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"TRACK SPACING"

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  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern CA Bay Area
  • 4,387 posts
Posted by cuyama on Saturday, February 24, 2018 7:59 PM

NMRA Standard S-8 is a good place to start. Recommended track spacing in curves varies by the type of equipment and sharpness of the curve.

[Note: this NMRA page is currently rendering poorly for me in Chrome, but fine in Firefox and Explorer]

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Saturday, February 24, 2018 6:26 PM

The angles of the diverging paths will go a long way to determining at what separation you end up running all three of them parallel to each other.  You must begin to curve them back from the diverging angle as soon as possible if you want the most narrow separation, but that could present some trouble for the rolling stock or the locomotives.  This is one instance where you want to mock it up temporarily and see how little you can get away with before you get derailments caused by couplers reaching their hard limits of sway.

Alternatively, use a larger frog number so those curves from diverging back to parallel are less troublesome (and lose some siding length as payment).

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: North Dakota
  • 9,592 posts
Posted by BroadwayLion on Saturday, February 24, 2018 4:23 PM

TrainsRMe1
I have a question for you, Its about track spacing

 

Did you measure your fingers?

 

LION just accepots what the geometry of his switches gives him.

 

Well, not exactly, LION has been known trim turnouts to fit.

 

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

  • Member since
    June 2014
  • From: East Central Florida
  • 480 posts
Posted by Onewolf on Saturday, February 24, 2018 2:54 PM

1" center spacing is 13'3" prototype.  I would do a test to see how well your fingers/eyes deal with 1" spacing for straight track. 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" on curves.

Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.

- Photo album of layout construction -

  • Member since
    December 2005
  • From: west of Portland Oreg.( the city of Roses
  • 599 posts
"TRACK SPACING"
Posted by TrainsRMe1 on Saturday, February 24, 2018 2:08 PM

Hey All,

I have a question for you, Its about track spacing, Im building a 3 track siding in Nscale, so how much space should be between each track, ??????

Thanks , have a great weekend.

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