Rail to platform measurement
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370 Posts
Hi there oldsalt.
I assume you are talking about 4mm scale, in which case the measurement of the track centre to the edge of the platform should be 18mm.
Other useful measurements include:-
Centre of track to centre of adjacent track 50mm
Centre of track to edge of bridge parapet 20mm *
Edge of platform to edge of platform building 24mm *
Height of rail top to top surface of platform 12mm
Height of station roof valance from platform surface 40mm
Height of overbridge above rail height 60mm *
Height of sign protruding from wall above platform 32mm
Can't think of any more!! Hope that helps.
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I assume you are talking about 4mm scale, in which case the measurement of the track centre to the edge of the platform should be 18mm.
Other useful measurements include:-
Centre of track to centre of adjacent track 50mm
Centre of track to edge of bridge parapet 20mm *
Edge of platform to edge of platform building 24mm *
Height of rail top to top surface of platform 12mm
Height of station roof valance from platform surface 40mm
Height of overbridge above rail height 60mm *
Height of sign protruding from wall above platform 32mm
Can't think of any more!! Hope that helps.
Great just what i was looking for, much appreciated.
Andy
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Andy
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105 Posts
Hi Gwent...
Would these measurments be correct for finescale too (obviously depending on whether or not your chosen location is working to standard 1:1 measurements e.g. GWR branchline).
Thankyou..
Jonathan..
Would these measurments be correct for finescale too (obviously depending on whether or not your chosen location is working to standard 1:1 measurements e.g. GWR branchline).
Thankyou..
Jonathan..
Alan Gibson produces a detailed catalogue of all his extensive range of products which include loco kits, loco fittings, wheels, frames, valve gear for all the scales from TT to O. It runs to 85 pages.
The back three pages of my 1999 edition are tables of standard drill sizes and equivalents and an annotated drawing of the cross section of a train and platform with all the relevant dimensions from 2mm scale to 10mm scale, and the prototype in imperial.
Every club should have one readily available for reference. As it is copyright, I cannot publish it here, which is a pity. For comparison, these are the relevant dimensions from his table for 4mm fine scale:
Centre of track to centre of adjacent track 44.67mm
Centre of track to edge of bridge parapet 30.33mm *
Edge of platform to edge of platform building 24mm *
Height of rail top to top surface of platform 12mm
Height of station roof valance from platform surface 32mm
Height of overbridge above rail height 60mm *
Height of sign protruding from wall above platform - not given
Minimum island platform width 50mm
* minimum
These dimensions are for finescale only and may not give adequate clearances on the acute curves often used on model railways
Colombo
The back three pages of my 1999 edition are tables of standard drill sizes and equivalents and an annotated drawing of the cross section of a train and platform with all the relevant dimensions from 2mm scale to 10mm scale, and the prototype in imperial.
Every club should have one readily available for reference. As it is copyright, I cannot publish it here, which is a pity. For comparison, these are the relevant dimensions from his table for 4mm fine scale:
Centre of track to centre of adjacent track 44.67mm
Centre of track to edge of bridge parapet 30.33mm *
Edge of platform to edge of platform building 24mm *
Height of rail top to top surface of platform 12mm
Height of station roof valance from platform surface 32mm
Height of overbridge above rail height 60mm *
Height of sign protruding from wall above platform - not given
Minimum island platform width 50mm
* minimum
These dimensions are for finescale only and may not give adequate clearances on the acute curves often used on model railways
Colombo
If you would like a full explaination of the quoted dimenions then you can download a drawing and chart from my website http://www.frankcollins.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/documents.htm
Click on "Civil engineering" to download or view the file. You will need Adobe Acrobat reader to open the file.
Hope this is of use.
Regards
Frank
Click on "Civil engineering" to download or view the file. You will need Adobe Acrobat reader to open the file.
Hope this is of use.
Regards
Frank
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370 Posts
Just to clarify, oldsalt, the measurements I have given are for OO gauge track and a scale of 4mm to the foot. The clearances should be ok for Hornby, Bachmann etc rolling stock, but the golden rule is always check any clearances before fixing down:thumbsup:
For what it's worth, I was told by a former BR civil engineer in the club that the absolute statutory minimum width for a platform was 6' (=24mm in 4mm scale) but this was the very tightest permitted on platforms with limited usage , and for normal platforms the rule of thumb was at least 12' (=48mm ) and twice that for an island platform.
Having said that , at the end of an island platform approaching the ramp , you could get away with the width tapering down towards 12' (48mm)
Having said that , at the end of an island platform approaching the ramp , you could get away with the width tapering down towards 12' (48mm)
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2,693 Posts
QUOTE (Ravenser @ 1 Jan 2007, 09:29) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>For what it's worth, I was told by a former BR civil engineer in the club that the absolute statutory minimum width for a platform was 6' (=24mm in 4mm scale) but this was the very tightest permitted on platforms with limited usage , and for normal platforms the rule of thumb was at least 12' (=48mm ) and twice that for an island platform.
Having said that , at the end of an island platform approaching the ramp , you could get away with the width tapering down towards 12' (48mm)
[From another BR Civil Engineer] This is exactly correct. The six foot platform width is from the edge to the nearest obstruction on the platform such as a building. Where an island platform has a building, the platform must be the width of the building plus 6 foot each side.
Graham Plowman
Having said that , at the end of an island platform approaching the ramp , you could get away with the width tapering down towards 12' (48mm)
[From another BR Civil Engineer] This is exactly correct. The six foot platform width is from the edge to the nearest obstruction on the platform such as a building. Where an island platform has a building, the platform must be the width of the building plus 6 foot each side.
Graham Plowman
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354 Posts
I'm just getting back into railway modelling after a lapse of many years, and am resuscitating a long dormant 00 layout, finding the same problem as Oldsalt. (I'm also starting a small business that will eventually produce structures for the larger scales, but that's another story.)
The only source of 00 standards I have is "Starting in Scale 00", published by Peco in 1961 (which I bought new for 2/6d!), and the dimensions given there correspond precisely to Jeff's. Does anyone know of anything authoritative that is more recent than that? There must be something. The MOROP norms (http://www.morop.org/en/idf/index.html) are useful, but seem to ignore 4mm scale, though they can be scaled up from H0 easily enough.
(Incidentally, I have discovered an excellent way to weather your nickel silver track. You simply store it for 40 years, allowing it to develop a heavy tarnish, then clean the running surface with a rail cleaner, and you have rather good looking track.)
The only source of 00 standards I have is "Starting in Scale 00", published by Peco in 1961 (which I bought new for 2/6d!), and the dimensions given there correspond precisely to Jeff's. Does anyone know of anything authoritative that is more recent than that? There must be something. The MOROP norms (http://www.morop.org/en/idf/index.html) are useful, but seem to ignore 4mm scale, though they can be scaled up from H0 easily enough.
(Incidentally, I have discovered an excellent way to weather your nickel silver track. You simply store it for 40 years, allowing it to develop a heavy tarnish, then clean the running surface with a rail cleaner, and you have rather good looking track.)
All i need now is a time machine so i can go back 40 years... leave some track in my garage and collect it now!!
http://www.frankcollins.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/documents.htm
On this website is a civil engineering diagram of all the standard lengths is the various scales...
signalbox
http://www.frankcollins.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/documents.htm
On this website is a civil engineering diagram of all the standard lengths is the various scales...
signalbox
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354 Posts
Thanks - you have an excellent website. The diagram is similar to the old Peco one, and the dimensions are consistent, so that's good. But I wonder if anyone can point to the original source? Are/were there standards that the railways adopted and which the model railway industry accepted or adapted?
Presumably there was some variation around the country, as reflected in the route availability codes of rolling stock. My own interest is mainly in the Highland Railway, which often had quite low platforms, for example, so standards don't necessarily apply, I know. I'm trying to avoid the kind of problem British Railways had when they took the prototype 'Deltic' on its first trial run on the East Coast Main line, and bits of it got bent by the platform at Morpeth. Sorry to go off on a bit of a tangent here, but Oldsalt started an interesting topic.
Presumably there was some variation around the country, as reflected in the route availability codes of rolling stock. My own interest is mainly in the Highland Railway, which often had quite low platforms, for example, so standards don't necessarily apply, I know. I'm trying to avoid the kind of problem British Railways had when they took the prototype 'Deltic' on its first trial run on the East Coast Main line, and bits of it got bent by the platform at Morpeth. Sorry to go off on a bit of a tangent here, but Oldsalt started an interesting topic.
Just noticed that the diagram has allready been shown by the webmaster earlier on in this topic.
Whoops...
signalbox
Whoops...
signalbox
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