Parallel track spacing with cork road bed


M

Mister Bill

Member
I have not seen this question asked.

I am looking for an ideal and consistent track spacing with parallel track over cork road bed. Could you just go by have "X" amount of space between the base of the cork road bed? 0", 1/2", or 1"?

This should work on curves, also.

I guess it might depend on the length of your longest car and minimum curve radius. Mine would be an Athearn passenger car, nothing extraordinary, and something that would fit on a 4 x 8 layout.

I was going to carefully lay the outer track first and then lay the inside track without re-measuring but just spacing the cork roadbed that magic distance from the cork of the outer road bed.

Bill
 
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Mister Bill said:
This should work on curves, also.

I guess it might depend on the length of your longest car and minimum curve radius. Mine would be an Athearn passenger car, nothing extraordinary, and something that would fit on a 4 x 8 layout.
Click to expand...

That right there is your biggest issue. Spacing between two tracks will be driven by your curve radius. With a 4x8 (provided you're doing a loop) your outer-most curve cannot be bigger than 22-23" radius. Unless you're modeling 19th or early 20th century, most passenger cars are actually some of the longer cars out there at ~85', and typically require at least a 24" radius (assuming you're doing HO), although they can often be made to run over tighter curves with some modifications. With such long cars, you'll want to be closer to 2.5" track spacing (center-to-center), giving you about 19-20" radius on the inner curve. That would be too tight for most passenger cars with body-mounted couplers, but should be ok for shorter freight equipment. If your passenger car is shorter, you can go with smaller spacing..

As far as using distance between edges of the cork bed as your guideline - that will depend on the width of the cork you're using. Just measure the width of the strips you're using and do the math - it's just basic arithmetic... The Midwest cork strips, for instance, are ~2" wide, so if you go with 2.5" spacing, that leaves you with .5" gap.
 
I wouldn't rely on the spacing using the cork. Mark the center lines of the track on your sub-roadbed and make the spacing as required. Then lay the cork halves on the center lines and your good to go. Any variation in the dimensions of the cork will not matter since your reference is the center lines.
 
I think one of the main concerns is that the handrails on the freight cars aren't clicking as they pass each other. As mentioned above, your curves will require a wider berth. Lay some track down without the cork and put your longest rolling pieces on them then roll them past each other on the curve that you intend. Mark the center of the track when you are happy and lay the cork down centered along the dotted line.
 
As usual, thanks, and I am glad I asked and am just in the planning stages.

I will change my plan to a 5 x 9. Actually, the start will be two 5 x 5 modules that I will eventually connect with one or more 2 x 8 modules.
 
Mister Bill said:
I am looking for an ideal and consistent track spacing with parallel track over cork road bed. Could you just go by have "X" amount of space between the base of the cork road bed? 0", 1/2", or 1"?

I was going to carefully lay the outer track first and then lay the inside track without re-measuring but just spacing the cork roadbed that magic distance from the cork of the outer road bed.
Click to expand...
I would not recommend that. Since you are using cork the best method is to draw the center line of the tracks and lay the cork to that center line. The spacing between the cork will take care of itself. I have noticed some cork isn't consistent in its width. Using the cork as a measure is asking for inconsistency and misalignment when one gets back to the other side of the layout.
 
I am glad to see this thread as this is the exact thing ill be dealing with next as my cork and track and well...practically everything will be waiting for me wwhen I get home. Good stuff guys. My track lines are marked for the outer loop and I believe once that cork is layed, one can practically eyeball the other roadbed into place for the inner loop. Personally, I will be doing a mix of eye balling and measuring.
 
As you are going to a wider 5' module, may I suggest that while it will be tempting to use as much of that width as possible for your outer radius, a little compromise will work better. Reduce your available radius slightly and create some transitions into the ends of the curves i.e. allow the radius of the last foot or more if you can, to gradually open out to meet any straight track, so that the change in direction is less sudden. One of the most unprototypical appearances on model trains is the jerking motion when changing from straight ahead to turning a "corner" and visa-versa.
 
All of these are good suggestions. Let me add a few... First, you can get shorter passenger cars than the 85' ones. Athearn and Con-cor both have 72' streamline passenger cars, both of which have truck-mounted couplers that make 18" radius curves without too much problem (presuming you don't try to add diaphragms to the ends of the cars that actually touch each other). Second, while 24" radius is nice, and 22" is available from Atlas, you may want to take a look at 20" radius Shinohara sectional track (Walthers sells it). I would decide what minimu radius curve you can get away with on the inside loop. Temporarily tack the cork roadbed with a heavyduty stapler. Temporarily lay track on top of the cork. Place the longest car/locomotive on the inside loop. Lay the outside loop around it, again stapling the cork temporarily. Lay the track for the outside loop and hand run the longest rolling stock on the outer loop to see if you can get clearance between the two trains. Mark the locations of the cork roadbed and the track, so you can re-lay it permanently. You will probably need more space between the two tracks on the curves than on tangent (straight) track. I run 20", 18" and 15" curves on my layout and need several more inches between the tracks on the curves for clearance with some 85' passenger cars. Ain't nothin' simple in life, even at 1/87th size. ;)
 
Trailrider,

I have some 72' Athearn streamliner cars, but I want to run this baby. I bought it at an estate sale for $5.00. No sales tax or shipping. It runs like a spotted ape.


SantaFe_zps7765c247.png
 
Being that it's one of the old AHM/Rivarossi imports, it will do fine on 18" radius track. The way Rivarossi got their articulateds to go around an 18" radius is both engines turn, and not as in the prototype where just the front engine turns.

I've actually seen one that would go around a 15" radius turn but the owner did a lot of alterations to make it so. And of course it was ugly doing that!
 
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