Spraymanandy

[Spraymanandy]

Hi

Just got back into model railway  00 gauge. I'm  looking at using flexible track and using peco track setter templates or are there any other brands. Can anyone please tell me what size track setter templates  equate to 2nd, 3rd,4th and 5th radius curves.

Thanks

Andy

[Pacific231G]

Hi Andy

There's no direct relationship between the radii used for tracksettas and Setrack radii. In fact I think Peco were producing them before they even had a setrack range and that follows the same sectional track radii as Hornby (I'm not sure if other sectional track systems use the same 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc curves)

There's no real reason why they should be the same as once people move on to using flexible track they generally leave sectional track behind (though it can still be useful if you need to lay a  particularlly tight curve). 

 

The Peco Tracksetta templates for 16.5mm gauge track (00) give a range of radii in inches  18, 21,24,30,36,42,48,60 and straight. 

 

FWIW Setrack radii are

1st 371mm 14.6 inch

2nd 438mm 17.24 inches

3rd 505mm 19,9 inches

4th 571mm  22.5 inches

and so on going up by 68mm (more or less) each time which is the very wide double track spacing used for setrack to allow for the very tight curves.

 

The Tracksetta is of course designed to create constant radius curves without kinks and very useful for that, if you'e decicded your mimimum curve should be 24 inches you don't want to find parts of it are really 20 inch radius or worse.

When going from a straight to a curve it's well worth adding some transition between them. It avoids thehorrible lurch as vehicles in theory go instantly from straight to curved travel.  There are complex formulae for creating transiition curves - the idea is that the change from straight to curved motion happens at a constant rate- but they can be judged by eye tolerably well. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2020 by Pacific231G

[Crewlisle]

Andy,

 

Forget Tracksetta curves or formulae for transition curves, you are building a model railway not planning the trackwork for HS2!

 

Instead of Tracksetta curves, do it the simple & cheap way.  Cut some rectangular pieces of cardboard or hardboard & then cut out an internal radius or outside radius of your radii required.  Bend & pin your track to the outside or inside of the templates; it is not going to have kinks in it (only possibly if you come down to 10" radius!).  If it doesn't fit, adjust the track/points as required.

 

I have seen modellers saying about the complex formulae for transition curves - take no notice; they are not required.  If you want reasonable looking transition curves from one piece of straight track to another do the following:

 

1.  Make sure that the last rail joints on the straight track are about 150mm from where you want your curve to start from.

 

2.  Carefully bend your track, gradually reducing the radius of the curve to the final radius.  This could be from about 2500 mm down to your minimum radius of 500mm.  Look along the curve to ensure that there are no kinks in it  & it is a 'fair' curve..  They have a saying in the shipbuilding or ship repair business, "If a curve looks right, it is right!".

 

3.  Of the many exhibitions I have atended with 'Crewlisle', I have lost count of the number of questions I have had about how I built such good looking transition curves.

 

Peter

 

 

Edited April 22, 2020 by Crewlisle
Spelling & grammar.

[Pacific231G]

14 hours ago, Crewlisle said:

Andy,

 

Forget Tracksetta curves or formulae for transition curves, you are building a model railway not planning the trackwork for HS2!

 

Instead of Tracksetta curves, do it the simple & cheap way.  Cut some rectangular pieces of cardboard or hardboard & then cut out an internal radius or outside radius of your radii required.  Bend & pin your track to the outside or inside of the templates; it is not going to have kinks in it (only possibly if you come down to 10" radius!).  If it doesn't fit, adjust the track/points as required.

 

I have seen modellers saying about the complex formulae for transition curves - take no notice; they are not required.  If you want reasonable looking transition curves from one piece of straight track to another do the following:

 

1.  Make sure that the last rail joints on the straight track are about 150mm from where you want your curve to start from.

 

2.  Carefully bend your track, gradually reducing the radius of the curve to the final radius.  This could be from about 2500 mm down to your minimum radius of 500mm.  Look along the curve to ensure that there are no kinks in it  & it is a 'fair' curve..  They have a saying in the shipbuilding or ship repair business, "If a curve looks right, it is right!".

 

3.  Of the many exhibitions I have atended with 'Crewlisle', I have lost count of the number of questions I have had about how I built such good looking transition curves.

 

Peter

 

 

Hi Peter

I agree about not using formulae. MRC in particular used to be full of them and I think they were more about people showing off their knowledge of maths than actually providing useful modelling information.

I do have some tracksettas - I think I picked them up for a few bob at some exhibition bring and buy- and though I don't use them much as I normally lay track by eye  have found them handy for checking that a curve in a tight area hasn't gone below my minimum radius. I would though always start such a minimum radius curve some way from the nearest straight.  The danger of course is people using them to create what becomes the equivalent of sectional track curves with flexible track which is self defeating.