# tracks



## mymodeltrain (May 14, 2013)

I plan to spend my 4th of July holidays to fix my railway. Currently, I used R1 tracks and the diameter of railway is less than 4 feet. If I want to expand to 8 feet, what tracks I should use, does R5 work. And where I can buy used tracks. With the current raiway I can run only small LGB trains.


----------



## FlagstaffLGB (Jul 15, 2012)

Good morning. The R1 is a 4 foot diameter designation (used primarily by LGB products, but many other manufactures, Aristocraft, USA trains, PIKO, etc., will cross reference to that sizing). R-2 is a five foot, R-3 is eight foot and R-5 is 15 foot diameters. LGB refers to them as 1100, 1500, 1600 and 1800 sectional track. As far as buying used track (which is sometimes cheaper), you can find a lot of it on Ebay...but the shipping costs add up quickly. You should have several clubs in your area and you might want to network with some train fans and see if someone is getting rid of there unused or unwanted track. If you are running diesel or even 2-8-0 engines, the 8 foot diameter is best for both looks and to prevent derailing. Here in Arizona, we have a swap meet twice a year and a lot of folks pick up track then. You can also buy it from various on-line sites...I've seen some posts down to about $5.50/foot.... I use a dual rail bender and make a lot of my own curves...but that can be costly as an initial investment. Good luck, Ed


----------



## mymodeltrain (May 14, 2013)

Thanks for advice; I also think of buy 6-foot straight tracks and bend them based on the allowed space in my garden since I am afraid my space can't accommodate 8-foot diameter.


----------



## Beddhist (Dec 17, 2013)

You can also do the opposite: straighten somewhat R1 curves to the curve you want. You will probably find them cheap on ebay, plus you already have some. A dual rail bender will come in useful for that.


----------



## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

MMT

On my original layout in Denver, many years ago, I had a lower loop the used LGB 1500 series curves (R2). These have about a 5' diameter. That extra foot made all the difference in the performance of my engines and cars. At that time I didn't have any of the larger longer "modern" diesels and cars. I wouldn't recommend that curve for those longer pieces of rolling stock, but for the shorter 1:22.5/24 narrow gauge models, that worked fine. I used LGB's 1100 (R1) switches, but those tighter curves were only a small part of the layout and didn't seem to cause a problem.










The lower loop was cut into the side of a fairly steep slope and I didn't feel like removing another 3' of dirt to use the R3 curves.

The upper loop was on top of the grade at the station. As it was I had to build a curved trestle for part of the loop, part of the engine and first 2 cars in the upper picture are on the trestle.










These pictures show the types of trains I ran on the lower R2 loop.

Chuck


----------



## mymodeltrain (May 14, 2013)

Thanks all for the information. I just contacted a friend in Nashville and he has R2 tracks for sale. I like the idea to straight up the R1 curve, eventually we can save money since used R1 tracks are popular and affordable. 
Chuck, I agree, even upgrading from 4 to 5' diameter, it helps. Most of LGB trains up to 0-6-0 engines can run ok on 4' diameter, but the 2-6-2 locomotive cannot negotiate well on narrow curves; the same for USA train docksider and diesel engines. With the current situation, I am very limited with small LGB locomotives.


----------



## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I don't mean to be so pedantic but it is 'track' not 'tracks'. Same as sheep, cattle or lumber etc. 'Tracks' is usually used to refer several different track routs. I just can't help thinking the user is a young child who has just tipped the entire train set out on the floor ready to put together the 'tracks'. 

Andrew


----------



## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

chuck n said:


> MMT
> 
> On my original layout in Denver, many years ago, I had a lower loop the used LGB 1500 series curves (R2). These have about a 5' diameter. That extra foot made all the difference in the performance of my engines and cars. At that time I didn't have any of the larger longer "modern" diesels and cars. I wouldn't recommend that curve for those longer pieces of rolling stock, but for the shorter 1:22.5/24 narrow gauge models, that worked fine. I used LGB's 1100 (R1) switches, but those tighter curves were only a small part of the layout and didn't seem to cause a problem.
> 
> ...



I like the first picture. It looks like a busy rail road in a small space.

JJ


----------



## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

mymodeltrain said:


> I plan to spend my 4th of July holidays to fix my railway. Currently, I used R1 tracks and the diameter of railway is less than 4 feet. If I want to expand to 8 feet, what tracks I should use, does R5 work. And where I can buy used tracks. With the current raiway I can run only small LGB trains.


A dual rail bender may cost a lot but it can save you in the long run because you are not limited to looking for a narrow window of track. You can buy just about anything and adapt it to your needs. Bend it more, unbend it for a wider curve. Custom bend to your liking. 

You usually sell it on E Bay when you are done for a profit or at least get most of our money back. 

JJ


----------



## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks JJ

I could run three trains. One on the upper loop, one on the lower loop and one on the point to point cog railroad that connected the two levels. The PTP was powered through the overhead wire.

The PTP can be seen in both pictures along the wood wall between the upper and lower levels.

Chuck

For those of you with libraries of GR that go back to the dark ages, there is an article about my Colorado RR in the January/February 1990 issue.


----------



## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Trainli still has some 3 foot radius track available. And they have R3 (3 foot radius) switches that match.


----------



## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

The TrainLi 3 ft radius switches are a winner! Hardly any longer than the (smallest) R1 switch but far less toylike in it's diverging track curve. 
ReindeerPass has them too.
For a small layout I would not have any R1 switches and just buy R3 (TrainLi R3) switches or greater. 
Please understand the different manufactures meaning of R3 etc. Very important!


Andrew


----------



## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

I have a lot of used brass at $5 a foot. If you are going track power it would be best to use longer pieces. We charge actual shipping cost. I will be listing more items as we have time.



http://www.reindeerpass.com/used.aspx


----------



## FlagstaffLGB (Jul 15, 2012)

The dual rail bender is very nice. I do find it can be a bit troublesome at the end(s) of a five or six foot section of flex track. The rails seem to want to "remember" their original shape or straight run and it can cause some issues with the bends....goes out of gauge and raises a truck set and can cause some derailments. Maybe some of the other users have some suggestions.


----------



## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

I have both a single rail bender and a dual. If I am making large changes to a piece of track, ie: straight to small radius or small radius to large or straight, I remove the rail from the ties and use the single bender. That helps cut down the spring back. The dual bender is great for final tweaking and realignments. Use screw-on connectors at the joints when using the dual bender will help eliminate the short straight area at the end of a section.


----------



## FlagstaffLGB (Jul 15, 2012)

Thanks for the tip, I will try that. I am assuming that you could use split jaw connectors versus the screw-on (since some of my flex is not Aristrocraft and I don't have a tap kit to reuse the screws)?


----------

