# Diameter of Aristocraft 8 foot curve



## KeithRB (Sep 25, 2015)

I know the nominal diameter is 8 foot, and the LGB R3 is 7 foot 10 inches. Is the Aristocraft exactly 8 feet or does it match the LGB at 7' 10"?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

The Aristo is closer to 7 foot 10, all these are actually sized in metric, the imperial measurements are rounded.


If you are making a sectional layout, I would recommend using a track planning software that has the actual dimensions of all track pieces. I use RR-Track and have a fair amount of track down and it was very helpful in getting the broadest curves in the tightest spaces.


Greg


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

http://www.gbdb.info/details.php?image_id=6316&sessionid=ab908f5742ba73bf3e799bda251baad7&l=english


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Someone actually measured this recently and had pictures, I'll look for them. You can see the published specs in mm, but Aristo track varied quite a bit, some batches were pretty accurate, other batches the ends were way offset, i.e. making the inside rails meet did not guarantee the outer rails matched and vice versa.


Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

If you can go for the 10' D curves. I got stuck with sectional track too and I tried 8' on a branch line, but my 1:24 equipment looked too big on it. The overhang by a Sierra Passenger car drew an immediate Slow Order by the Brass Hat and we had to pull them and de-curve 'em, lol. The old belly gently eased them into usability...

As a rule I try to avoid using minimum radius under my trains.


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## krs (Feb 29, 2008)

In the LGB pre-Marklin days the question kept coming up what the actual diameter of the LGB R3 track really was.
Different LGB documents showed slightly different values.
I worked with LGB at the time to figure out what the R3 diameter really was.

I tried to measure a circle of LGB R3 track laid out on a flat surface in the basement. Found it next to impossible to make an absolute perfect circle - every time I measured the diameter in one direction, the diameter in another direction was just a bit off. And when I adjusted that, some other diameter was a bit off.
In the end we settled on 2390 mm as the diameter, earlier LGB documentation shows 2350 mm and others.
Even LGB R1 at the beginning was shown as 1250 mm for a few years before everyone settled on 1200 mm diameter.
And the curvature of the track also changed slightly over the years from production run to production run - my point... don't get too locked in with an absolute value especially for the large radii.


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## KeithRB (Sep 25, 2015)

Thanks everyone, it is just a large oval at this time, so I should be OK.

The nice thing about the sectional circles is that it is easy to fudge a few inches. 8^)


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## KeithRB (Sep 25, 2015)

Oh, it is for this layout, so I have *plenty* of room.
http://forums.mylargescale.com/17-gardening-landscaping/88862-little-thunder-waterfall-stream.html


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