Model Railroading > super elevation?

On our club modules, under construction, we will have 43"+ radius curves. What would you suggest for the super elevation? I have been told that 1/16 inch is good. Another suggestion was three thickness of masking tape.

I've seen .10 and .20 poly styrene used in super elevated curves. Now the key here is for a proper easement so the train doesn't just wing into the curve or super elevation is pointless.

Another thing to consider is rail lean as I call it. With flex track you have to be careful the loose rail doesn't flex into the curve giving you a tight guage.. if done right and spaced out in each direction this is easily avoided. .

scott

Posted from Android

CR4110 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> Another thing to consider is rail lean as I call
> it. With flex track you have to be careful the
> loose rail doesn't flex into the curve giving you
> a tight guage.. if done right and spaced out in
> each direction this is easily avoided. .
>
> scott
>
> Posted from Android

Can you explain this a bit more? Which one is the "lose rail"? Is this the outside rail?

Rick

I use a strip of cardstock cut from a cereal box to shim up the outside rail. On 40" radius curves, there have been no problems with string lining with 40+ car trains.
Dennis

1/16 inch in HO gauge corresponds to 5.44" superelevation, which is a pretty big number. About one-half of that would be more prototypical for the majority of situations.

Ray

I've used .40 styrene strips placed under the outside rail. The superelevation extends for 6 inches into the tangent track. Most of my curves are in the 40 to 50 inch range on the lower level. There are a couple 36 inch and one 30 inch that do not have them. The other crucial element is easements into the curves especially if you have passenger equipment. In the picture is an Amtrak Champion passing a Silver Star mock up on a curve with .80 strips. I plan to use on some very broad 70 inch plus curves on my upper level for a test, but on sharper curves this would likely not work with some frieght equipment such as piggyback cars. Everyone is different, but I'm going for the high speed Seaboard/Atlantic Coast Line speedways of yesterdays era look.

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Several of these replies do not make sense. .10 styrene? .20 ? .40 ? Are these millimeters? Are these gauges, like wire? Inches with missing zeroes? .020" maybe?

Dan:

I haven't gone over .040" for HO. Also, like pointed out from others, you have to ease into the max elevation, and I suggest you use spiral easements too (looks superb too with the elevation). My software figures the spiral easements for me. I used 1/8" wide striping tape under the elevated rail (under thet ties) on flex. The longest piece is from the beginning to the end of the curve. I use progressively shorter pieces stacked on top until I get the middle with the max .040" with all pieces centered on top of each other. I don't recall how thick the striping tape is, but it has be about .005", I think. Bill Darnaby does the same thing I do, but he uses strips of masking tape. MR had an article on how he does it. IMO, it really is worth it and causes no operational problems if you do it right. I've never had a problem with loose rails. I use Micro-Engineering flex bent to the curve, using my computer printed centerlines.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/14 15:51 by wabash2800.

I'm sorry I was typing fast. Yes - all of my post decimals are meant to be thousandths.