# Easements



## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

I have watched videos on easements and they seem pretty straightforward. However, my problem is that despite a good bit of time looking, I simply have not been able to find anything that will be suitable for a "springy" curve setter. What do people use? Part of my problem is that as a newbie I have not yet even picked up all the lingo


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

"'Springy' curve setter" ... ? Are you asking how you hold the flex track in a curved position while you fasten it down? Pins, tacks or nails will work. Or you can use MicroEngineering flex track, which isn't springy (although much harder to form into a smooth curve).

You can also use curve templates to help form your curves. These are pieces of metal, plastic or wood that have the required curve. SweepSticks are nice for easements because you can actually join pieces of different radii together.


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## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

The video from Model Railroad Academy shows using a flexible guide to trace the curve as you go from the tangent (straight line ) track to the radius curve. The video shows setting up the offset and using pins to anchor the flexible strip, using the flexibility of the strip to naturally form the smoothest curve. Is there another way to do easements?


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Just eyeball it. It does't have to be precise, just a bit gradual until the main radius starts.

Don't over think anything in this hobby. You aren't building a Saturn V moon rocket.


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## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

Sounds like good advice. I undertook this whole thing because Recently retired and knew nothing about carpentry, wiring, electronics, or scenery making. I may have underestimated the amount of mental stimulation it would provide


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

There are a million ways to do easements, and I would argue that theirs is perhaps the most difficult. Simply use the "flex" of the flex track between the radius curve and the tangent track.

With all due respect to Model Railroad Academy (and to you, if you paid money for their products), people who sell "How to" guides and hobby tools often make processes appear to be harder than they are to get you to spend money on their products.


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## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

Thanks. Will give it a try


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Buddy

You are enrolling in the University of
Model Railroading as you become a
member of the Forum.

We're all about fun and we have as
individuals, learned from each other. Thus,
we are only too happy to share what we 
know. So ask away...

And there's no need of an Apple for the teacher.

Don


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

I agree with *MichaelE* above..

On my last layout I had easements in my largest mainline curves...I eyeballed them..
Take your flex track and make curve a bit wider at the beginning of curve (somewhere around 12-15" length's worth in HO) and then bring it into the hard set radii using what ever method you use to secure it...Since it's a depiction in miniature it's not necessary to employ mathematical calculations..It's more a scenic consideration to make it look more like the 1:1 scale.

In case you don't already know this:
If you are employing 2 or more 3' flex sections to form a curve, set them out on the bench or floor straight out end to end..Add rail joiners and solder them together.. This way when you do bend them you will have a smooth curvature..
Not doing that first you're likely to wind up with kinks in the curve where the sections connect..
To cut protruding rail you best to get Xuron Rail Nippers (ebay).. And when you use them the flat side of the jaws goes against the good rail you're employing and concave side of jaws faces the discarded rail you clip off...And, when cutting you cut top to bottom of rail, not side to side....
Good luck..Hope you can use this info....


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## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

DonR said:


> Buddy
> 
> You are enrolling in the University of
> Model Railroading as you become a
> ...


I was wondering how I would ship the apples


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Flex style track that is springy, not the ME variety as an example, already makes what mathematicians would term 'an approximation' of a cubic spiral. You don't have to do anything more than to draw your centerline curve at the correct radius, but only place the two ends of the flex track, tacked down if necessary, on the centerline. What happens between the two fixed, and properly oriented, ends will create a natural approximation of a cubic spiral easement. 

If your curve is somewhat longer than a single length of flex, solder two together and do the very same thing. That's a whole nuther topic, joining two lengths of flex so that they will curve naturally...

It's literally that simple...and fast.


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## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

telltale said:


> I agree with *MichaelE* above..
> 
> On my last layout I had easements in my largest mainline curves...I eyeballed them..
> Take your flex track and make curve a bit wider at the beginning of curve (somewhere around 12-15" length's worth in HO) and then bring it into the hard set radii using what ever method you use to secure it...Since it's a depiction in miniature it's not necessary to employ mathematical calculations..It's more a scenic consideration to make it look more like the 1:1 scale.
> ...


Good advice I will use and did not know


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

When you solder the tracks together and bend, wont the rail joiners get caught in the ties on the inside loop, I assume that I am going to have to trim some ties, getting new rail joiners soon and starting this process next as well?


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

You'll have to trim ties regardless of if you bend it or not. Ties on flex track go to the end of the rails.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

MichaelE said:


> You'll have to trim ties regardless of if you bend it or not. Ties on flex track go to the end of the rails.


What he said: nip the ties, solder the joint, bend the flex, install flex, replace ties.

Edit: I forgot -- the OP is a newcomer. I have a separate step for bending, because I use MicroEngineering track, which isn't springy. You bend and install springy flex at the same time.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

To answer the OP's original question, what I use to layout the curve of an easement is a 3 foot piece of 1/16 rod I bought at my local Ace hardware store. Easy to form a curve, but still springy.


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## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

telltale said:


> I agree with *MichaelE* above..
> 
> On my last layout I had easements in my largest mainline curves...I eyeballed them..
> Take your flex track and make curve a bit wider at the beginning of curve (somewhere around 12-15" length's worth in HO) and then bring it into the hard set radii using what ever method you use to secure it...Since it's a depiction in miniature it's not necessary to employ mathematical calculations..It's more a scenic consideration to make it look more like the 1:1 scale.
> ...


Do you not create a non-flex small section when you solder the two sections together with joiners?


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

buddymedbery said:


> Do you not create a non-flex small section when you solder the two sections together with joiners?


buddymedbery;

No. soldering the rails, while the two pieces of flex track are still straight, does not create a "non-flex small section." 
The object of soldering before flexing is to prevent kinks in the curved rails when the track is bent. It is difficult, o the point of nearly impossible, to make a clean unkinked joint between two pieces of flex track that are already nailed, or glued, down in a curve. 
Some modelers take this kink prevention a step further by offsetting the rail joints from each other. (I've never found this necessary, but it won't hurt.)

Flex track flexes by letting one rail slide through the plastic "spikes" that hold the rail to the ties. The folks who offset joiners pull the moveable rail back out of a couple inches of ties of flex track piece 'A'. Then the rail of the other piece, ('B') of flex track is pulled forward, and threaded into the recently-vacated spikes of piece 'A'. Then, a few spikes are cut off with an X-acto knife, and a rail joiner is slid onto the rails, & then soldered.
The same procedure is followed for the opposite rail ends
. If this sounds like more trouble than its worth, I agree. I just solder the two rail joints directly opposite each other.

To go back to your original question, while the natural "springiness" of Atlas, & some other brands, of flex track, can be used as described, It occurs to me that you may have been asking, "What "springy thing" can be used to draw a centerline on the table, to form an easement? If that was what you were asking, then a wooden yardstick, held on its narrow edge, works well. Or you could use the rod that flyboy2610 recommended. Or a piece of approx. 0.35 - 0.47 music wire, an old fishing rod, or just about anything "springy".

Since you're new, you may find the information in the attached files helpful. The "lingo" (or at least a lot of it) can be found in the "Model railroad terminology" file. Part 5 of "How to build a better first layout" has information on track.

Good Luck & Have Fun;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

buddymedbery said:


> Do you not create a non-flex small section when you solder the two sections together with joiners?


I'm going to disagree with my knowledgeable colleague who answered you just above. In my experience, the last almost three inches of either end of a length of flex track will not bend easily. If you solder the two joints across from each other, or just use joiners and don't solder, either way you're going to have a short length of a much wider radius on either side of the joints. 

The way to get around that is to slide the sliding rail into the end of the adjoining length of flex track about six ties deep. You can remove a couple of ties at that point (meaning you dry fit the rail six ties deep, mark the rail with a magic marker where they abut, and then withdraw the sliding rail again. You remove a single tie one either side of the mark you made, and then reinsert the sliding rail end, but now you use a metal joiner there. Believe it or not, that one rail will greatly improve the curvature when you go to bend the two joined together. Once you have the curve fashioned, and the tracks either weighted or pinned in place, you solder both joiners. Later, when you have either glued or ballasted the tracks, the hardened ballast will assist the whole to stay in place and you can remove the pins or weights.


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

Here are a couple things hardly ever, if never brought up:
On bottom of flex track you'll see that the cross ties on one end are attached to one another and opposite end of ties they are separate from one another.. Rule of thumb is to have the separate side be the outside rail on curves so as to allow ties to spread apart in a fan-like fashion the way the 1:1 scale has it..It's quite minuscule but it will be there in the miniature version..
Secondly (And this *is* kinda nit picky):
Much of real RR track is so that as we gaze at it from the side we can see daylight between the bottom of the rail and the ballast, from tie to tie. It's more prominent under the further away rail due to the angle we're viewing it from...the closer rail not so easy to see this light...
So, to carry this visual affect onto the model I try to, again, have the further away rail on straight track have the split apart ties under it..If layout is very low where you're seeing trains from above it's not going to work. But, if you are like me and like the layout up high at chest or collar bone height this affect works well because it's as if we're standing, say, 20' away from the 1:1 track seeing light under the further away rail; this in turn adding a bit of realism to commercial model track viewing...
(something hand-laid track nicely displays under both rails)..


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

While all this is about easements on curves, easements also exist when changing elevation!


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## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

Lemonhawk said:


> While all this is about easements on curves, easements also exist when changing elevation!


In what way?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

buddymedbery said:


> In what way?


Abruptly changing from flat track to sloped track at a rail joint will often cause the leading coupler or other overhanging parts of a locomotive to "dig in" and get caught on the ties, and the changing angle of a car on the slope can also cause it to uncouple from the trailing car. At the top, the coupler mismatchnissue still occurs, and there is the likelihood of the front wheels coming off of the rails over the flat track while the rest of the car / locomotive is still on the slope, thus causing a derailment. This is especially common with longer, six axle trucks.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

telltale said:


> On bottom of flex track you'll see that the cross ties on one end are attached to one another and opposite end of ties they are separate from one another


I am using HO code 100 track, so my comments apply to it. I don't know about other scales or codes.
What Telltale says is true regarding Atlas track, but Peco track has the split ties on alternating rails. On Atlas track only one rail slides, but on Peco track they both do.


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## buddymedbery (Nov 5, 2020)

flyboy2610 said:


> I am using HO code 100 track, so my comments apply to it. I don't know about other scales or codes.
> What Telltale says is true regarding Atlas track, but Peco track has the split ties on alternating rails. On Atlas track only one rail slides, but on Peco track they both do.


I had planned on using Atlas track (code 100), but I keep seeing comments that indicate that Atlas turnouts may be a little sketchy. Is there any agreement about who has the best turnouts? Also, I understand that code 83 is more proto, but does it not have some problems with older equipment if I buy any?


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Some makers used larger wheel flanges on wheel sets in times past. Many European makers did this. They are no longer used, but anything prior to about 1980-1985 may well have the pizza cutter flanges. Some NOS wheel sets were used on a few current production Euro model Era III and earlier wagens, and you can hear the wheel flanges clicking on the spikes as the car rolls by. No other problems with those.

PECO are among the best commercial turnouts you can buy, but they are modeled on UK track. I doubt any casual observer will notice.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

buddymedbery said:


> I had planned on using Atlas track (code 100), but I keep seeing comments that indicate that Atlas turnouts may be a little sketchy. Is there any agreement about who has the best turnouts? Also, I understand that code 83 is more proto, but does it not have some problems with older equipment if I buy any?


buddymedbery;

Atlas flex track is fine. Micro Engineering flex track has super-realistic detail, but is stiff, and more difficult to form into a given curve than the very flexible Atlas flex.
I don't particularly recommend using Atlas sectional track. It will work fine, as long as its nailed, or glued down on a board of plywood, or extruded foam. There are simply more rail joiners, which are potential problems, and fewer curve choices, with sectional track, than with flex track. Code 100, and code 83, are only seventeen thousandths of an inch apart. Either will work. As MichaelE has explained, you would need to get some pretty old cars or locomotives to have deep "pizza cutter" wheel flanges that might hit the spikes of code 83 track. The wheels on cars can be replaced by shallow-flanged after market wheels. Not so with locomotive wheels though. Code 100 rail should work with any wheels, deep or shallow. The code 100 rail is oversized, but it depends on how much you personally care about your rails being .017" shorter. vs. cost, availability, and any other appearance issues, besides rail height.

In HO-scale, Atlas actually makes two separate lines of turnouts. They are "Snap Switches" and "Custom Line" turnouts. The Snap switches are the ones notorious for derailments & other problems. Even they can be improved with modifications though. (See the file, "Improving Atlas turnouts") 
"Custom Line" turnouts are Atlas's better quality line. I'm an N-scaler, and Atlas does not offer "Custom Line" turnouts in N-scale, so I've never used them. I'll leave advice on Custom Line Atlas turnouts to those who use them. In my opinion, and that of most experienced modelers, Peco turnouts are the best commercial turnout available. You can use Atlas track and Peco turnouts. Many do, and it's a workable combination. 

Good Luck & Have Fun;

Traction Fan 🙂


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