically isolated sections, each with its own feeder and its own controller — not an extra turnout switch. The hazard is that adding a crossover or a PX280 can connect two previously separate sections together as a train crosses, joining two power supplies through the rails. Never connect the traction outputs of two Power Units to one section that is still electrically continuous.
What is the TOMIX PX280 for?
The 1247 N-PX280 is a 280 mm electric double crossover, used where two parallel lines need to exchange trains. It is not a substitute for a single turnout. If you only need the two turnout actions synchronized, an N-W will do it; if the two lines the PX280 joins are fed by separate feeder systems, the 5533 can switch both feeder inputs at the same time as it throws the crossover. Follow the PX280's own diagram for gap positions rather than a generic illustration.
Can I mix TOMIX and KATO turnouts?
Not casually. Both are 9 mm gauge, but the straight modules, track centers, roadbed thickness, joiners, feeder connectors, turnout control and power routing logic all differ between the two systems. Any mixing has to happen at a transition you have confirmed, and a transition piece does not make the two geometry systems equivalent. Protect the geometry and the electrical interface of your main lines first.
