Proto US Track Spacing ?

[matruck]

Can anyone tell me what the normal US Track Spacing is please ?. I'm trying for the State of Utah so Union Pacific/DRG&W Practice's would apply i'd imagine.


I'm happy the distance bewteen the tracks i have here in the pic but last thing i need is the FRA after my tail or who ever makes the rules over there lol. I do have the Union Pacific Track Chart for 2002 but that may as well be in a foreign language as well lol. Thanks for any help folk's.
Cheers Mick.

 

[frogpipe]

You could try my [FONT=Verdana, Arial]<KUID:204652:100882> it's a snap on trackside accessory that can help spacing tracks AND making sure that trees, roofs, platforms,etc. are far enough away from the tracks. The description tells you what all the colors mean.[/FONT]

 

[matruck]

Thanks muchly Frogpipe i'll grab that right now.
Cheers Mick.

 

[opus722]

It depends on the location and era in most cases. I recall seeing 12' 6" being the absolute minimum allowed, but I don't have anything official to back that up with. Depending on the loading gauge of the rolling stock the tracks may be limited to one train at a time, even if it is double tracked, to prevent parallel trains from trading paint with each other around the curve.

Check this out though, may be of some use, it's a 1966 MOW guide for the DRGW that has a lot of measurements in it. According to this, and this is 1966 so it may have changed, the DRGW standard is 15' center to center - http://idrgw.com/MOWBooks/1966Book/1966MOWFrames.htm. (Ballast Sections for Double Track Main Line) The clearance diagrams towards the bottom list minimums for how far away stuff needs to be from the tracks by state. This is done by state law rather than federal regulation so it differs from state to state. Colorado says it only has to be 14' while Utah says 15'.

 

[matruck]

Thanks for that Opus.
Cheers Mick.

 

[amrail2000]

While Opus is correct, the standard is pretty much 15' on center. And before any one says anything, I pulled track charts to make sure the information is correct.

 

[cascaderailroad]

I like to use 3m spacing.

If you look straight down on a tracks inner ties, and slide the other track, so that the outside of the spline point circle just touches the tie end, that is @ 3m spacing.

I get used to placing all my spline points at a slightly overlapping "Figure 8" pattern.

A general rule is, if you go 3 ties (plus a little hair more) outward from the outside of a spine point circle, and place a spline point, you get an overlapping "Figure 8" pattern.

 

[AMTRAKwannabe]

Well just a suggestion, this comes from an article I saw in model railroader once, try making your curves farther apart for closer mainline spacing on straights, about a 1.5 degree difference in curve radii with the outer track being of a wider radii than the inner track.