Ok, I’ll post my first question here and see if I can get some answers. I am currently starting to add an elevated section above my layout to run the big engines I have. I am going to raise it about 20 inches off the table top and have it incorporated into my mountain area at one end and then have it supported by girders/wood supports around the rest of the layout. My question is how much space is needed to run 2 o-gauge and 1 standard gauge tracks? I am going to use 84" curves but I don’t know how much some of these big engines like Lionel’s H-7 articulate over the rail. Also I will be running the Lionel standard gauge Hiawatha. So far I don’t really have any place to let these big engines run.
Is there a rule of thumb on spacing between tracks for different radius curves? I don’t want to reinvent the wheel so if anyone has a suggestion I’d be glad to hear it .
The NMRA has a set of standards on track spacing, forget which one it is. You can find them on the NMRA site. I think it’s S7 or something like that.
Tony
I use 4" per O gauge track on my layout and have no clearence problems with even the longest cars on curves. Standard gauge I haven’t got a clue.[:)]
I am doing something similar, and plan to use o72 in the inside and 084on the outside because you get a nice even curve. I set up test tracks on the floor to test big equipment. JIM
Gomez Adams—I know my suggestion will seem kind of dippy, but it is how I figure clearances on curves. I temporarily tack down the curves and push my longest and widest cars and engines and see if they clear each other. When you are certain they will clear then just measure from the centerline of one curve to the centerline of the other and that’s your clearance. Hope that helped. Odd-d
Odd-d, that is pretty much what I was going to do, my main concern was whether they will work on a 16" piece of plywood. I would like to keep it to this width if I could since I can get 3 rips out of one sheet. If anyone has purchased any plywood in the last 8 months or so you will know that it has gone up in price by almost 4 times!! A sheet that cost 6 bucks last May now costs over 20 bucks!! The stuff is almost like gold now. If I can get away with the 16" then it will save me some money. Anyhow thanks to everyone who gave an answer.
One question I have is what is NMRA? I have only been in this hobby seriously for about 5 years and I have not heard of them.
I think you’ll have no problem fitting everything onto 16" wide pieces. The widest separations I’ve seen are 4.5" on center, which is usually the separation on the double cross-over switches.
Tony
Gomez,
NMRA = National Model Railroad Association.
Visit their website: www.nmra.org
Consider using a spiral. That way you can keep the tangents quite close (or a tangent close to a wall). The curve starts on the inside track with a long radius until the tracks are far enough apart for a transition to the shorter radius.