Track spacing

Im new to the hobby, and have a question that will make most of you laugh!!! I am building a layout and have no HO trains to test the track with(plenty of O, but no HO)… Can anyone tell me the minimum space needed when running two tracks side by side ============… Im using Bachmans ez trak.

TRY 2.25" for straights, and 2.75" (or more) for curves depending on radius of track and car length, to prevent sideswiping.

BEST solution is to not use long cars on a tight curved layout.

Paesan4,

Welcome! Good to have you on board! [:)]

Don’s right. Keep the cars short - i.e. 40-50’ scale. Otherwise, you run the risk of sideswiping the other train.

Paesan4, will you be running 18" radius curves? Try to use 18" as your absolute minimum on your mainline. Use 22" or great if you can.

Here’s a handy link for you: http://www.nmra.org. It’s the National Model Railroad Association home page. Poke around the site. It’s full of a lot of other basic and advanced standards for questions like yours. Keep coming back to the forum though, and ask all the questions you need to.

Tom