Moonman
I have finally gotten all of my gaps measured and with some minor adjusting managed to get all of them divisible by Lionel. I'll let you figure that one out, will explain if you are curious.
As for the turnout dimensions, or gauge, or arc, whatever it is referred to, I use 072 across the board. Now, for the "you can't do that" or the "you shouldn't be doing that". I used 072 curve to create the Union Pacific parking track that is as I explained, one of five parking area tracks that spin off the third or yard track oval. I had to. It's the DDA40X. I call it the stretch limo. It has to have no less than 072 to turn. The thing looks like a jacked up mobile home going through the switches. It reminds me of those New York ladder trucks where one firefighter has to steer the rear to corner at intersections. Anyway, I used a 10 inch straight directly off the turnout to force the issue of alignment with the opposite end where the left hand switch was waiting to match up. I then curved 072 three times to get the straight away started. I didn't use 072 curve on the others.
My CSX ES44AC by MTH is a Railking design. Being Railking it is rated for 036 curve. At least in Lionel's stable it is 036. Realtrax equivalent is even narrower than that. So the CSX parking track begins at the turnout with an 036 curve to bend it close to the columns, then fans out a bit using 060. All I can say is that it has been tested and the engine doesn't do anything funky when it navigates the turn. Since the rest of my engines are rated in MTH jargon for 048, I used the 060's to begin their turns.
As you are probably aware, turn arc makes a big difference in how much floor you cover in a full or partial curve. You'd like to keep the tracks all nice and tucked in neat and pretty with just the right amount of space to allow two trains to meet harmoniously with no sideswipe, but when you have to use the 60's, 72's and 84's, your curves determine actual layout space. So my gaps are more an inability to keep the layout tight, than they are inability to purchase custom lengths.
As for the dead spot, I will wait until my gap tracks are on site and installed and I have a complete layout before I do a full blown test of the electricity flow. Your information regarding the terminal board was golden. I can do a lot with that, now that I know how it works.
I do want to pass something along, that I think is still true today. I only say this because I bought my switch track in April and I received what I received. I watched a tube video made by one of those hand models, (you never see his face, just his hands), travis I think, who explained why switch track jam up when you exchange sides with the lamp stand. He showed us that a manufactures defect that China either doesn't know about, knows but can't change it due to contractual issues, or knows but really doesn't care since Lionel is also probably aware of it but won't go to the trouble of telling China to fix it, is the culprit. RH or LH, doesn't matter, when you change the lamp stand from the factory spec side over to the opposite side, the opposite female connection slide has a (and I apologize this isn't an attempt to be crude or funny), a nipple. The factory side is a clean square, smooth all around, but the opposite slide connection point has a nipple on the corner. Travis said he has repaired every switch he bought. The fix. Trim off the **** nipple and sand it down smooth. Now when you install the lamp stand on the opposite side, the missing nipple doesn't cause the slide to get crimped down when you tighten the screws.
Wonder what else Lionel knows about that China isn't allowed to fix?
