HO Crossover with 2" Track Centerlines

[Anonymous]

I'm in the process of designing my newest layout, the plan is to have two mainlines so my 11 yr old brother and I can run our trains consecutively, and I was planing on having a few cross-overs between the mains so that I can have a little prototypical fun in the center of the layout when we’re running our trains. We will be using the Prodigy Advance DCC system so wiring is not an issue, but what I am having troubles with is the turnouts and track center lines. I want to have a distance of 2" between the track center lines, and was originally going to use #6 turnouts to create the cross-overs but the Atlas Super-Track 83 turnouts I have drastically increase the centerline distance. Does anyone know of a way to create these cross-overs and maintain a centerline dist. Of 2"? I would rather not cut the rails short if I don’t have to, but I suppose it would be an option, is there a different turnout that would create a cross-over with a CL distance close to 2"?

Thanks
Carl

[tstage]

Carl,

As long as the track canters are on straight sections of track, 2" should be fine. But, once you start going around curves, you'll have to increase the centerline distance to at LEAST 2-1/2" or you may not have enough clearance between the two trains when they are passing one another. I personally would increase the track centers to 2-1/2" overall for uniformity. Also, keep in mind that two similar crossings (e.g. ATLAS 60 degree crossings) attached together will dictate a distance between your parallel running tracks, probably around 2-1/2".

In any event, you will more than likely have to trim your #6's to get the 2" center line you desire. A pair of Xuron cutters (about $15 at your hobby shop) will make the job a much easier one, with only a slight touch up with a file.

Hope that helps...

Tom

[mcouvillion]

If you are interested in maintaining the 2" centerlines, Walthers (Shinohara) makes code 83 cross-overs that are on 2" centers. They also make a double cross-over. The advantage is that if you are concerned about cutting the rail to get it to fit properly, or if you are concerned about insulating the rail in the proper places, these are already done for you. As mentioned above, you want to expand the distance between the track centerlines on the curves, especially if your curve radius is toward the small end of the scale (30" or less). Making the outside radius a little larger is not that big of a deal. It doesn't look bad, and can give you some scenic variation. The railroads don't always maintain the exact same distance between tracks as they round the curves.

Mark C.

[Anonymous]

Also, the Atlas #4 turnouts keep the track @ 2" apart, though you probably would reserve their use for a yard rather than the mainline.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Guys, I think I'm Going to go for the 2 1/2" Cl, and use the Xuron cutters to trim the switches as needed, mainly because my radius ranges from 22" to 28" . Thanks for the help!
Carl

[cacole]

Peco medium turnouts should butt together at a track spacing of exactly 2".

[rrinker]

Major important tip: TEST your rolling stock on your chosen curves FIRST.

I did, and boy am I glad. I had the track plan drawn up for a double track main with 30" radius for the inner curve and 32.5" radis for the outer curve. 2.5" of seperation. Should be fine, right? WRONG. Full-length 85' passenger cars hit each other when passing on such curves!

All it cost me was a few more sheets of paper (I had printed the plan full-size to transfer it to the benchwork). I redrew the plan, this time using 30" radius for BOTH curves, but the inner one starts 2" sooner so they are not completely parallel. The 2" corresponds to the straight track spacing. The end result is that the center spacing of the curves is not constant, it increases to the midpoint of the curves and then gradually closes back up. Same cars do NOT sideswipe on this layout. Maximum seperation is now approximately 2.8" (Square root of 8 - remember that Pythagorus guy? A^2 + B^2 = C^2? ).

--Randy

[Anonymous]

Oh Yeah Pythagorus How Can I forget,... Im a freshman at Milwaukee School of Engineering (ME), unfortunately thats not as easy as being a train engineer, eitherway I dont plan on running cars quite that long, infact for my brother and I the smallest radius's are 22 and 24.5 (as our table is 120" x 58") but as both my grandfathers and my dad had/have told me: Measure Twice Cut Once, or in this case test the trackplan before gluing anything down.

Thanks For Your Help and Advice!
Carl

[Anonymous]

I always thought it was the other way around. No wonder my table is a mess.