[Deere Lines]

Guys, I greatly appreciate all the help so far. Setting my layout up in Anyrail. Is there a rule of thumb for the distance between O ga. track with a given radius track? In other words between lets say an 063 and an 054? I would also imagine car lengths would play into this but perhaps worse case scenario distances?

PS. Where is the most appropriate place to measure from? Roadbed to road bed, inner rail to inner rail, inside rail of one to outside rail of the other?

Bill

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[Chugman]

Bill, the distance between tracks is normally measured from center rail to center rail.

The standard distance is usually 4 1/2", but you may need more if you are running long cars or engines. Less space looks better on straight mainlines and especially in yards, but you will need the wider spaces in the curves.

For example, you could have 5 1/2" on the curves, 4 1/2" on your mainlines, and 4" in your yards. This would give you the best of all worlds.

Art

 

[Lehigh74]

I try to follow the NMRA RP-7 series for clearances.
https://nmra.org/index-nmra-standards-and-recommended-practices

 

[Maxum]

To set my spacing between parallel tracks in curves, I use my longest car (Lionel 89' enclosed autorack) and my longest locomotive with the most swing out (MTH Premier Big Boy). With the Big Boy on the inside curve, I place the autorack on the outside of the curve. I set the curve so there is about 1" of clearance between them.

 

[Deere Lines]

To set my spacing between parallel tracks in curves, I use my longest car (Lionel 89' enclosed autorack) and my longest locomotive with the most swing out (MTH Premier Big Boy). With the Big Boy on the inside curve, I place the autorack on the outside of the curve. I set the curve so there is about 1" of clearance between them.

And for those it is typically? 4.75 in track center to center?

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[Lehigh74]

And for those it is typically? 4.75 in track center to center?

It depends on the radius of the curve. You really should look at the NMRA recommended practices if you want a good explanation.

 

[Maxum]

And for those it is typically? 4.75 in track center to center?

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As Lehigh74 said, it depends on the radius of the curve. Where I have dual tracks in a curve and the outside track has a 100" diameter, I run 5" center to center on the tracks thru the curve.

 

[Pingman]

Deere Lines, do you know what radius/diameter you are going to use for parallel tracks?

I ask because the tighter the radius/diameter, the more overhang you must anticipate when establishing center rail-to-center rail specs.

I recall Jim Barrett, on OGR, measured for the minimum c-to-c distance in an article with photographs and showed that 6.5" was needed when an 89' auto carrier encountered a Big Boy (or similarly large locomotive) on 072 curves. Now, if Jim had used 096 curved track, the minimum distance would have been less because the overhangs of the test car/loco would have been less. (I will check for the article to confirm the 6.5" figure.)

As others have said, study the NMRA standards and accept the fact with variances for: (1) track radii/diameters; and, (2) overhang based on the size of cars and locos there is no "rule of thumb."

 

[Deere Lines]

Deere Lines, do you know what radius/diameter you are going to use for parallel tracks?



I ask because the tighter the radius/diameter, the more overhang you must anticipate when establishing center rail-to-center rail specs.



I recall Jim Barrett, on OGR, measured for the minimum c-to-c distance in an article with photographs and showed that 6.5" was needed when an 89' auto carrier encountered a Big Boy (or similarly large locomotive) on 072 curves. Now, if Jim had used 096 curved track, the minimum distance would have been less because the overhangs of the test car/loco would have been less. (I will check for the article to confirm the 6.5" figure.)



As others have said, study the NMRA standards and accept the fact with variances for: (1) track radii/diameters; and, (2) overhang based on the size of cars and locos there is no "rule of thumb."

Ok, well this is interesting. I would need to build a separate building or buy a larger home to accommodate 072, let alone 096 or larger track. Either that or throw out everything else including the furnace and oil tanks in the basement. Or only run 1 set of large engines/train cars at one time. they better start making stuff weather proof for the big stuff.

I hope to use Gargraves track with Ross 054 turnouts and spacing of 5.5 or larger for curves in the layout as planned now in AnyRail. That will accommodate the largest I have currently, I believe, so I will just need to be cautious not to buy larger. That will make me stick to older stuff, but heck, I would rather that than the import stuff anyway. They are pretty and all, but Made in the USA is important to me. And they cost way to much for Chinese import stuff. If still Made in USA with steel on steel rather than rubber bands on steel, true to prototype, that would be different. Just my humble opinion.

Thanks for all the advice, it is appreciated.




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[gunrunnerjohn]

I recall Jim Barrett, on OGR, measured for the minimum c-to-c distance in an article with photographs and showed that 6.5" was needed when an 89' auto carrier encountered a Big Boy (or similarly large locomotive) on 072 curves. Now, if Jim had used 096 curved track, the minimum distance would have been less because the overhangs of the test car/loco would have been less. (I will check for the article to confirm the 6.5" figure.)

I can say that the Vision Line Big Boy on the inside track and some Lionel 21" passenger cars on the outer track of O99 & O90 Atlas track that you'll need more than 5". My VL-BB cleaned the passenger cars off the outer track on the club layout.