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How do you lay a curve?
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Some ideas on how to properly lay out a 26" curve, with easements..... <br /> <br />1. Buy some poster board and tape it together to make enough of a surface to "hold" your curves. Yes curves, you'll have two of them, a 26" curve and a 52" curve. <br /> <br />2. Using the string & pencil trick, lay out a "large" 26" radius curve on the paper. Make sure it's at least 90 degrees. Also lay out a 52" radius curve on a different part of the paper. This needs to be about 18" long. Using scissors cut the curves so you have some templates to work with. <br /> <br />3. Using a long straight edge, lay out your two straight sections of track, drawing a line down the center of each one. Draw another set of centerlines roughly 1" inside the original lines. These are the offset lines for the easements. <br /> <br />4. Using the 26" curve, draw the curves tangent to the two offset lines you just drew. This is the main section of your curve. Using the 52" curve, draw two curves tanget to the original straight track centerlines and the 26" curve you just drew. These are the easements. <br /> <br />The resulting curve is approximately an effective 27" radius, but is much easier on the eye AND operation of the equipment. It gives you a more flowing curves, with no sudden changes in direction. <br /> <br />Hope this helps! <br /> <br />Mark in Utah
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