# Newbie: Track turn lengths



## AndrewP (Oct 31, 2019)

Hello

We recently moved to a new house with a nice lower level rec room with 9 foot ceilings. I ask my wife if I could put a shelf layout around the rec room and she likes the idea. the room is roughly 17'x27'. 

Since I am new to actual layouts, I am wondering what a good radius for the turns would be. And with that, I'll need to plan on how to make the corner shelfs. All the manufacture websites let me know how many pieces are needed to make a circle which doesn't really help any, a better way would be to say how many it takes to make a 90 degree turn and what that dimension would be. 

Can any of you help me out on the different radius' and what a 90 degree turns dimension would be?

Thanks

Andrew


----------



## Toy train hobby (Aug 3, 2019)

Hi Andrew,

A good radius for the curves depends on the length of the engine(s) and rolling stock you plan to run on your layout. 

I'm using both 031 and 054 (two track) on my home brew ceiling layout. It takes 2 curved sections to make a 90 degree using 031 and 3 curved sections of 054 pieces to do the same.

Have fun building and welcome to MTF.


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Andrew

For our members to give you a useful answers
to your questions they would need to know what
scale you plan?

If it is HO many of us would recommend that you
use flex track and plan your curves to be a 
minimum of 22" radius. That would permit use
of most currently available locomotives.

However, for a high shelf layout I thinki you would find
O gauge or G gauge to be preferable. You would
be able to see the trains better. For those curve 
radii we'll hope the 0 and G gauge members will
respond.

Don


----------



## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

Speed also plays a role.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Broader curves are generally always better. Use the widest ones you can fit without making your self too wide.


----------



## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

I run HO and at both ends of the shelf its 54" wide. I had no trouble fitting in a 4 line horseshoe (24-22-18-15") to send the lines back into the layout. 

Good Luck, Happy Rolling!


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

AndrewP said:


> All the manufacture websites let me know how many pieces are needed to make a circle which doesn't really help any, a better way would be to say how many it takes to make a 90 degree turn and what that dimension would be.


No, actually, that's the best way to describe it, because all curves are not necessarily 90 degrees. A circle is 360 degrees, so 90 is 1/4 of that. So if 12 segments make a circle, each one is 30 degrees of arc. So you need 3 for a 90 degree curve, 4 for 120; 2 for 60, and so on.

The track piece should tell you what radius it is; iOW, how many inches from the track centerline to the center of that circle. The circle's center doesn't have to be on the layout, though, but you will need to allow some space on either side of the centerline for the width of the piece and a safety margin from the edge of your layout. A good safety margin is enough space that if a loco or car falls completely off of the track and roadbed and lands on it's side, it will still be fully on the layout surface. That's about 2" in HO.


----------



## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

You can fashion a single closed loop of track with one length of flex track....very carefully. How many lengths did it take? One, and for a whopping 360 degrees.

At the other extreme, you could fashion a 0.1 degree curve that would take perhaps 20 lengths to get a 10 degree curve, and you'd still not be anywhere close to that 90 degree curve you wanted.

Ergo, radius matters. The lengths of track you're using also matters. The scale items of rolling stock also matter if you want them to run reliably around those curves...in both directions, forward and in reverse (backing, where you'll find that our toys behave entirely differently, often derailing, if the curves are too tight).


----------

