Where do you put your 3rd rail in 00?

[Dogmatix]

With new SR 3rd rail EMU models appearing, the question arises as to where to mount the 3rd rail in 00.

 

The problem is this: 00 uses H0 track gauge which is too narrow. Most modellers use H0 scale track with H0 scale sleepers (like Peco), some use H0 gauge track with 00 scale sleepers (like SMP). Do you put the third rail at the 00 scale distance from the centre line, which looks like it is way too far out, or at the H0 scale distance from the centre line, which looks right but leads to another problem...?

 

The associated question is where on the bogies do you have the collecting shoes? If they are in the correct 00 scale position, you need the third rail in the too-far-out 00 scale position if shoes are to match rails. But if you have the rail in scale H0 position, you have to use H0 width bogies so that the shoes can be above the rails (the Bachmann solution).

 

Is there a standard for this problem? Which solution do other 3rd rail modellers prefer?

[Xerces Fobe2]

When I first started building my Croxley WRD layout I faced the same dilemma. Using 3rd/4th rail stock including tube trains, most of which were made from heavily modified proprietary parts. To get everything to look totally correct were require a me spend an inordinate amount of time on this so I went for a compromise. I used code 75 track with Peco code 60 conductor rails and pots however mounted lower than Peco suggest as their system was desiged for code 100 rail. I stuck generally to Pecos guidelines about distances the location of the conductor rail from the running rail.

 

With regards to stock a lot of slowly running of stock on the track was undertaken in order to resolve issues and in the case of the tube stock I removed the shoes from the collector beams as the clearances were very tight. A warning about diesels in particular the Hornby Class 31; some diesels are very well detailed and have with sand pipes fitted which will hit the 3^rd rail which I removed as they were constant source of problems.

 

In summary it is how much compromise you happy to make and how much time you intend to spend on this! – Check out my website (link at foot of post) to see how good/ bad it looks! Now the 4^th rail is another can of worms……………….

 

Xerces Fobe

 

 

[Guest stuartp]

Can you actually see that the collector shoes don't line up with the rail as is shoots past ? The wheels are too far inside the bogie frame too as are the brake shoes if you fitted them and they aren't moulded as part of the side frame. Conversely the running rail - conductor rail gap is staring you in the face every time you look at the layout even when there's nothing running, so given that whatever you do is going to be wrong somewhere, I'd get that relationship right and not worry about the shoes.