# Track Spacing...



## jgallaway81 (Jan 5, 2009)

Okay, I know this has been covered plenty of times, but I can't find the answer anywhere.

As I'm building my railway with the expectation that the ocassional visitor will bring an engine/train-set, I need to take into account ALL possible equipment. There is only one location where I don't have the info I need... 


In the front yard, the tracks will cross the front porch, going under the bottom railing. In order to accomplish this, I need to splice in a split-level bottom railing. The problem: how much space do I need to leave available between tracks to account for the very widest locomotive/rolling stock on the market, or expected to become available in the next 50 years?


Between the vertical railing post and the tie butts of the first track I'm using a 2x4 to space the track... will it be sufficient to place a 2x4 between the tie butts of the adjacent tracks? One track will be the mainline, the other a combination passing siding and industrial track... the industrial leads will come off the siding instead of the mainline. But I want to consider the possibility of a super wide engine... like a DRGW K-class mike passing another mikado.

Vertically, I setup a USA doublestack car, placed a 2x4 on top of the containers, and marked the top of the 2x4 as the absolute lowest point of the railing once the split-level splice is in place. Does anyone object to this way of finding the vertical clearance? Is there something taller than the double stacks? I know the autoracks are about a foot shorter (prototype, not model), so I'm not worried about those.


Thanks for any & all help everyone!

P.S. I finished the diagram of what I'm planning:











The light blue block on top of the containers represent the 2x4 I used to determine the height of the bottom railing.
The large light blue block represents a potential 2x4 to add support for the spliced structural member.

The dark blue blocks between the cars represents the 2x4's used to determine the initial track spacing.




-Jason, C.E.O.
Freedom Central: AAR: FCR - NYSE: FCCorp.US


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## Anthony Duarte (Dec 27, 2007)

Jason,
The widest thing I know of on the market would probably be Accucraft's 1:20.3 K-37. It's reportedly 6.25 inches wide. That would leave just slightly under 2.25" of overhang over reach rail. 

- Anthony


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

if the track is straight, a total width of 14" should be sufficent for everything, that can drive on 45 mm. 
if you got a curve at that spot, add two inches to be on the safe side.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

1:29 or 1:20.3? 

pick prototype track spacing and use the scale. 

13 foot (156 inches) spacing is about the absolute minimum. 

Regards, Greg


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