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Hi Ted

 

I suspect you mean that the USA uses the UK's track gauge ;)

 

The rail and gauge is not the issue here (and for me neither are rail joiners - they are unnecessary).  The USA uses a scale of 1:160 whereas the UK uses 1:148 so the sleepers are the wrong size for starters, though the real killer is not sleeper size but sleeper spacing. That is before we even get into S&C configuration.

 

(some) British N gauge modellers have been crying out for accurate UK specific track for a while now.

 

Cheers, Mike

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Sounds like a lot of re-inventing the wheel  (sorry) going on here.

 

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned this before now. There's an on-line outfit in California that has been shipping steel H rail joiners, FB points and frogs for years.  Some connection with the NMRA and their Proto SIG I think.  Apparently they support finescale N and  Z  too.

 

Ted

 

Although the sleepering (ties) would be different, pre-assembled Code 40FB crossings and pre-filed switch rails would surely be useful. Do you have an internet link?

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Although the sleepering (ties) would be different, pre-assembled Code 40FB crossings and pre-filed switch rails would surely be useful. Do you have an internet link?

US practices are different to the UK, which means the geometry is different. Pre-filed switch blades might be useful if they were flexible rather than loose-heel, but that's still a tiny part of the entire turnout (and it really, really, isn't that difficult to file your own blades).

 

This is all besides the point that fiNetrax is bullhead!

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US practices are different to the UK, which means the geometry is different. Pre-filed switch blades might be useful if they were flexible rather than loose-heel, but that's still a tiny part of the entire turnout (and it really, really, isn't that difficult to file your own blades).

 

This is all besides the point that fiNetrax is bullhead!

Not beside the point to me! By the early 60s  Tamworth had BH on the slow lines but FB on the fast.

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Found the site I was thinking of: www.proto87.com

 

Navigation is very poor, but there is an "N" page. So I've added that link.

 

http://www.proto87.com/n-scale-track.html

 

Interestingly there is also a page for 4mm. So they seem to be UK aware at least.

 

Ted

this link was posted on the N gauge forum thread for finetrax, lead to failed thread hijack from the owner of the that website.  Wayne wasnt best pleased me thinks.

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Not beside the point to me! By the early 60s  Tamworth had BH on the slow lines but FB on the fast.

Right, but what you want is UK outline FB track. US outline plain track and turnouts will look very odd alongside UK bullhead track and turnouts. I'd argue it'd be no more accurate than just laying UK bullhead track instead of FB...

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Not beside the point to me! By the early 60s  Tamworth had BH on the slow lines but FB on the fast.

 

Could you use fiNetrax for the points and bullhead track, with 2mm Scale Association flatbottom bases (wood or concrete) for the fast lines?

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  • RMweb Gold

Could you use fiNetrax for the points and bullhead track, with 2mm Scale Association flatbottom bases (wood or concrete) for the fast lines?

I was thinking fiNetrax for everything except the fast lines which would be Easitrac and FB points built using FB components (hence my interest in crossings and blades).

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I notice that the website for this has been down for sometime now with a message about updates. I hope that these include the point work and that the website being down is not a sign that this project has ground to a halt. 

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I notice that the website for this has been down for sometime now with a message about updates. I hope that these include the point work and that the website being down is not a sign that this project has ground to a halt. 

 

Has me worried too - it will mean completely re-planning what I want to do if fiNetrax is dead and buried

 

Did find this though, which offers hope...

 

http://finetrax.proboards.com/board/2/finetrax-beta-testers-comment-chat

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  • 3 weeks later...

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