# Standard Gauge Track??



## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

I personally do not own anything Standard Gauge YET!! I have a question about how many sections of curve track does it take to complete a circle. I have seen two different diameters listed as either 36" for Early and 42" for Late tracks. What does it take for either one, preferably the late series????


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## bluecomet400 (Sep 13, 2015)

I'm not aware of 36" SG curves. Back in the prewar days, Lionel made 42" SG curves (8 to a circle) and that was it. Fast forward to 2016, and there are a lot more options. 

If you have the room, I highly recommend going with something wider than 42" curves. All Lionel SG trains will run on 42, but they look much better on the wider curves, especially if you get into the larger coaches like the Blue Comet or State Sets, or the Modern Era SG trains. 

USA Track ( www.standardgaugetrack.com ) makes a fantastic product, and lots of options. Kirk is a real nice guy and very helpful. As for SG switches, you can't go wrong with Ross Custom Switches' products. Between these 2 suppliers, there has never been a better time to own and operate SG trains. 

Now.........go buy yourself some Standard Gauge!! Warning: it's highly addictive. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

John, Thanks for the answer. I got the 36" measurement from a Catalog page listed in my Doyle's Prewar book. The 36" was apparently made until 1906, for the earliest Std. Gauge. After that it was increased to the longer sections which give you the 42" diameter. 

As a youngster in the early 50's, I had strictly 0 gauge Postwar with an 8x16 foot layout. Rolling stock was 2020/2020W, 2056/2046W, and basically all freight, with most of the operating cars. It was passed on to two cousins when I hit teens, but recently got it all back again. Then I started looking at Prewar, and got a fixation with the 1688E. (You may have checked my thread about the Lionel Torpedoes). I personally own all the body variations of the 1588,1668,1688's which are 13 distinctly different variations. Now all I search for is Prewar, and the Postwar is on the back burner for now. Heaven forbid I get hooked into Standard gauge!!!!!!! It's tempting.


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*standard gage*

Hi,all... Tele,FWIW..I fell into luv with it. I picked up a big box of SG one day at a antique store reasonable[Lionel].I`ve run Bachmann EZ HO[grey and black} for quite few years,then went to Lionel fastrack. About a year or so,I changed out my old Marx tinplate for the sg. I think they had a 36 inch track. I`ll have to check mine as That was what I set up for a 4ft x8ft trackage. I ended up putting a 3 1/2 straight piece in to make a 42 1/2 or so trackage. I got about 3 inches around the edge. I`ve got a fastrack layout in a 10 x 12 ft room. Seriously thinking about changing that out.Many thanks to the fellas here on MTF for what I got off them in the way of trackage and knowledge. I can run most of my trains almost wide open without derailing all the time with a big consist altho I don`t do that.

Go for it,you won`t be sorry. I haven`t looked back.. Have a great week everybody,Everett

sorry for the long post.Mods,delete if you wish..


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## 400E Blue Comet (Jul 11, 2014)

For mine it's just like O Gauge track, it takes 4 to complete a 180 degree turn and 8 for a circle. I'm not really sure what type they are, I never bought them with a train or a transformer, I bought them at an antique store after I got the 33 at a train show. Originally, for one end of the track, there was one pin in the side rail, a half pin in the middle rail, and no pin in the other side rail, then the pins were on the opposite side for the other end of the track, but some of the pins were missing and I was confused by this configuration because I didn't notice the middle one was a half pin so I swapped the pins around to make them like O Gauge track.


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## Steve "Papa" Eastman (Jan 27, 2016)

Both my home layout and portable layout have a 42" inner loop and a 57" outer loop. In theory, everything should run on 42", but some just don't like it or slow way down in the curves. All my track came from Kirk at USA Track LLC.





Steve


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*outer loop*

Hi,all...Very nice video..Papa. I see you got a 5 rail track ,what do you run on the inside rails. Never saw that setup before. I was wrong on my measurements on mine. My outer is 42 inch curves,my inner is [guessing] 027, 4 curved with 6" straight making 36".

My inner don`t make sense to me,who knows.Did they make 027 in hi-rail.Many thanks,Everett


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## Steve "Papa" Eastman (Jan 27, 2016)

Everett
I can run O gauge in the center, Standard on the outer. If I run in DCS mode, I can run both gauges at the same time on the same loop of track.

Steve


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*track*

Thanks,Steve..Did you make it or buy it, Just curious. Looks like a hard job to do and fun to make..

Have a good weekend,Everett


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## Steve "Papa" Eastman (Jan 27, 2016)

I made it.
Steve


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## sanepilot (Mar 11, 2012)

*track*

Thanks,Steve.. very good instructions. Another question and then I`ll quit bothering you. What is the measurement of your 0 gauge inner track and the measurement of the outer rails[standard].Distance between rails.May sound dumb but I`m finding it hard to wrap myself around these peskie model train tracks. I`ve got the measurements from the net but I might as well whistle in the wind.I got into this elsewhere on this forum and everyone was very helpful but I never learned what I wanted to know.

Sorry for the long posts and questions. Have a great sunday,Everett


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## thedoc (Oct 15, 2015)

I can't let this pass without putting a word in for GarGraves track. We had an HO scale layout till I graduated HS and went to college, then my father pulled up the Ho flex track, left the cork in place, and put the Standard gauge track right down on the double track cork. It fit nicely and looked good.


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