Is 2" enough clearance between two tracks enough?

Hi, I have a book on track from Atlas O.  I always leave as much space between tracks as there is if I were to connect 2 switches together to make a crossover.  For their #7.5 and #5 turnouts the spacing is 4 1/2 inches between tracks.  I, personally, would not leave any less than the 4 1/2 inches they show in that book.  You may not have to worry about engine swing but swing from long passenger cars or freight cars may be a problem.

 

In a yard area, 2 inches may be ok as long as there are no tight curved track.  The only problem in a yard would be getting your fingers between cars if you wanted to remove a car from the track.

 

Rick

I'd be running modern day cars, so the longest would be probably auto racks or intermodal cars.

Oh wait I did what Atlas recommended when I drew up a quick plan. Good equal spacing all round

2 inches between tie ends or the rails?  Seems tite

Tie ends no rails, and about 3"-4.5" between the middle of the rails.

What kind of curves are you talking on your layout?  I know there are a few guys here that run the new Lionel racks so they could tell you for sure.  I have been using 16' track centers for most my parallel track, with curves around 60" minimum. My longest car is 60' boxes tho.

40"-45" Atlas 2 rail track. For a mainline.

for that you can run 4" centers on tangents (straights) and 4½" on curves. if your running long 85' cars, then increase to 5" centers on curves. a 40" radius is kind of tight for long cars.

I use 4 inches on centers on most everything.   I have a passenger station with 52 inch and 56 inch radius curves at one end.   Full scale passenger cars make past OK.    Since the track gauge is 1 1/4 inchs, your 2 inches if it rail to rail would be 3 1/4 a bit tight.   If it is tie to tie - that depends on track brand but probably approaching 4 inches.

You can run as little as 3 1/4" (center-line to center-line) on tangent (straight) track, but need to spread things out on curves. Depending on the curve radius and equipment, that varies from roughly 4" center-line spacing on broad curves to 5" on sharp curves. For less than 48" radius, you probably want to go for 5" spacing, larger if you're running articulated locomotives and/or full-scale passenger cars. For 48" to 60" you can probably get away with 4.5" spacing. Again, it all depends on the equipment you plan to run and it's overhang/underhang.

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

Anybody hear of the NMRA and its Standards and Recommended Practices?

Try:

www.nmra.org/

Ed

Unless you are using sectional track (please don't use it!) I recommend against using a single track center spacing standard.  To maximize space on the railroad for scenery and trackage (I have a 4 track main) I minimize track spacing depending on circumstances.  On long tangents I have the tracks on 3.5" centers.  On curves (my minimum is 60" radiues - eased and superelevated) I open the spacing to 4").  The easements allow me to smoothly transition the spacing.  Before settling on my layout standard for track spacing I temporarily tacked down two concentric arcs of curved track and confirmed the spacing using the locomotives and passenger cars with the most overhang.  In my case it was the boiler on a PRR HH1 2-8-8-2 (ex N&W Y3) and a P85 85' coach.  For info - the PRR the minimum track spacing on tangents was 13' (3.25").  In addition to layout space saving, one visual advantage of closely spaced tracks is that it adds to the illusion of distance when viewed down the length of the tracks. 

 

Ed Rappe

IMO, Matt and Ed definitely have the right approach for O Scale.  Especially with easements between a curve and tangent track.  As noted, Atlas likes to use a track center of 4.5" but it's certainly not required on tangent track.  It does give modelers with larger hands more space to handle locomotives and cars.

 

If you like to run "high speed rail" a 4.5" track center does yield a modest scale 18' between track centers. 

NMRA spacing is based on radius and class of railroad.  Era is worked into that also.

 

Yes, you can get away with not abiding 100% with NMRA but when you are new you may very well need the safety margins NMRA provides.  The 4.5 of Atlas is as much for clearance as it is for their track planning system.  

 

Also, being new you can not be sure where  your interests may be in years to come when you have ballast on your maybe too closely spaced  track.

In about 5-10 years this may be expanded, and this would be a peninsula scene, for now it would be a 2 track oval with 2 #5 switches connecting the 2 tracks. So I get 4.5" from that. With some sidings for industry. I'll explain more about my plan later. Just needed some help with the track spacing minimum(or maximum).

Atlas track is designed for 4.5" Center to Center spacing.  2 7/8" Center outside rail to Center outside rail.  2 3/4" Outside to Outside.    O54 and O45 curves pictured.