Large Scale Central

Got a Llagas Creek code 250 rail bender manual ???

I picked up one of these on eBay but it didn’t come with a users manual? Can anyone scan and email me a copy of it? Thanks

I bought one new 10+ years ago, and I don’t think it came with a manual of any kind.

Vic,

I have a single rail bender from Sunset Valley and a dual rail bender made by somebody here in So. California (G Scale Specialties). I believe I have the manual for it somewhere around here. I can scan that for you and send it if that will help. All rail benders are pretty much “self-explanatory”. Just note how the rail fits the rollers and how the center roller is placed in relationship to the two outer rollers. It’s almost like visualizing those mechanical tests we used to take in school to determine our “mechanical ability” :).

Thanks Gary I’d appreciate it, its just that this thing came with a bunch of other things that look like accessories and I quite honestly don’t know what they are to used for. I also want to make sure I set the darn thing up right, it looks like it has to be clamped down ? I am hoping to use it to bend my own rail since Aristo’s little eggliner circles have become totally extinct.

Vic,

Send me a PM from LSC and I’ll send you my email address. Then send me some pictures of the “stuff” that came with your bender. We can figure it out. It isn’t “rocket science” by a long ways.

Thanks Gary PM sent

I added pictures of the Lindsay rail bender that was sold by Llagas Creek if it helps: (benders are in alphabetical order)

http://www.elmassian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=302&Itemid=334

Greg

After a nice exchange with Gary I have a much better understanding of this operation. I sifted thru the box and left only the relative items in the picture. This is the picture of it, it’s a Lindsey version. Neither of us know what the grey block is for. Next is to get some 6’ long 250 aluminum rail, see what I can dig up at the show tomorrow.

Could the grey thing be a jig for holding llagas tie strips for assembly? When I bought by bender it didn’t come with any instructions either, but I did noticed that if I’m not careful I can introduce a vertical kink/bend in the rail as I am feeding it through the bender.

Yep. The gray block holds ties in place to run the rail through without the ties bending. I have a couple of those somewhere

Interesting re the block, if I hand bend tracks I will likely glue down the ties first and spike one rail down then the second one using the track gauge. That was how I did the pizza.

Okay guys, change in plans here, at the GTE I picked up an almost new 3 truck Shay for $300 under the premise my brother would want it, I was sending him buy yes/no texts during the show, so I finally decided pull the trigger and buy it. So he finally texts me after I’m heading home no he’s not ready yet, dam! So as I’m heading home I thought well why the hell don’t I keep it! I have been planning to use the rail bender only for pizzas but hey! I could also bend my own track outside and build a new wider radius layout not just for MY new Shay, but also my Atlantic and my LGB Forney and my LGB closed vestibule coaches, I mean why the hell not right?

So now I’m thinking code 250 brass or aluminum outside on cedar sleepers, I have a track plan already, so let’s see if I can make this happen.

Yes that wooden (gray) block is a Llagas Creek tie assembly jig.

Was made by a third party many years ago. Not made anymore, as far as I know.

Super handy if you need to assemble Llagas track. The jig in the picture looks like the one I have…for the 1:20.3 narrow gauge ties.

I pre -bent all my rails (code 250 and 215) using one of those. Then I fed the rails into Llagas tie strips - very slow and painful even though I made my own jig to hold the tie strips,.

Here’s the long term plan using standard sections but it will be using the bender

Possible starter set up

Slight change in plans, Looking at turnouts, the prices for handbuilt code 250 and off-the-shelf 332 LGB/Piko turnouts are a wash, but after buying the used Aristo 8’ diameter track here in the for sale section and also picking us some more used Aristo track on Ebay looks like the outdoor layout will be code 332, I already have alot of straights so thats a better deal for me. So as of today I am 75% complete at track acquisition.

I like your plan, Vic.

Do I understand correctly that you will be hand laying your turnouts, then?

Wow Vic! This is a big leap for you, very exciting. Really looking forward to seeing what you come up with in an outdoor arena. Also looking forward to seeing how a bit more room influences your modeling. I like the track plan looks like good roundy round options plus a bit of shuffling capability if you desire. Keep us posted.

No hand-layed guys, I thought about it, but track prices for used 332 are very low right now and I can get 332 turnouts from LGB or Piko for less than the hand lay kits. the only two pricey items will be from Piko, I want to see if i can swing a pair of their new curved turnouts and come up with this layout:

I still have a long way to go before laying track so I still have time to save for them, I still have to prep the area, clear debris like a dead tree stump, dig out soil for the patio to level it and lay pavers and set the blocks for the planter/layout area. Luckily all I have to do is block the perimeter the rest is fill which will come from the patio, then it will be gravel layer for the track. Just like my original layout all those years ago.

Hopefully I will lay track sometime before Christmas.

Vic Smith said:

I still have a long way to go before laying track so I still have time to save for them, I still have to prep the area, clear debris like a dead tree stump, dig out soil for the patio to level it and lay pavers and set the blocks for the planter/layout area. Luckily all I have to do is block the perimeter the rest is fill which will come from the patio, then it will be gravel layer for the track. Just like my original layout all those years ago.

Hopefully I will lay track sometime before Christmas.

See Devon for advice.