Gargraves diameters?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have the exact measurement for gargraves track, that is the outside of tie.. to outside of tie for the 042 and 054 track . I need to make a template for both to see which one will fit, before I order a lot of track.I can use some flex track in some places but this level I'm working on is really awkward for bending and cutting, so I wanted to use the preformed curved..Thanks as always..............Tim [:D][:D][:D]

[lionelsoni]

I can't tell you what it is, since I don't have any. But I can tell you how to measure it if you have a piece on hand.

Measure the chord from one end of the center rail to the other end, being sure to measure at the exact center of the center rail at each end. Divide this number by the sine of half the angle that the track changes direction. For example, if the track turns 30 degrees (12 pieces in a full circle), divide by the sine of 15 degrees, or .258819. If the track turns 22.5 degrees (16 pieces in a full circle), divide by the sine of 11.25 degrees, or .195090. This gives you the diameter to the centers of the track. Add to this the length of one tie to get the diameter to the ends of the ties.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply Bob. Don't mean to be a smart ***, but if I had a piece on hand I could use it as a pattern.........Tim

[lionelsoni]

Maybe someone else on the forum has some and could measure it for us.

Of course, one can make an actual circle and measure that. But that requires having that much track ahead of time; and sectional track, especially the joints, are so flexible that that's not very precise. Nevertheless, you can get a decent number by measuring the diameter twice, 90 degrees apart, and averaging. But I have great confidence in the one-section technique I described.