I was wondering if anybody has the head width and the base width of different rail from different manufacturers.
I have some Micro Engineering code 70 and code 83 rail. I am interested in the base width and the head width. Below is a chart with the NMRA standard rail dimensions included.
Rail Base Width
NMRA 70 0.070 0.035
NMRA 83 0.080 0.040
ME 70 0.070 0.030
ME 83 0.068 0.033
It appears that ME can use the same plastic molds to make both sizes of track because the bases are similar for both rails.
It appears from looking through Walther’s online catalog, only Micro Engineering, Peco, and Walthers sells bulk rail in the code 55 to code 100 range for hand laying track. Micro Engineering sells codes 55, 70, 83, and 100. Walther’s sells only code 83. Peco sells code 60, 75, 80, and 100.
I’m sure they’re are a few others, but these are going to be most readily available. My personal experience is that local hobby shops only carry Micro Engineering rail and it is the most popular for hand laying.
Interesting subject. I figure on doing some handlaid maybe next year or so. Up ‘til now, I just figured all rail of a certain height was interchangeable. Now maybe I’ll have to do some thinkin’. One thought is that I’d certainly not like to buy 99 feet of rail and find it just isn’t dimensioned for me.
If you just haid laying track with spikes on wooden ties, it really doesn’t matter much. You’ll be using spikes to push and pull the rail into gage.
However, with products like Central Valley’s tie strips, these variations may cause you problems using the tie strips alone to gage the rail.
For example, if you buy CV’s tie strips for code 83/70 rail, that means the space between the spikes must be at least 0.080 wide and is probably around 0.082 wide to allow for manufacturing variations in the width of the base of the rail and CV’s own code 81 rail that has a base of 0.081 to 0.082. If you use ME code 83 rail I measured with a base of only 0.068 wide, that means each rail has 0.014 inches of slop between the spikes. Multiply by 2 for each rail and your total slop is now 0.028. Add another 0.002 of variation from the molding process for the distance between the tie plates on each tieand your total range is 0.030 inches. (For NMRA standard code 70 rail with a base of 0.070 this slop is 0.012, 0.024, and 0.026 respectively.) (For your Kato code 85 rail, the slop is 0.022, 0.044, and 0.046 respectively.[%-)])
The NMRA specifies HO scale track gage be between 0.649 and 0.672 inches. That is a range of only 0.023. This is less than the slop from using Central Valley tie strips with ME code 83 rail. In other words, if you use these to products together, check the gage and do not just depend on the molded spikes to hold the rail in gage.
I don’t know what you folks have in Minnesota but out here in the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west we have these things called calipers and micrometers; they are excellent devices for measuring these things and, although there are some which sell in the three figure category, you can get a pretty accurate pair for twenty dollars or so.
I have calipers. That is how I got the dimensions for the ME rail in the post you quoted. I just don’t have the Peco rail and would rather not spend the money on the rail if it’s not what I’m looking for.