Spacing Confusion

[Saleel]

What spacing is standard to use 5m or 4m between multiple tracks which can be used with widest assets like stations and level crossings, what is standard in real world

 

[stagecoach]

Standard differs from country to country. It all depends on the width of rolling stock for any particular country.

 

[cascaderailroad]

I personally like 4m spacing which is easily laid using tools like "MB Quad Line", or "PRR Track Guide" by GFisher. With 4m spacing the adjacent track spline points form an overlaped figure " 8 ", and ballast, touches ballast.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc339/cascaderailroad/Screen_022-2.jpg

http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc339/cascaderailroad/Track15.jpg

http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc339/cascaderailroad/Track19.jpg

A 50 track wide 5m track spacing template is on DLS also. With 5m spacing, a gap is between ballast of adjacent tracks, 5m spacing looks less prototypical to IMO.
http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc339/cascaderailroad/Screen_023-2.jpg

http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc339/cascaderailroad/Track10.jpg

Luckyly with Trainz, trainz can't sideswipe adjacent trains...so closely laid 4m tracks seem to look more rugged and prototypical. Railroads had narrow real estate in which to lay track on, so tracks were generally spaced very close together.

 

[Saleel]

Thanks I had laid all tracks with 5m spacing with AJS stations but with claudius French catenary for 4m, making electrification for 5m would have been very hard work, any crossings for 4m for 2 to 4 tracks

 

[Milaga]

For the most part 5m is the standard in the US and 4m is the standard in Europe (although there are exception.) If you see track assets such as bridges and crossings it is common to call them "US" to indicate a 5m track spacing and "UK" to indicate 4m. Most of the assets you'll find on in the DLS will have one of those two spaces.

On the straightaway and in yards the 4m does look nicer. But Trainz has some quirks with curved track and I find that having a little bit of space between the tracks looks better and keeps these quirks to a minimum.

In the US the spacing between tracks varied from road to road and might even have different standards for mainlines, yards, branch lines and so on. I'd pick either 5m or 4m and go with what looks best. There are a billion other details you can worry about.

 

[stagecoach]

UK spacing 3.5m and plenty of uk crossings for both 2 and 4 tracks.

 

[wreeder]

Here is an interesting document listing many clearance standards for Washington state in the USA. It includes a lot of details.

http://www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/rules/railroads/PDFs/296-860.pdf

William

 

[gfisher]

Thanks wreeder, that is interesting.

 

[Milaga]

UK spacing 3.5m and plenty of uk crossings for both 2 and 4 tracks.

Thanks for the clarification. I based my assumption on large number of "UK" labeled assets I've been using on my routes that have 4m spacing. It also explains why some of the "UK" bridges don't fit together. One is 4m and the other 3.5m.

Very interesting read, wreeder. Some of the clearance requirements were much larger than I imagined.