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RE: RE: (erielack) Superelevated curves on model railroads (w



http://lists.railfan.net/listthumb.cgi?erielack-10-01-08 

> Attached is a photo of the prototype. Note the track the train is on is
> "canted"." This image is from an earlier period than I'm modeling - in my
> timeframe, the left-most track is gone. The curved crossover is in the
> immediate foreground - the switch at left foreground is the west end of the
> crossover, and the east end is immediately behind the photographer. The cant
> of the track implies it's superelevated, no?
> 
> 	- Paul

I don't read the photograph that way.  I agree that the track with the Phoebe on it is
superelevated, that's hard to miss.  But to my eyes, the other two tracks to the left are not
superelevated at all.  They appear to be flat (level too, but in terms of superelevation, flat) to
me.

Some of the track on the Club layout that I built is at . . . . wait for it . . .  Schuyler
Junction.  It involves no less than three curved crossovers.  The inside radius of the three lines
is 36"+.  The centers are 2.5", which is USUALLY enough for clearance against opposing moves.  My
advice would be to find a way to either use larger radiuses than that (much larger) or to abandon
all hope ye who en . . . no, that's something else . . .abandon all hope of modeling that as you see
it there, UNLESS any moves to the inside track will be Very Low Speed moves.  I just checked, and
while I have many photos taken to show track configuration around the rest of the layout, I have
none of SJ.  I'll fix that Thursday night, Club night.

These curved turnouts have also required an inordinate amount of maintenance, first because they're
on spline (major mistake, should have been on a solid block of basswood), and therefore the earth
moves (did it move for you too?  DARN, I keep getting off topic here . .) and therefore the rails
move, and tend to get out of gauge.  Second reason is, I think, because trains stress these more
than the conventional x-overs we have elsewhere.  And because the points are necessarily very long,
and that just increases the need-to-stay-in-close-adjustment factor.

SGL


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