Track flatness standard

You haven't seen much US prototype trackwork, have you?

Hey, where'd you get that picture of my trackwork?

in article Je3Qf.46713$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com, Bruce Favinger at snipped-for-privacy@swbell.net wrote on 3/9/06 3:54 PM:

Well Ed I've visited your site several times and just had download a picture of your outstanding (and very prototypical) track work. :) I enjoyed seeing your layout in progress pictures By the way I also enjoyed seeing your fantastic guitar collection. Wow! My one and only guitar is an old no name acoustic pawn shop special that I've had for 35 years. Its will buzz on those high notes but what the heck. As long as I can bang out "Locomotive Breath", "Angie", "Wild Horses", "Roundabout" and "Wish You were Here" everyone around my house is happy. A strat and a nice amp that could blow out the windows would be way cool though. Bruce

Thanks, Bruce. But, sigh, a couple of those curves are net eased enough, and one in particular came our tighter than I'd like; the long passenger locos will have to stay off the inner loop, I guess...

Guitars and trains are my hobbies; I've been playing since 1964, and started with a pawn shop special which you so aptly describe; but that sixties rock (and a band: the same guys I play with now every Wednesday: download the samples for some 10 year old stuff we recorded if you have the bandwidth and forgiving ears ;-). Our band stayed together since we never had "artistic differences" since we realized early on that we weren't artists, and besides, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

Ed in article wP6Qf.57728$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr21.news.prodigy.com, Bruce Favinger at snipped-for-privacy@swbell.net wrote on 3/9/06 7:58 PM:

One thing that you have to remember after seeing some of the crudeness of the prototype trackage is that the prototype locos and rolling stock is that that stuff is all sprung and equalized to handle the needs of such trackage. Model trackage does need to be built a lot better than prototype trackage as many locos of the cheaper variety don't have any springing much less any equalization and thus will launch off of sharp vertical curves and derail. Towards that end, it is good to have some kind of standard for vertical curves on model trackage. For most, it ends up being that there are no visible kinks in trackwork and that is usually good enough. I'd consider that over a 100' scale length, the vertical change be such that in the center of that curve the sag be less than 1./4 of the flange distance. This should be more than good enough to keep the equipment on the track with no problems. Note that the above is written in such a fashion that it can be applied to any scale.

-- Why do penguins walk so far to get to their nesting grounds?

The rolling stock that goes over this is reasonably well sprung and has equalisation to make sure all axles are load bearing irrespective of track irregularities and thus are kept on the metals at least while moving slowly, unlike most RTR model locos.

pekka