I how I lay flex track curves or not how to

[vietvet68100]

Dudes!,take ayard stick ,drill a hole on the 1 inch mark,then drill a hole on the 22 @ 24 inch mark.USE A pushpin and pencil use like a compass to get nice curves.I have a 12 x 24ft.layout and have no problems .You can also use these radius on a 4x8 layout.

[MrMalak2k6]

How about roadbed?

[railfanfromiantha]

@MrMalak2k6 I made this video a long time ago. I would say use road bed. I would recommend checking out some of the other videos out there.

[intercity112255]

How tight can the flexi track go?

[railfanfromiantha]

@intercity112255 About as tight of a turn as you want. Tighter than anything in HO could handle.

[cappy6921]

@intercity112255 gonna depend on radius , short stock/locos,,10" radi minimum,,longer stock/locos,,i'd go, 11-15" radi,,or you will get derailments.also,,i would never put track on bare wood,,needs cork or another bed material under the track or it will sound horrible, and trains wont run as smooth as they do w/roadbed. just my 2 cents from learning over the years.

[railfanfromiantha]

@cappy6921 10" radi? Are you crazy? Nothing in HO will run any smaller than 15, and 15 is pushing it.

[cappy6921]

@railfanfromiantha my bad,,i'm an N scaler,,ran ho yrs ago,takes up too much space ,,,15"-24" ho scale then,,15" is good for switchers,,i always found steamers took to the turns better than the diesels,,but everyone has their own preference

[railfanfromiantha]

@cappy6921 oh. And actually a steamer would take a curve worse than a diesel. Because of being that it rides on trucks it swings better were as a steamer is one solid wheel base (except for mallet's) Great case point an SD unit has 6 axels total. Most of them can take a 18R curve, but really 22 is better. If memory serves the MTH 4-12-2 which has 6 solid axles needed 24 and that was with the henge mode on, 36 with out.

[Cornishnproud123]

Yeah im feeling dizzy too. Have a tidy aint it? Could not possibly model with all that cluter on the layout. I used a disc cutter and a vice n it worked well

[mgrande11]

omg I'm so dizzy right now.

[Fireworm2]

I got sea sick too watching this video, by the way you need to take a lesson in safety. Bare feet with all those cuttings on the floor!! What about track bed?

[walkerbelle]

I think you need to find a better method of mounting your camera because that constant movement is quite annoying. I wasn't able to finish the video due to sea sickness, lol.

[railfanfromiantha]

@walkerbelle I have a tripod now. 

[IlovemyGlock21]

One last thing, when it comes to cutting flex track, nothing works better than a drimmel cutting head for clean cuts. Get a grinding attachment too so you can smooth the tops of those joints. Do it right and won't hear a thing when the cars roll over it.

[IlovemyGlock21]

Another tip. Use a separate table to hold your supplies and raw materials. Trust me, a lot less headaches.

[IlovemyGlock21]

TIP - Go your hardware store and purchase a "Yard Stick" Put a nail in the 1in mark and drill a hole at the 20in mark [19 inches apart]. Place the nail in the center of the turn and a felt marker in the (20in) Use this to draw your curves and you can't go wrong. From the look of it your cars were derailing because the curve was really tight.

[spartan0738]

thanks! this vid helped a lot!

[UnionPacificRules]

That corner is way tto sharp...widin it a lil bit. its sharper the 18...

[railfanfromiantha]

Don't really care. As long as my stuff runs.

[UnionPacificRules]

Whatever dude. ur gunna have lots of problems in the long run.

[railfanfromiantha]

Yea. When I have problems I take it back out. So that's why I'm holding off on ballast.

[elr2141979]

@UnionPacificRules it looks lie 15 radius

[jimmyp42002]

the attachment probably didn't work because its far too large to easily cut the track.

no offence, but that really doesn't look like 18" radius in the film. you might want to go and get the little metal plates that have an exact gauge to them. as it has been proven it is almost impossible to lay a curve with close radius by eye or by laying a piece of track over it. it appears your curves also tighten in radius as they go around the corner. this has occured to me as well.

[railfanfromiantha]

IDK, as long as my stuff runs.

[altoonaPArailfan]

in the beginning it looks like the cars are derailing because the curves look tight. but very nice video!!!

[bravosixxx]

Good job Ethan!! Nice tutorial!

[railfanfromiantha]

thanks

[TrainGuy18]

good ol rail jointers always help

[railfanfromiantha]

yea. They work so much better than solder

[jimmyp42002]

they work really well in combination together, as long as you leave a gap for expansion.

[TrainGuy18]

i told u so. i might use flex track on my curves