Tilting the risers or or cutting a taper on the top (both directions on grades) is what I’ve done for years but for some reason most don’t like it. The beauty of this is that I can change the tilt or elevation if something doesn’t look right. With shims you better get it right the first time.
Ballasting is what seals the deal, with the plastic shims I use. Up until then, I can just pry them out.
Fact is, once a person decides the proper superelevation, it’s hard to avoid getting it “right the first time.”
My curves are built on flat plywood. So there are no risers to cant.
Ed
Those of us who choose to ballast our tracks soon learn to trial the arrangement using typical consists before applying the ballast. It typically takes me a couple of weeks of running trains and then tweaking rail heights before I dare to groom and glue the ballast.
Hello all,
I use wooden coffee stir stick that are 6/64-inches thick, 5/32-inches wide and 5-1/2-inches long.
On my pike I use sectional track in 15-, 18- and 22-inch radii.
To superelevate the curves I cut the stir sticks into 1-inch pieces and place three pieces, evenly spaced, on the outside of the curve.
For transitions back to level track, on the last piece of sectional track, I don’t place any pieces of stir stick, but rather build up the ballast.
Once the ballast is set and dried the transitions are stable.
Hope this helps.
6/64" equals more than 8" in HO scale. That’s a lot compared to what many experienced modelers use for much broader curves. And if you are only allowing at most 9" for the superelevation to run off, that’s a lot of twist across a short length of track, not to mention the vertical kinks on the elevated rail.
Are you sure that’s the amount? Can you post a photo to show how it looks?
In an earlier thread, you gave the amount as 1/32".
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/259681.aspx
For such sharp curves, superelevation has been often found to be a reliability headache.
.7" / 1.2" X 6/64" = .0548"
.0548" X 87.1 = 4.77" of superelevation
Quite a bit, I agree. What with my choice of 2". On a 60" radius curve.
Ed
Don’t understand the point of your math. But agree, that doesn’t seem like an amount that will operate reliably, whether it’s under 5" in HO or over 8" in HO. On a 15" curve.
Hello all,
I defer to my signature.
Still working on how to post photos without going through 3rd party site.
Hoping to post photos to several of my threads soon.
Thank you for all the positive input.
Hope this helps.
And your own earlier post compared to this one? One of them must be wrong. Right?
The issue is that newcomers read these posts without an appreciation for the poster’s level of expertise. Anyone can post anything they like, but when it diverges so far from best practices, I think it’s important to note that and ask for more information. But that’s just me.
You’re in luck – you may post them right on this site. One waits a few days for it to be approved sometimes, but no need to go elsewhere.
Hello all,
On smaller layouts sometimes features are abrupt and compressed.
I am limited to a 4’x8’ pike.
OH God, how I would love for even a 5’x9’- -but even that is unobtainable.
Again…
“Uhh…I didn’t know it was ‘impossible’ I just made it work…sorry”
I apologize for not having enough room to build a pike that can utilize “best practices” in the mean time I will run my trains on my sub-standard pike and continue to enjoy this great hobby.
Sorry, this doesn’t help.
The direction of this thread confirms my belief that one should let dead threads rest in peace.
Most best practices apply everywhere because many are based on the laws of physics. Lots of folks build small layouts – and they want them to run reliably. I’ve designed quite a few for clients, including some HO layouts smaller than yours. Small layout spaces don’t change the laws of physics – “abrupt” vertical kinks cause derailments no matter what size the layout.
I never said that your layout was “sub-standard”. I asked a question about your claims and why they differed from your own earlier claims (as well as the experience of many model railroaders). You seem defensive and I’ve noted my concerns, so I’ll bow out.
I look forward to your photo posts in the future.