How to determine what radius of EZ track to use

[Dan S.]

Good morning Gent's,
Again another newbie question! Is there any web site or information site on what degree of curve track is needed for a again area or layout? My wife and I are building a double oval track for a Christmas display and would like to use the 30 degree Bachmann crossing between ovals to connect them together, (not a figure 8 layout) now I need to install 1 curve track on each outlet of crossing to get my track to run parallel/straight again. I have tried 18" radius curve track, turn to much, then tried a 22" radius curve and still to great of a curve, now I hate to just keep ordering different radius till I find the correct outcome, there must be a better way! I asked my local hobby shop and got a very generic answer, keep coming back and buying more different curves until you find what works! really in todays information age this is the answer from a hobby store, guess he likes to sell products! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Dan.

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Dan,

Download and use AnyRail.com track CAD software.  Free for the first 50 track pieces. 

Fun and easy to learn. 

You should be able to find a combination that works. 

Try 18"R half-curves (15 degrees each).

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

[jward]

a 22r  section is a 22.5 degree arc, a half section is an 11.25 degree arc. neither of those will work with a 30 degree crossing. as joe said, splitting the difference of 30 degrees gives you 15 degrees, or a half 18r section on each leg.

[Joe Satnik]

Fun with AnyRail:



HO N/S EZ-Track 18"R-22"R Folded Figure-8

(Twice Around?)

Small stuff:

*2 ea. 1.25" straights
*2 ea. 1.5" straights
4 ea. 18"R - 15 degree (half) curves
4 ea. 4.5" (half) straights.

The rest 18"R curves, 22"R curves, 9" straights and 30 degree crossing.

Note: A 36" straight is used in this drawing as a sub for four 9" straights.

Hope this helps.  

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Edit: *

*Note: With no ill effect, a 3" straight could be substituted for 1.25" + 1.5" on each loop.
(AnyRail target length = 2.84")

[Dan S.]

Thanks Joe,
Your advise has been greatly appreciated and that web site is assume! Thanks Again. I wish there were more folks like you in my neighborhood, folks like you make this a great hobby to be part of.

[Joe Satnik]

Hey, Dan.

Thanks for the kind words.

Actually, we both live in a pretty big neighborhood;

the entire English speaking world that's connected to the internet.   

If you understand the geometry and trigonometry of track laying,

you can accomplish a layout design without a CAD program,

(e.g., John Armstrong since the 1950's). 

The difference these days is that CAD programs do all that (math) for you visually. 

I've given suggestions to the program owner Dave H.,

and he's actually put some of them in on his updates !

Imagine that ! A few of my ideas are floating around in that awesome software...

Hope this helps.   

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

 

[DougInCal]

I just pulled out my HO sets after about 5 years.  I again set them up as dual ovals with piers for the "outside" oval.  I was playing with AnyRail to see if I could make a figure 8 with 30 deg crossover for the "inner" oval with 18" curves.  It seemed kind of "iffy" and then I saw Joe's folded figure 8 (that search engine is great).  I think I will start there.

My outside oval wraps around the inner oval, both using 18" curved tracks.  Is it possible to continue using the 18" rather that the 22" curves for the folded figure 8.

[Len]

Here's a basic figure-8 using a 30deg crossing and 18" radius curves. That's a 1.5" straight between two 15deg (1/2 section) 18" radius curves on the far left and right of the loops.



Len

[DougInCal]

Thanks, Len.  I just came back to this thread after finding this info in your reply in the "ez track problem."  This info and Joe's folded fig 8 have given me a lot to think about.  That is, I would like to combine the two.  The outer oval becoming a folded fig 8, and the inner oval becoming the fig 8.

[Joe Satnik]

Doug,

I think I know what you want to accomplish.

It uses two 30 degree crossings, 90 degrees from each other.

In AnyRail, it looks like it will just squeak onto a 4 x 8 sheet.

Joe

[Len]

Putting the folded fig-8 and basic fig-8 on one 4x8 works if you either cut down the outter 30deg crossing, or use an Atlas Custom Line 30deg crossing in the outter double loop.

Using an EZ-Track 30deg crossing in the folded fig-8 either doesn't leave room for the basic fig-8, or pushes the outter loop off the board to make room for it. Using a 30deg crossing with shorter legs lets it work, barely:



I use RR-Track for the diagrams.

Len

[Joe Satnik]

Nice job, Len.

I thought Doug might have been thinking about a 1 controller layout, not 2. 

I had the top 18"R-30 degree track on the right lobe of your inner figure-8 replaced with a 30 degree crossing.

The other 2 legs of that crossing were connected to a single 22"R outside oval, using fitters as needed. 

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[Joe Satnik]

Doug,

You asked: "Is it possible to continue using the 18" rather than the 22" curves"

Yes, if you have a little extra room to the outside for the "Out of Round".

Half-Straight expansion lesson: (Previously posted.)



Your case of 22"R and 18"R  calls for a 4" half-straight x 2  (=8") straight, however,

a 9" straight will work but cause a tight fit along the fence on the long edge. 

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[Len]

Joe,

Did you mean something like this?



To bring it in from the ends a bit, it would probably be better to replace a 9" straight in each loop at top and bottom to the left of the Atlas 30deg crossing with something a bit shorter.

I didn't worry about center-to-center spacing too much, since only one train would be running at a time. And there was no way around the small 'S' near the Atlas crossing without going over the edge. With that much track, power feeders will be an issue though.

Len

[DougInCal]

Joe and Len, great stuff!

I was thinking of using both one or two controllers, so you both nailed it for me.  Both are interesting and I will probably do this for the N scale as well.

I currently rebuilt my setup as two ovals with a trestle.  The outer oval has additional 9" straights at the ends of the oval to make it work around the inner oval.  This is what it looked like at my last apartment before I put it away:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/51625787@N00/16490381228/in/photostream/lightbox/

I ordered the additional track for the 30 degree crossing, yesterday, so I should be able to get started on the figure 8 next week, and then move on the the versions of the folded figure 8.

Thanks!