Another Track Spacing Question

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   It all depends on the size of your engines and rolling stock, the larger the engines and rolling stock the farther center to center measurement you need.  With my Tin Plate engines and rolling stock I was able to run my RealTrax 031 quite close to my 036/048 FasTrack with causing a bumping problem.  I would test out your individual

engines on the exacting track you plan to use, there is no certain engineering criteria for setting up this distance, each individual layout measurement depends on the size of your individual engines & rolling stock.

PCRR/Dave

The big issues (pun intended) are Big Boys, Challengers, and to a lesser extent other articulated steam engines on the inside of longer freight and passenger cars. 5.5" spacing at the curves you describe is pretty generous. The best way is to do a physical check, but I think you should be OK. The attached photos show a Big Boy on the inside of a, 85-foot passenger car on 72"/76" radius (O-144/O-152).

Thanks guys!.

Matt I was going to contact you offline,but had a feeling you would chime in

I will be posting our progress here and at RMD Modules site.

No problem. I got the photos from another modeler when I was researching Free-Mo styled corner modules with varying curve configurations. Those designs were a bit unusual as they started with 3.5" spacing on tangent and spread out to 4.2" spacing at the center of the curves. I doubt they'll ever get built because of space restrictions, but the analysis was a lot of fun. I figure what I've learned will be easily applicable to a regular layout if I get the space.