20 in. and 24 in. radius HO Track

[lwmlwm44]

Hi have been searching on the web with no luck.......does anyone know where I can get 20 in. and or 24 in. radius track HO Scale code 100.   It appears that no one makes this size.

Larry

[THB-DAVE]

Use flex track and you can have any radius you want. Atlas flex track is good but Peco is better.
Dave

[Santa Fe buff]

You'll need a radius tool, which is easy to get of hold of... So I'm told...

Josh

[memethree]

I would use a PROTRACTOR, BUNSEN BURNER AND a VISE. 1. Take a pair of snips and cut on angle the sides of the roadbed,put the track in VICE, take burner and verry carfully heat up road bed with tract intact. Do it a little at a time until you get the radus that your looking for. Bachmann tract is verry forgiving.
                                       Skip

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Larry,

If you are trying to make 2.0" spaced concentric curves (e.g. 18, 20, 22 and 24" radii), you will not have enough clearance between adjacent tracks to avoid overhang crashes.  See the NMRA website for recommended track center distances.

http://www.nmra.org/standards/sandrp/s-8.html

I was surprised when Bachmann released the 26 and 28" radii curves, as I had been studying this chart and found it recommended more than 2" between track center lines at those radii.

Note that the 33.25 and 35.5"R curves (which were released long before the 26 and 28"R) are 2.25" apart.  I thought for sure they would follow their own example of >2" centerline spacing if they made another concentric radii pair......Alas, not. 

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

 

 

[lwmlwm44]

Thanks for the info guys.........Joe........understand the need for the clearance between the tracks to avoid any overhang issues.   I am planning on concentric curves and to assure overhang doesn't exist am adding a 2 1/4 in. straight piece at the center of the outer curve to widen the dstance between the 2 tracks.   Actually in one secion of my bench i need to have 4 concentric curves together and was hoping to get a 20, 22 24 and a 26 aligned together.   In most of the other areas i will be using the 28 and 26  in radius in concentric but again with a 2 1/4 in straight piece at the center of the 28 in. curve to allow for extra space between the 2 curves.   Having these various radii each curve (with the exception of the inner one) with the 2 1/4 in straight piece would have laid the track out and aligned nicely to each other.

larry

Know i can use flex trak for the odd radii and was trying to use regular track as I am not fond of curving flex trak but it appears I will have to go that way anyway.    Would have been nice to have had all radii of the same track manufacturer for visual appeal and confirmity but that won't be the case.   Unless I used flex trak for all curves.  The majority of my bench track is Bachmann EZ Track with the grey roadbed which I like very much.

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Larry,

Kato track is well respected but pricey. 

If you use flex track, you may want to follow Kato's dimensions, or at least their spacing. (Dimensions source:  RRTrack.com)   

Kato uses 60mm (2-3/8") spacing on all but their largest radius curve, which has 77mm (3-1/32") spacing.

8 different radii as follows: 

mm,  nearest 1/32"

430, 16-15/16"

490,  19-9/32"

550,  21-21/32"

610,  24-1/32"

670,  26-3/8"

730,  28-3/4"

790,  31-3/32"

867,  34-1/8" (note 77mm spacing)

You could drill holes through a wooden yardstick at your desired radii to make a trammel, which works well on an empty

tabletop.  You could also draw arcs of your desired radii on cardboard, and cut along those lines for templates.

Back to spacing.  Assume you have lots of 18"R sectional curve track and want to continue using it as your minimum radius.  Add multiples of 2-3/8" to 18" to get evenly spaced concentric curves using flex-track. 

18", 20-3/8", 22-3/4", 25-1/8", 27-1/2", etc.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

 

   

[Len]

Atlas makes 24in radius sectional track in their Code 83 and True-Track lines.

Len