I have a 12x7 around-the-room layout in the planning phase. It has 22in radius curves and sometimes 24in. It also has No#6 Atlas turnouts. Do I need to add easements? I will have 4 and six-axle locos going through the curves. The other question I had was where can I download free turnout templates? I thought MR magazine had them somewhere.
Cheers,
Lee
Templates…
http://www.handlaidtrack.com/printable-track-templates-c-11.php?zenid=gvm3tkbdnsdcrd1fg775fo0ni6
David B
Lee,
Easements are not required. Your trains should run OK if your trackwork is good. Easements will assist ‘stiff’ legged engines as they enter a curve. Most of my curves have an easement(eyeballed) leading into them. But the west entrance has a flat curve leading into the staging tracks. I have never had problems with that section of track. My easements were laid with a wood spline and a 1-2" offset(no higher math here)
You mentioned 22" radius curves and 6 axle engines. You are on the ‘ragged edge’, but if your trackwork is laid good, it should be no real problem. Just keep the speed down!
Jim Bernier
6-axle power plus 22 inch radius equals you NEED easements - at least on those curves!
The key is that a spiral easement ‘eases’ the offset between the couplers (and diaphragms, if you use them) between a car or loco on the curve and one on the tangent leading into that curve. Instead of a sudden ‘yank’ sideways, there is a gentle entry which is, at worst, about half as bad as an un-eased curve.
I have seen passenger cars that wouldn’t stay on the rails on 24" radius sectional track roll smoothly through less than 22" radius (550mm to be exact) with spiral easements of only 10mm offset and 250mm from theoretical point of curvature to actual points of curvature and tangency.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Easements are a Very Good Idea. In fact, if you look at the drawings in Armstrong’s “Track Planning for Realistic Operation”, you’ll see that you are better off to use the available space for an sharper curve with an easment that the broadest possible curve without. There is a method for layong out easments in the book, it looks complicated, but once you see through it, it isn’t really so bad.
I’m laying track on my 10*13 around the room layout right now. I eased my 22" radius mainline curves 'cause it looks good, John Armstrong says easing a curve makes it perform as well as a larger radius curve, and it’s easy to do. Armstrong gives directions in his book.
Basically, in stead of bringing the straight track in tangent to curve, aim the straight to pass about 3/4" (HO) outside the curve. In other words lay the straight to miss the curve on the outside. Then use a thin, bendable, wood batten to fair a curve between the straight and the circle of the curve. An assistant/helper to do the marking while you hold the batten in place is very helpful. Allow about two foot long easement.