James,
Did you go with R26" curves on both ends?
Tom
To respond to you I used 28” on one end and 26” on one I had a bunch of the 18” left over and I have a freight as well so, I’m putting the freight inside the passenger line with a working crossing grate. I still have my old power pack to power the freight. This is my station,The freight is behind it, so you have freight the station and passenger.
You used R26" on one end and R28" on the other? So the straight sections are NOT parallel with one another and taper inward or outward - depending on which direction the locomotive is running. That means that your rail faces and are NOT square with one another at the straight-curve transition junctions.
It’s your layout, James, but I would try to avoid that. What you could do is start and end both of your 180-degree curve sections with pieces of R28" curves that reduce to R26".
For example, if 8 pieces of curved track make up a 180-degree section they could look like the following sequence:
R28 - R26 - R26 - R26 - R26 - R26 - R26 - R28
For a slightly longer transition you could substitute two of the R26" sections for R28", as shown in the following sequence:
R28 - R28 - R26 - R26 - R26 - R26 - R28 - R28
Just make sure that each 180-degree curved section is identical in sequence so that your straight sections end up being parallel to one another.
Hopefully that makes sense…
Tom
Tom. I did what you said I ran 2 R28 on the start from the 9-inch straight then the middle R26 then on each end then I had a 1/3 gap, so I put a 1/3 R18, ran it 4 times no issues. I also built a stand for my 2ed power pack, with a hole for the cable to run underneath the stand to the track, oh yes it more parallel.
LION could not get them to run on 24" curves. For some cars even 36" curves can be a stretch.
ROAR
p.s. = cant sea any of your photos, they seem to have evaporated.
I know some pictures are off I just started Flickr don’t know how to put code in I reach my maximum on the one site. So, here is the 1/3 r18 next to 9-inch and the r28 I had no issues I think because its such a small piece
James,
So I’m going to surmise that the need for the 1/3-curved section of R18" track is because the R26" and the R28" curves come in different curved lengths - like the R18" and R22" curves. For example, R18" curves are 30 degrees and R22" are 22-1/2 degrees.
Again, it’s your layout plan. And the fact that the unconventional sequence of curved sections actually works is what is paramount. The wary part of me, however, says that curve transitions go from larger radii to smaller radii - not the other way around; the former method being how the prototype accomplished it.
Also, assuming your R26" and R28" curves are either 30 degrees or 22-1/2 degrees each: The only combination of 10-degree, 1/3-curved sections that will yield you a 180-degree curved section is three. (10 x 3 = 30) At that point it makes more sense to use a full 30-degree curve section of larger radii track - whichever size that is. If only one or two 10-degree sections are used then there is no combination of 30- and 22-1/2-degree curves that you can lay down and get a true 180-degree curved section.
What this means is that your curved and straigh track sections kink slightly. While it may not be an issue now, it could be when the weather warms up and the metal rails begin to expand. Just sayin’…
If your layout is 56" wide then I personally would just go with all R26" curves (which will leave you a 2" buffer along the long side)…or have two, two-track sections (4, total) of R28" curved track as your transition curves into and out of each larger 180-degree curved section made up of R26" curved track, as outlined in my previous post.</
There are 11 r track in one turn yes one is longer shown out of the 11,2 are R28 the rest are R 26, so you said for a wide radius R28, R28then R26 so what I did I copied that x2. Didn’t touch the straight at all just the radius thus one being shorter there’s the gap. The piece shown earlier the 1/3 R18 makes it work fine.
Be fore the track was off the tale on one side a 1/8 now it fits both sung it runs down the line straight, it didn’t do this be fore the long shot shows the table from afar and the third shows the observation car crossing the gap.
I’m not here to beat a dead horse, James. I guess I’m just not understanding your rationale or need for using the 1/3-section of R18" curve.
According to the Bachmann website, I learned that the R26" and R28" curves both come in 18-degree sections. So, with either one - 5 sections would make up a 90-degree curve (or 5 x 18 = 90) and 10-sections would make up a 180-degree curve (or 10 x 18 = 180). With all things then being equal that means you can create an R28" easement into your R26" curves as short or as long as you desire. Or, skip the easement altogether and just make it all with R26" curves, which should fit on your 56" wide layout table.
Again, I don’t understand why you need the R18" curve???
Tom
James,
My last comment on the topic. If you take a look at your track on the far LEFT side of your layout photo above, you’ll notice that the straight track bows outward as it approaches the curved section in the back. If you remove the R18" section from your back curve, that will remedy that issue. It’s physics. You have a 180-degee curve at the front and a 190-degree arc at the back.
Tom
ok! Track is worked out for passenger took out the 1/3/r18 have my interloop done for now just waiting on my crossing gate to finish the loop for freight, it is inside my passenger line. One thing I have learned this week I don’t care for Bachman couplers. I took one off one coupler of my one freight car and switched it to my coal tender on my Bachmann steam tested it with my diesel, freight cars it worked great because my diesel, freight, passenger are walthers brand my 2 steams are Bachman, so last night after testing the switched coupler on my steam it worked great so today I ordered more couplers from walthers.
going to switch out my other steam tender and fix the one I took apart to get it back in operation. Now I have dual trains I can run one inside the other both are down now till I get new dual power pack and couplers.