Peco set track

[seanlisle]

I`ve just bought a 12 by 10 shed and will be building it in the next two weeks for the new G scale railway. The last railway was a casualty of a house move. I plan to use Peco track rather than LGB because I like the look of it compared to the chunky LGB stuff and hope that I can fit in a continuous run and a passing loop with siding - nothing too spectacular. I managed to fit my old railway into a garage, but if I can`t with the shed I have a 120 foot garden (looks like the Somme at the moment) to play with - SWMBO has given permission !

A couple of questions ....has anyone had experience of making a a gscale railway fit into such a small space using Peco rail ? Can it be done ? Does anyone know the radius of the set track ?

BTW ....I have a LGB 3 way point looking for a new home plus some used LGB track. The track was indoors for around 8 years in a garage. Well used but serviceable. PM me if you are interested I can send pictures of condition. Open to offers.

 

[stevelewis]

Reeco set track

Peco setrack is I beleive almost the same as LGB R1

Personally from my experience with Peco G45 track over the years I would recommend that you consider durability rather than appearance for your line!

When ballasted LGB etc track looks very reasonable and doesnt need nearly as much cleaning as Peco NS requires

 

[jacobsgrandad]

Reeco set track

I've only had my outdoor layout for three years using peco but have had no problems durability wise, and as far as I am aware doesn't appear to need cleaning ecxesssively

 

[Nigel]

Reeco set track

Peco set track radias is 4ft and you can get what you are looking for in th size of shed you will have. It needs to be planned carefully though. Maurice Bramley's Ormsgill layout uses the same dimensions and works well but would recomend that you use 0-4-0 or small 0-6-0 locos. The layout was in one the magazines a few months ago. (not the Railway Modeller) and is woth looking at.
The track is ballasted and looks good.

 

[dunnyrail]

Reeco set track

Think that we need to be more pedantic here. The specs are as follows (from the Peco Catalog):-

ST-905 Standard Curves are 600mm Radius (that is a match for LGB R1 and as near to 24inches as you can get. 12 to a circle.

SL996 and 995 points, these are nominal 1219 radius that is 48inches as near as makes no odds.

May I suggest that you keep whet LGB track that you have, it can be connected to the Peco by using the SL-912 Dual rail joiners.

I use both LGB and Peco on my line with few problems. I have converted all the Peco Points to Live Frog as I was having problems with LGB Track Skates bridging the rail at the frogs (before I converted them) . I have also noted this problem with L:GB radius 5 points on occasion. A fix is (alleged to be) to do some bending at the ends of the skates which I am not keen to do.

I did help a friend shoehorn a U shaped line into an 8x6 ft shed, but this was all LGB R1. You will find that those peco points eat up the space pretty quick even in your shed. May I suggest that a possibility may be to do the U shaped thing with LGB Track and look at having a line go out into the garden from more than 1 end of the shed. Then in the future use the larger Peco outside. You get the best of all worlds and use what you have. Ok you may need some more of both but it would be a start.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.
JonD

 

[stevelewis]

Reeco set track

Think that we need to be more pedantic here. The specs are as follows (from the Peco Catalog):-

ST-905 Standard Curves are 600mm Radius (that is a match for LGB R1 and as near to 24inches as you can get. 12 to a circle.

SL996 and 995 points, these are nominal 1219 radius that is 48inches as near as makes no odds.

May I suggest that you keep whet LGB track that you have, it can be connected to the Peco by using the SL-912 Dual rail joiners.

I use both LGB and Peco on my line with few problems. I have converted all the Peco Points to Live Frog as I was having problems with LGB Track Skates bridging the rail at the frogs (before I converted them) . I have also noted this problem with L:GB radius 5 points on occasion. A fix is (alleged to be) to do some bending at the ends of the skates which I am not keen to do.

I did help a friend shoehorn a U shaped line into an 8x6 ft shed, but this was all LGB R1. You will find that those peco points eat up the space pretty quick even in your shed. May I suggest that a possibility may be to do the U shaped thing with LGB Track and look at having a line go out into the garden from more than 1 end of the shed. Then in the future use the larger Peco outside. You get the best of all worlds and use what you have. Ok you may need some more of both but it would be a start.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.
JonD

RE Bending LGB Skates. In my experience of using PECO G45 ponts when they were first launched I was ery frustrated with the SKATE/Short circuit problem, I tried all sorts of fixes but none were permanent solutions.

However I discovered some time later that as I was using some Peco points retrieved from another project in my Garage storage sidings I had better sort out the problem particularly as digital systems are usually more sensitive to short circuits.
Taking advice from a well known retailer, I simply used a pair of long nosed pliers to bend every skate in my possesion upwards approx 1mm at the outside edge, this bend results in the skate passing ABOVE the opposuing V rail at the point's frog without actually touching it thus not causing a short circuit.

Bending the skates is a very simple fix and has no detrimental affect on them whatsoever!

 

[dunnyrail]

Reeco set track

Steve, yes I had to bend some skates on Saturday to get my LGB Rack Electric to work on the Ruschbahn LGB R5 points. But and here is the big but I would not suggest that it NOT be done IN SITU. I took them out and carried out the surgery using Pliers and a Vice.

The live frogged Peco's now give no problems at all with non mod skates, neither do R1 and R3 LGB unmodified points!
JonD