Lionel Fastrack Geometry

The Lionel Track and Power catalog available on their website has some Fastrack geometry info. The Lionel Fastrack book (don't remember the author) is another good source for Fastrack info.

I'm not sure if this is helpful but I used SCARM free software to figure out the geometry for my layout.  Its pretty robust and includes all the Fastrack pieces.  

get SCARM. Then you can play. Unless you have a mac.

 

here is 036 048 dogbone. 6" spacing on curves and at 10" straights. The wiggles in the bone have to vary.

 

If this is what you want in 060 072 let me know. I have to do something. I'll check later.

Tackindy & Moonman,

 

I have downloaded SCARM about 2 weeks ago. I have played with it a little bit, but not a lot. It's a bit harder to get in the mood to learn a train CAD software when I already work in AutoCAD and Inventor for 10 hours a day. No need to worry, it is high on my priority of to do's along with learning some basic programming with my arduino for fun stuff i can do related to model railroading. This past week I started stocking up on track, starting my collection with 30 10" segments along with 10 30" segments and atleast another 12 segments of O-36. I will probably get 12 of the more common filler sections along with half and quarter radius sections. Better get this in before kids pop into the picture.

 

Thank you Moonman for helping me through my various posts. Your advice is very much appreciated.  The O-36 example is exactly what I am looking for. 

zakesch,

you are welcome. It's no where near as daunting as the software that you use. I can understand the need to get away from screen.

 

get some trains up and running for the kids.

It isnt daunting, but more of the time behind the screen. The controls take some adjusting from my autocad shortcuts to SCRAM. 

 

As for kids, when kids pop in, there will be trains of all sorts for them. But, that can wait for a few more years.

A friend of mine bought a Fastrack layout book on Amazon. I think it was $15.00 and he said it had quite a few layouts in it and which pieces to use.

 

JoeG

You could try Anyrail - free download, easy to use, limited in number of pieces to use for free.

 

https://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html

I used a combination of RR-Track-5 & laying out plywood on sawhorses and laying out track on it to make sure everything fit as I'm very tight on space. I then set a compass at 1/2" for overhang each side of track and traced it out on plywood for cutting it out. I'm using 1/2"  thick black soft foam and
1/2" overhang for track to sit on. I foam glue the bottom of the foam to the plywood and foam glue the bottom of the track to the top of the foam.  This way I get major noise reduction from the Fastrack because no track is screwed down to the plywood.  I plan to do a wash of India Ink to darken the Fastrack ballast to blend it in with the foam.

RR Track is a good resource, but you have to buy it.  The FasTrack books have layouts, but most of them don't work in real life. 

SCARM is free and it's a good easy way to figure out the FasTrack geometry ... and you can design layouts without a limit on the number of pieces of track you can use.

Gentlemen,

   Ace is right not the money as usual with his design engineering, further if you are fighting space, remember you can now use the new Rockwell X2 Portable Table Saw to make perfect custom FT pieces for special close out needs.  Using both you can build just about any layout with FasTrack now, making your own custom track pieces is now no big deal.

I also suggest you get into wireless FT Low Voltage Command Control Switches, they operate perfectly from the Cab1 or Legacy Cab2 remote control, simply great technology.

PCRR/Dave