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Jan posted:

Lionel O72 tubular oitsid USA Std 57 inside.  There is approximately 8.5" between the center rails.

Jan

O72 Std 57T

Jan,

Thanks for the visual. I use the tubular track for our holiday setups. However. I have always wanted to build a tinplate layout Tom Synder style, and considering Gargraves for the task. I can buy the O-72, however, their standard is only available in the flex track, therefore, I would need to bend to my radii.

Joe Gozzo

Joe, you have to consider what you are planning to run. Overhang on some locos is tremendous and  Underhang on long cars is significant even on S-72.  I would never even consider anything less than 7" even in  a 87 vs 72 situation. In a 72 vs 60 you get 6" of center to center clearance. That would not clear a SG Lionel Hiawatha and a 390 Blue Comet. Chris is right that the cylinders are wide, so that is a concern... but the cab overhang is downright scary...

 

Joe,

I strongly recommend you contact Kirk Lindvig, first president of SGMA and owner/manufacturer of USA Standard Gauge track, and discuss with him the process by which SGMA established the club's current mainline track standards including the replacement of the club's original "84" mainline with the club's current "87" mainline.  He can discuss in detail the many nuances of track selection.

Bob Nelson 

 

Joe,

I don't know.  I have no experience with standard gauge.  You improve you overhang problem by increasing the radii, however the distance between track centers drops from 8.5" to 6".  If this was all O scale then that would not be a problem as 4.5" spacing would suffice.

If standard gauge trains are fine with std57 and std72 curves (7.5" spacing) then I would feel confident that your initial plan would work and possibly this lastest plan.

I would follow Bob's suggestion.

Jan.

Jan posted:

Joe,

I don't know.  I have no experience with standard gauge.  You improve you overhang problem by increasing the radii, however the distance between track centers drops from 8.5" to 6".  If this was all O scale then that would not be a problem as 4.5" spacing would suffice.

If standard gauge trains are fine with std57 and std72 curves (7.5" spacing) then I would feel confident that your initial plan would work and possibly this lastest plan.

I would follow Bob's suggestion.

Jan.

Kirk would agree that 7.5" spacing is precisely what SGMA adopted when we establish our required mainlines at 42", 72" and 87",  plus an optional but normally unused 57" mainline.

Bob Nelson

navy.seal posted:
Jan posted:

Joe,

I don't know.  I have no experience with standard gauge.  You improve you overhang problem by increasing the radii, however the distance between track centers drops from 8.5" to 6".  If this was all O scale then that would not be a problem as 4.5" spacing would suffice.

If standard gauge trains are fine with std57 and std72 curves (7.5" spacing) then I would feel confident that your initial plan would work and possibly this lastest plan.

I would follow Bob's suggestion.

Jan.

Kirk would agree that 7.5" spacing is precisely what SGMA adopted when we establish our required mainlines at 42", 72" and 87",  plus an optional but normally unused 57" mainline.

Bob Nelson

Hi Bob, I sent you an email.

Joe Gozzo

Joe Gozzo,

   At one time I considered a STD/O Gauge layout like you are planning, and I got to tell you I discarded the idea because running the concentric loops took up to much space with the 8.5" separation needed to actually run the Tin Plate Trains properly.  I will eventually engineer a STD Gauge loop thru the Bar/Tunnel on a lower level, the loop will be slightly larger than my O gauge layout above it.  Make sure when you design your loops you leave enough space between the concentric loops to actually run your trains in opposite directions properly.  After seeing Doc's (Thom's) layout and the Standard Gauge Engines he runs, I realized this takes some serious space to run both Trains, at the same time on concentric loops.

PCRR/Dave

 

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Joe Gozzo,

   At one time I considered a STD/O Gauge layout like you are planning, and I got to tell you I discarded the idea because running the concentric loops took up to much space with the 8.5" separation needed to actually run the Tin Plate Trains properly.  I will eventually engineer a STD Gauge loop thru the Bar/Tunnel on a lower level, the loop will be slightly larger than my O gauge layout above it.  Make sure when you design your loops you leave enough space between the concentric loops to actually run your trains in opposite directions properly.  After seeing Doc's (Thom's) layout and the Standard Gauge Engines he runs, I realized this takes some serious space to run both Trains, at the same time on concentric loops.

PCRR/Dave

 

 Dave , however I have too much invested in standard gauge not to run it with the O gauge so somehow I'll have to work it out but I appreciate your input

Joe Gozzo

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