The way I do it is as follows:
Mark your tangent (straight) to the point where you want the curve to start.
Instead of drawing your 30" curve so it connects to the tangent at that point, draw it so it lies about 1/4 - 1/2 " inside of that.
Take 2 nails or pins and put one at the end of the tangent, to the inside (inside curve side) and put the other a few inches back on the tangent. What you're doing here is make a place to set a yardstick on its edge so that it lies along the tangent and you can flex it where the curve starts.
Flex the yardstick so that it intersects your 30" curve and draw the line to connect the tangent to your curve along the yardstick.
That's your easment.
Ricky
The best way I have ever found is to use an electrician's fish tape. Fasten one end of the tape firmly in a straight section about four or five inches long at one end of your curve. Then play out enough fish wire to go around the proposed curve and fasten four or five inches of the tape in a straight line. You can then pull or push fish wire as necessary until you get your curve in place. The fish wire will automatically form the easements at the ends. Just trace around the tape and use that as your center line for roadbed and track.
I'm building my first ever lay out and I'm stumped on the easement vs radius.
I want to lay a 30" radius curve but I've read about the importance of an easement from the tangent into the curve. I'm using flex track which is one piece of track 36" long. How do I build the easement?
Mark