R5 bend with Tenmille track

[collectors]

Hi, found some good priced flexible Tenmille track & need to bend 2 R5 circles. will i need anything to manipulate the track with or will it curve quite easy on its own. This is for R5 minimum.
Ball park R5 is 2320mm/91.3” radius. Diameter 4640mm/182.6”, 15’2”.

 

[maxi-model]

Hi, found some good priced flexible Tenmille track & need to bend 2 R5 circles. will i need anything to manipulate the track with or will it curve quite easy on its own. This is for R5 minimum.
Ball park R5 is 2320mm/91.3” radius. Diameter 4640mm/182.6”, 15’2”.

Tenmille code 332 will possibly bend slightly easier than LGB type as it is sectionally a little thinner. It can be safely bent to tighter radii than LGB R5. However, the individual sleeper webs have interlinking plastic joining tabs, unlike LGB. This allied to the moulded sleeper chairs' tighter fit will make the "round the belly" method of bending a little more demanding. I use a GRS single rail bender with the correct profile rollers fitted. You will need to use their adapters to mix and match with other code 332 types and I do not know of a track clamp that can do that job. Hillman made a direct to rail clamp for this specific rail profile. Difficult to find. Max

 

[collectors]

Tenmille code 332 will possibly bend slightly easier than LGB type as it is sectionally a little thinner. It can be safely bent to tighter radii than LGB R5. However, the individual sleeper webs have interlinking plastic joining tabs, unlike LGB. This allied to the moulded sleeper chairs' tighter fit will make the "round the belly" method of bending a little more demanding. I use a GRS single rail bender with the correct profile rollers fitted. You will need to use their adapters to mix and match with other code 332 types and I do not know of a track clamp that can do that job. Hillman made a direct to rail clamp for this specific rail profile. Difficult to find. Max

Hi, hopefully joining will be ok as a few have said the LGB joiners are fine & all of the track is none electric, this will help. "Battery trains"

 

[Rhinochugger]

The Mk1 belly-bender is a frequently used tool. The only drawback with this method is that it is difficult to get the curve right to the end of the piece of track - you end up with a more prototypical transition curve which is OK unless you want to join to another curve.

It can be a lot easier to slide the rail out, and bend one piece at a time. I did have a second hand rail bender whcih I used to damage my fingers with while attempting to curve track, and resorted to belly-bending, and producing the sort of wiggly track that you generally only see on narrow gauge railways and US short lines

Max mentioned the webs - Peco flexi track in the small gauges relies on a broken web every other gap, alternating with the opposite side. Easy enough to replicate.

 

[maxi-model]

Hi, hopefully joining will be ok as a few have said the LGB joiners are fine & all of the track is none electric, this will help. "Battery trains"

Use the proper adaptors. You could get misalignment issues using LGB joiners alone. The foot of the Tenmille rail is quite a bit narrower than LGB's and its clones. Just thinking about risk of derailments. Max

 

[Gizzy]

If you buy the Tenmille fishplates, you can file the ends of LGB track to fit.

Tenmille are in Suffolk, just down the A1066 from Thetford....