[tom]

Hi,

I would like to know how far apart two individual tracks are when placed on a mainline. If anyone knows I woud appreciate it.

Also living in Jersey there are no railways for me to check track details. Does anyone know of a website where there are many destailed close up pictures of track and switching points.

Many thanks,

Tom

 

[Robert Stokes]

The tracks on a double track main line in Britain were placed so that there was 6ft between the nearest rails. This works out to be about 11ft 4in between centre lines. Note that with a four track main line there would be two pairs with this spacing and a larger gap between the middle two lines. Also a siding near a main running line is further apart than this.

This separation equates to about 45mm in OO scale. The track centres used by Peco streamline points on a crossover is nominally 50mm but nearer 52mm if you measure it accurately. It is a little overscale to allow long coaches to pass one another on relatively small radius curves. The Hornby track centres are much more out of scale at about 65mm because that system is designed for even tighter curves than the Peco track.

This is why I reported on another thread that I adapted Peco points to have 48mm centres on my layout which has a minimum radius of 3ft for the curves and I don't use the modern very long coaches.

 

[alastairq]

for detailed observations on trackwork, check out those books authored by Bob Essery, Iain Rice, et al?

 

[34C]

QUOTE (Robert Stokes @ 16 Jul 2008, 20:44) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>..Note that with a four track main line there would be two pairs with this spacing and a larger gap between the middle two lines. ..
Sometimes that way, but other four tracked lines were arranged up slow (or relief), larger gap, up fast, six foot gap, down fast, larger gap, down slow (or relief). 'Larger gap' something like 10 - 11 feet, for which the set track spacing is about right, by happy coincidence.

 

[John Webb]

QUOTE (alastairq @ 16 Jul 2008, 20:03) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>for detailed observations on trackwork, check out those books authored by Bob Essery.....
Bob Essery's book is "Railway Signalling and Track Plans" (ISBN 0 7110 3215 7) published by Ian Allan in 2007.

Regards,
John Webb