i'm getting ready to start on a small layout. it will either be a 4x8 or 5x10, & i'm going to be using gargrave flex track. how much space is needed between two lines of track? i know i can go with 031 & 042, but is that much room between two lines really needed? it just looks like a lot of waisted space. i hope you all know what i'm talking about.
You need very little room between straight tracks. I get away with 2 7/8-inch spacing on centers in my yard. The problem comes at the corners, where you need much more space, which depends greatly on the track radius and the individual cars and locomotives.
Bob Nelson
I think that for small curves you will be better off using sectional track. Also I would have 036 as the smallest curve. With respect to how much space it will depend on length of rolling stock and overhang of your engines. Test some of each, by setting up your curves in parallel with the longest pieces of rolling stock and engines with most overhang. You will most like need at least 2 1/2 inches on the curve section between outside rails. On straight sections it can be much closer.
model in O. the Western NY and Ontario Railroad
When you put one of your "largest" rolling stock on the track for measurement on the curves, may I suggest that you also put one of those cars on the ajoining track at the same time. Would not want a chance meeting of two similar cars at the same time on side-by-side curves.
With some engines, like the Reading or Pennsy T-1 4-8-4 steam loco, you may need about 4 & a quarter inches between center rails on curves. You may need to experiment with your engines and very freight long cars, see how much space is needed between tracks on curves.
As I have found out with new engines, you may need to see how much room or clearance you will need.
Lee F.
i would rather use sectional track on this small of a layout, but the main thing stopping me is the cost. atlas & gargraves sectional track is pretty exspencive. the atlas comes in 036 & 045. is that measured from outside rail to outside rail? if it is that's only hour & a half inches.
any of you fine people use the atlas track? any pictures?
Think your a little confused there forget the first part as thats the letter O not number 0 so its 36" or 45" so 3 feet or 3' 9" but I also think its from middle rail to middle rail. The O = O Gauge
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
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Just a typo, I know it's O & O gauge. I'm just used to hitting the zero for some reason. some track manufacturers measure from center rail & others measure from outer rail. Regardless, it doesn't matter. If they measure from center or outer, will 4.5" be enough room between two lines of track in the curves?
When I did my layout I used the spacing on The Ross dbl. crossover, somewhere around 4 1/2" and carried that into my curves. Since I used flex track my curves are somewhere around 72" and 64" .
Another thing about Gargraves track, when it says 031 curve you have about 32.25 inch curve. The Gargraves 042 curve is closer to 43.5 inches.
Since you are going to use Gargraves track, I assume that you know that all three rails are seperated from each other electrically? Not like Lionel tubular track, with only the center rail seperated electrically. And at some of Gargraves switches you may have to add a jumper wire to one of the outside rails after a switch.
If you use a brand of track that has a built in roadbed, sometimes an 031 curve can turn out to be closer to 36 inches.
On our family layout, we measure track spacing center-rail to center-rail. So, we have 4.5 inch spacing on the mainline, with O-54 and O-66-ish curves. We have hidden loops that are O-42, and we try to maintain a 2.5" spacing, center rail to wall, on those. So, with parallel tracks on an O-42 or tighter curve, I would think 5 inch spacing would be about right--especially if you want to be able to run anything long. Biggest stuff we run is an LTI Reading T-1 and a scale Hudson. We even have one 18" passenger car, and it will also make it around the O-42 loops without striking the wall (looks funny though!)
For straightaways, you really don't want anything less than 3.5", or it will be hard to get your fingers between the tracks to uncouple, etc., especially if you use scale-width equipment.
HTH
I am currently building a small 4 x 8 sectional layout that is using Gargraves flex track bent to O-42 curves. It takes quite a bit of patience and care to get GG flextrack curved that sharp and still be smooth. It is possible but it isn't easy.
i started buying atlas track (without the roadbed). i've found a couple of decent deals on ebay, but nothing great. i just changed my mind on using gargraves track. i was going to try to cheap out on it, but with tight curves being a PITA i just desided to use the atlas.
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