gunrunner,

I suppose I can use about ten pair.

Craig

David,

Actually, if you send me your hook and loop couplers I will send you my knuckle couplers. How about that?

Craig

Joe,

Thank you for the Bachmann G gauge track you supplied to me. The price was fantastic and I can't tell the "slightly used" track you sold me from the brand new track.

I will keep you in mind when the kids want to expand their Christmas sets, or if I need another circle of track for the tree downstairs.

Speaking of Christmas, how are you fixed for Bachmann Christmas trains?

Craig

David,

I am in the process of replacing the knuckle couplers on several new, unopened train sets with the European style and would gladly part with the knuckle couplers that come with Bachmann sets. E-mail me if interested. Broncomaniac@hotmail.com

Craig

Quote from: Joe Satnik on September 23, 2009, 12:56:29 PM

It turns out that the  ~12" length of the 90 degree crossing, along with the ~6" half straights, work perfectly together with the ~24" radius (R1) curves to form a natural figure 8. 

Joe,

So they do.



I did not yet have a crossing when I started this thread or I might have saved you some math. I obtained a crossing after reading the responses I got here. I still don't have the extra curves I need, though thanks to you I now have a source for those.  Thank you for all of your help.

Quote from: Joe Satnik on September 23, 2009, 08:43:36 AM
Craig,

I calculated the "no cut" recipe using 3.5" as the length of the crossing, which was in error. 

As pointed out by Hunt, the length of the crossing is closer to 12".   

If my first "no cut" recipe works at all, it's because of luck and a lot of slop tolerance in the layout. 

I can definitely do better. New recipe later this morning.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

Joe,

Upon further examination I find the "reasonably fluid" design to be much less fluid than I originally thought. Initially, I'd laid the components out without connecting them, and I accidentally substituted half straights for two of the full straights at the crossing when I did so(they were already joined).

This morning I moved some furniture and assembled one side of a figure-8 on my living room floor with a printout of your recipe as my guide. Once the track pieces were connected and "trued", even subtracting the roughly 6" at the crossing itself didn't help much. I'm looking forward to your next recipe, which hopefully will materialize before my wife gets home :~)

Craig

Quote from: Joe Satnik on September 22, 2009, 08:16:22 PM

The next track to release should be a half curve, 

or a 60 degree crossing (of a specific useful length for R1 curves),

or both.

(60 degree figure 8s don't need the half curves.)

Offering half straights separate from the 90 degree crossing would be great.

A 30 degree crossing (of a specific useful length for R1 curves) would allow shorter length figure 8s. 

Half curves would allow expansion along the length of the 30 degree figure 8, in the same manner as they would help the 90 degree figure 8. 

Joe,

I agree with you about the future product line augmentation, but in the mean time your "kit" would provide an economical, easy way to utilize the existing crossing with existing materials.

Half (and one-third) curves would allow us to build more interesting layouts than the figure-8. If we also had a 30º crossing to work with we could even build something along the lines of a 'twice around", which I personally favor many fold over a figure-8.

Quote from: Alex Butner on September 22, 2009, 11:41:05 PM
If I build a figure without modifications, will it work? I'm talking about a crossover, four straights and twelve curves. Will that work?

Without adding three more curves on each loop, you're just splitting a circle in half. There's no way for the ends to meet in the middle. As I've discovered, you can't  use the Bachmann crossing even if you do add six more curves. Joe Satnik has provided a list of the necessary materials, some of which (four half-straights) come with the crossing, to create a reasonably fluid figure-8. As Joe pointed out, his "kit" results in less than a half inch error over 64 inches. I think most of us can live with that tolerance.

I believe that flat car is a Buddy L, as was suggested by altterrain. I've seen one identically equipped with a slightly different road number.

Joe,

I've acquired a 90º crossing and have experimented a little with your suggestions. I believe Bachmann should publish the formula you used to implement their crossing. I also feel Bachmann should market a "kit" to convert the small ovals they sell with their big Haulers into a figure-8. Your "no-cut G figure 8 recipe" would do nicely.

Thanks much,
Craig

Thanks to Andy and Joe for the additional helpful responses.

Joe,

At your convenience, please check your e-mail. my e-mail address is broncomaniac and hotmail is the domain I use. Thanks.

Regards,
Craig

"Sorry, not true.  Bachmann curves are 30 degrees each, with no half-curves available."

Now that's disappointing. It makes me wonder why Bachmann sells the crossing. Still, cutting two curved sections in half to obtain four 1/2 sections isn't beyond my ability, or that of my power mitre saw. Thanks a bundle for the info, Joe.

Craig

Joe,

Thank for your reply. I've emailed you about your track, btw.

I wanted to know the basic figure 8 dimensions because I'd like to do something along the lines of my crude illustration, and I need to know the maximum lenght (and thus, how many more straights I need) the red sections will be. I have 13 linear feet to work with, less the basic figure 8.




Obviously the layout in the illustration exceeds my 13' space constraints, but you get the picture. It should be possible to create the above diagram without modifying any track.

We've got a 14'x6' large scale layout under our HO layout. I'm giving my sons each a large scale train of the own. I'd like to add a 13'x5' oval inside of the 14'x6', and another inside of the 13'x5'. Since the inner most oval will be smallest, I thought I'd try to make it more interesting. Can anyone tell me off hand what components are necessary to achieve a figure 8 using the Bachmann 90º crossing? I'd also like to know the overall dimension of the basic figure 8 track plan. Of course it will be 4' wide. I'm wondering by what amount I will be able to elongate it. Thanks for any tips guys.

Craig