Gauge widening

[martianParticipant @martian]

I am building a 5 inch gauge railway in my garden, minimum radius curve is expected to be 15ft.

I am using the PNP system which allows gauge widening of 1/32 or 1/16 for tighter curves, but they don’t specify how tight.

How much gauge widening would you recommend for a 15ft curve.

I should just be running 0-4-0 locos.

 

Martin

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

I have a ground level track made from 20mm x 6mm steel bar.  All joints are with fish plates, drilled for 4 off 6mm bolts each (all jig drilled). My curves are 4.7m radius where my gauge winding goes from 5″ to 5 1/16″.  I run a 5″ SPEEDY 0 6 0 .  I have no super elevation as passengers don’t seem to cope with it – just reduce speed appropriately.

I welded 20mm x 6mm sleepers to the rails (I got my steel supplier to cut them all to length) using a wooden plank with sleeper spacings marked with offcuts of roofing battens as the jig.  The curves I marked and laid out onto an 8′ x 4′ sheet of OSB, the reverse side I laid out the drawings of the points.

Bob

[martianParticipant @martian]

Thanks Bob,

 

What is the wheelbase of your speedy? Have you remove/thinned the flange on the centre drivers or made any other modifications?

 

 

 

Martin

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

On a 5″ 0-4-0 loco with 15′ radius I would not be to worried about widening the gauge, the main thing is that the gauge is not tight. On PNP track the profile of the rail is good. If this is the only loco that is using the track it will be fine, a 9F is another matter. Noel.

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