I just noticed that Shinohara makes curved track with a radius up to 36". That is pretty cool because Atlas only makes curved track up to a radius of 24".
I use flex track on my layout to make curves but I hate it because that is where most of my derailment problems occur due to kinks, etc.
However, it appears that Shinohara only makes curved track in Code 100 and Code 70, but not Code 83. Does anyone know if curved track with a radius up to 36" or even 32" (the maximum on my layout) is available in Code 83 from any source or whether Shinohara plans to make curved track in Code 83 in the future?
If you install flex track correctly it should never have kinks or be a source of derailments. I always solder flex track joints while it is still straight and then bend it around a curve. No kinks and no derailments.
good advice about soldering before bending. please don’t give up on flex track. once you have mastered it you will find the time and effort to do so was well spent. joints on curves were where i had the most trouble when i started out but now they are a piece of cake and i never use anything but flex track. hang in there, you will eventually master it through practice. if you are not satisfied, just pull it up, trim the ends and try again. it ain’t the queen mary and it ain’t goin’ to the moon.
I agree, flex track should have no problems if it’s installed properly. You might want to invest in an NMRA gauge and run it along the rails to get out the kinks. sounds like the radius is too sharp and or the rail is not level from side to side. The rail can be raised in a curve on the outside rail but it cannot be raised on the inside rail. That’s a gauranteed derailment.
Check into the Walther’s curved turnouts. Shinohara makes the code 100 curved and Walthers makes the code 83. They are manufactered by the same company.
I pulled all the shinohara 36 / 32 radius curved turnouts off my layout. They do work well until the copper clip on the point rail breaks. Once it breaks it won’t carry the current from the point rails to the frog rails. Also, they are select control turnouts and have to use a relay and gaps in the frog rails to swiitch power to the frog rail determined by the point rail alignment.
re cwclark on the problem with shinohara curved switches. are you referring to the tab under the points where they contact the stock rails or at the pivot point closer to the frog? i have several of these switches and they are now in their 3rd layout with no problems whatsoever. one is at the end of double track on the main line. one is at the end of the yard lead and the other is at the throat of the passenger terminal. they all see heavy use and are constantly being thrown one way or the other. maybe i am just lucky.
Just curious as to what kind of flex-track you’re using. If it’s Atlas, they have a tendency to want to ‘spring back’ on curves, whereas the Sinohara flex holds its curve extremely well. When I built my current layout, I went with Sinohara flex instead of the Atlas for the main line and relegated the Atlas to yard trackage. I’ve had few to no problems with the Sinohara even after eight years of being in a garage that has some pretty wild temperature fluctuations during the year.
One of the problems that could crop up using a fixed-radius sectional curve track like Sinohara, is that you could end up gambling with voltage drops between sections as the rail-joiners loosen with use. Which usually means a lot of additional feeders to your trackage.
My current layout was started in 1984 and I used all Micro Engineering track, except for the areas of handlaid track that was done to qualify for my MMR in trackwork. Actually, the handlaid holds up better, but the Micro Eng. track has been very good to me. I don’t buy the pre weathered, as it is harder to bend, but the NS ME track is really nice to bend and work with.