Ross Sectional Track

I am under the impression that Ross measures center rail to center rail.  You can always give Steve a call.

Thanks Doug, I wanted to work on my layout today, and could not Reach Steve off hours.  Knew the forum would be helpful!  Still, something is not working out for me with the center rail as a guide to the curve

 

 

Jon,

 

Lay down 1/2 circle of your 0-72 and take a 6 foot tape measure to it - is the 72" distance from center rail to center rail, outer rail to outer rail or inner rail to inner rail?

 

Now do the same for 1/2 circle of the 0-84 - what are the results there?

 

The difference between the two half circles should be 12" when measurements are compared; if it is not then perhaps either the 0-72 or the 0-84 is mis-marked...

 

Just a thought...

 

Best,

Dave

Jon are you sure you have the newly-issued O-84 and not O-80, which was all Ross used to sell?  I got halfway through building a modular layout with Ross.  It was loosely based on the old Independent Hi-Railer standard of 4.25" between mainlines (which looks great and works with most equipment 18" and under, but you can't run an articulated on the inside track.)  I used O-72 and O-80. However, to get the 4.25" spacing, I believe I had to trim a little off of a couple of the O80 sections.  I also butted the rails very tightly together by filing the "shoulder" or stamping sprue off of each pin.  Not fun!

 

If you really need 6" between track centers with the track pieces you have, you could add a 3" straight in the middle of the curve.  The visual effect may not be as pleasing, but it will get you back to 6" centers.

 

Always great to see you on the forum.  Hope this helps!  -Ted

Hello Jon,It's Kenny from Ohio,I talked to you about 4-5 months ago about Trains.

 

I see you are having the delightful experience of laying ROSS track.

 

I am using it for the first time as well,and I could not believe how different and difficult,compared to other track system ,which basically SNAP together and you're running trains in no time.

 

Without a doubt,you will end up cutting some fitter sections,I know I did.I will sacrifice some time for the absolute BEST TRACK and Switches money can buy!!!

 

Like the other fellow said,call Steve at Ross,or e-mail him,he is always very helpful,which we should see more of these days with companies and thier product. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any updates,or you just want to talk about trains.

 

 Have Fun!!It's worth it in the end.-kennyb

Ross does not maintain a constant track spacing in its offerings of curved track.  It varied from as much as 6 inches between 42" and 54" diameters to 4" between diameters diameters 64" and above.  I've aways assumed that the wider spacing at the smaller diameters is for purposes of clearance.

 

Jan

Thanks Dave,

 

I tried this and the track joints are not quite rigid, and depending on how much you tweak the joint, I can make the center rail, outer rail, or inner rail measure 0-72 or 0-84!

 

So I scribed a line on my platform using a pivot measured at a 36" and 42" radius.  I found the 0-72 lines up on the inner rail, and the 0-84 lines up on the outer rail - where the scribed line matches the track when it appears not kinked.  So this explains the approx 4.5" center to center of the tracks in a concentric circle.  I looked at the 0-84, and while it is marked 0-84, I am wondering if it is 0-80??

 

I ended up placing about 3" of straight on the 0-84 loop every 2 sections to get a spacing of about 5 &1/2 " center to center..  Not quite what I had hoped for , but I love the track and I am making progress.

 

Thanks everyone for all of the replies!!

 

Sorry for the late reply. They use the center rail, so it sounds like you have 080.

 

the outer rail was used on pre-war stuff. It has been the center rail since then.

 

The diameter of the circle is usually measured outside tie to outside tie, so the resulting center rail diameter would be (tie end length*2) +( 5/8" *2)+ center rail diameter = 72" circle.

RR-Track measures out that way.

Thanks Carl, Appreciate the math.  I always thought it was center rail to center rail for the diameter measurement too.  The track is marked 0-84; but several sections when I stack them up on each other appear to be a different radius.  I will connect with Steve when he gets back in the office and get his thoughts.  He is really good to work with.

 

According to Ross' website, measurements are center rail to center rail.

Hello,Although this track is a little different than other track to lay,Your Trains are going to look fabulous on it.

And then some folks say it's a little too 'Pricey" for them to use,there really is not much of a difference in price when compared to other track systems.

 

It always baffles me how people will spend $1,200.00 on a locomotive,and then refuse to use Ross Track to match their Ross switches?

 

Simply put,ROSS is THE MOST REALISTIC Track around.AND unlike the other systems,I think the few extra dollars are more than worth it,because as others have mentioned here,REAL Customer Support is only a phone call or e-mail away,and you are putting your money directly back into the U.S.A. economy.

 

 I LOVE my Double Crossover,and think it is more like a work of art,the way it is so brilliantly engineered.Worth every penny. And if for some reason should you decide to resell the track or Switches in the future,it holds it's resale value very well.

 

An American who has proved that The American Dream is NOT DEAD,Steve is an inspiration to me,and has proven to us all,that if you want to succeed in your own business,you do not have to have your product made overseas to turn a profit.

 

Have fun building your layout and enjoy the hobby.   

Thanks, Carl,

So, their circle is 72+1 1/4" + the two tie ends.~74.25 using how others define their circles.

 

Anyway, same track and Santa FE Fan didn't get 6" spacing, so he has something wrong with the larger track.

jon,

Sorry about the math. I have been working on older track and Gargraves track layouts recently that use the total circle convention. Yes, FasTrack and Ross use the center rail, so the circle is wider than the stated diameter.

 

Anyway, sorry that you didn't get the 084. Let us know what Steve has to say.

FWIW:  If you are running "loops" and your outer loop isn't quite wide enough for you, might I suggest the following - Rather than add straight pieces every so many curved sections, add only one, cut to length straight piece at the MIDPOINT of the circle/curve.

 

IMHO:  Your trains will look "smoother" going around the circle this way.  They will look somewhat "jerky" if you go curve-curve-straight-curve-curve-straight, etc.

 

Best of luck to you!

It's not that hard.  Lay out your curves and fill in with straights.  Nothing to it.