Ok folks this is my trackplan i know its atlas, but its nice im trying to make revisions to it. My main question is what # switch will work with a 22" radius curve to make the curved passing sidings or mainlines to me. I need to know because the first two are going to be my staging and the third is going to be my drill track for the yard, so if you guys know i would really appreciate it.
-Kade
Unless there is a Peco switch, the answer is none.
Once you get away from Snap Track ther is no radius through a switch. Switches are an angle, the switch number is how many units of length it takes to diverge one unit of width. So a #6 switch diverges 1 unit of width for 6 units of length.
Dave H.
For a small layout, the track plan is fine. I assume it is 4 x 8. The only flaw I see is that you may wish to reduce the yard by one track. It appears the shortest yard track only has room for one car and is hardly worth it.
You could potentially get a larger yard with some elevation changes. If you eliminate the cross over between the inner and center track below the turntable, you could have the track leading to the yard climb and the mainline drop so that the yard can extend over the double track mainline, adding approximately 18 inches of length to each yard track.
Central Valley makes semi handlayed switch kits that are curvable. Maybe you could use one of those for a custom radius.
The plan is based for a 4x8 board but mine is going to be 1 foot longer and 1 foot wider. So maybe a 5x9 will help this plan along, the yards legnth was really the only problem i had because it was so short for all the tracks. I guess i can try the snap switches for all 3 tracks on that side and have either #4 or a #6. I’ve tried curved passing sidings with my old bachmann EZ track but i needed to add 1 to 2 3" straight sections for it to work with my 22" radius curves. Atlas has a more advanced choice pf track than bachmann so it should be easier. Like i said before the 2 outer tracks are going to be staging/mainlines, covered by a mountain so i can hide the trains. It should look nice but its going to be a long process. Thanks guys for the advice.
-Kade
Im worried about my trackplan. Its going to be a 5x9 and i was wondering what would best way to do it. With one foot extra on each side its got me wondering how big my curves can be so it will still work. Im asking because i want to have an intermodal train so i need to know what i can i do to make it work with as little overhang as possible. My biggest loco is an athearn Dash 9 so that factors into the curve radius as well. Im going to try to keep the trackplan the same just long and with bigger curves. I appreciate the help!
-Kade
22" radius should be fine for the -9, but the intermodal will overhang a bit. With a 5x9 you could extend the radius to 24" and still have plenty of room left over on the edges or 26" and be tight. Have you though of using flextrack instead of sectional track? It would make building the layout a lot easier since you could place the turnouts and not have to worry about the track and where it is going to be located, just freelance as you go around the curve, but keep it to a constant radius. As for hiding the two tracks on the left (If I am understanding you), that might get a little crowded. You will have to have at least 3" of seperation between the tracks for a decent mountain slope, preferably more. Elevating the yard to extend it over the mainlines would be a great idea if you could fit a reasonable grade there.