Hi all,
Amongst other things I ordered one of them.
The track gauges that are part of the gizmo are gauged to 1.75" not 45mm! I’ll CA some shims to get it to 45mm on mine.
Yep, off by almost .002" !
The nerve of those guys… why, I oughta …
Greg
Greg:
The Kadee track gauge at 1.75" (44.45mm) is actually ~0.022" (0.55mm) smaller than 45mm.
HJ:
NMRA STANDARDS “S-3.2 Standard Scale Trackwork” specifies Fn3 and #1 Track Gauge as:
Minimum: 1.766" (44.85mm)
Maximum: 1.793" (45.5mm)
This puts the Kadee gauge at about 0.016" (0.4mm) too small. It would require a 0.008" (0.2mm) shim on each side.
Where I hand spike across trestles, I use some wooden spacers between the rails rather than the Kadee gauge.
Happy RRing,
Jerry Bowers
Hi, I realized there are different interprations of G-45 in Europe and in USA. Sometimes I have to adjust the gauge of imported rolling stock. On the few occasions I handspike track to sleepers, I use a trackgauge, which I can clamp to the rail with screws.
Gauge by Reppingen, stainless stee lCode 250 track from Strub/Switzerland, tie plates: Ozark, Spikes: Sunset Valley/Llagas Creek. ties: African Meranti wood. Have Fun Juergen Zirner
Greg Elmassian said:
Yep, off by almost .002" !The nerve of those guys… why, I oughta …
Greg,
Yes, I really would have commented if it was two thou off. 
Jerry
I made my own track gauges for my handlaid turnouts (NEM standards), I was just a bit surprised at the slop in the ME Code250 track I use for picture taking. Same in the Llagas and Terog track.
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:I am sure, a picture of your track gauge would be welcome.
I made my own track gauges for my handlaid turnouts (NEM standards), I was just a bit surprised at the slop in the ME Code250 track I use for picture taking. Same in the Llagas and Terog track. ;) :D
Juergen Zirner
Hi,
That is about one of the strangest track gauges I have ever seen.
Thank you for the picture anyway.
Juergen Zirner
1.74 inches times 25.4 centimeters/inch yields 44.45 millimeters
45 - 44.45 = 0.05 millimeters
0.05 millimeters divided by 25.4 = 0.00196 inches… so the track gauge is .002 from 45 mm…
The original post was that the gauge was 1.75" not 45 mm
Yes, there is a difference of .002.
No mention was made of minimum or maximum specs.
So it’s 2 thousandths of an inch off (of 45 mm).
Any problems with the math?
Regards, Greg
Greg Elmassian said:
1.74 inches times 25.4 centimeters/inch yields 44.45 millimeters45 - 44.45 = 0.05 millimeters
0.05 millimeters divided by 25.4 = 0.00196 inches… so the track gauge is .002 from 45 mm…
The original post was that the gauge was 1.75" not 45 mm
Yes, there is a difference of .002.
No mention was made of minimum or maximum specs.
So it’s 2 thousandths of an inch off (of 45 mm).
Any problems with the math?
Regards, Greg
Greg,
I don’t like doing this, but yes, your math is “funky”
45.00mm - 44.45mm = 0.55mm
0.55 : 25.4 = 0.0216" or roughly twentytwo thou
Nah, I wasn’t kidding when I wrote
HJ said:
Yes, I really would have commented if it was two thou off.
BTW I did a fairly detailed comparison of the NMRA to the G1MRA to the NEM track standards once (as they apply to 45mm track), interesting subject but not worth repeating here. Most people couldn’t care less about standards.
Greg Elmassian said:
1.74 inches times 25.4 centimeters/inch yields 44.45 millimeters45 - 44.45 = 0.05 millimeters
0.05 millimeters divided by 25.4 = 0.00196 inches… so the track gauge is .002 from 45 mm…
The original post was that the gauge was 1.75" not 45 mm
Yes, there is a difference of .002.
No mention was made of minimum or maximum specs.
So it’s 2 thousandths of an inch off (of 45 mm).
Any problems with the math?
Greg:
Yes, there are a couple of problems with the math:
First off, HJ reported the Kadee track gauge at 1.75", not 1.74" (per your last post)
1.74"×25.4=44.20mm (rounded), not 44.45mm. I assume this is a typing error, and not germain to this discussion.
The correct calculation is:
1.75"×25.4=44.45mm
Then:
45mm-44.45mm=0.55mm, not 0.05mm
This leads to:
0.55mm÷25.4=0.022" (rounded), not 0.002"
The difference between HJ’s reported 1.75" Kadee track gauge measurement and 45mm is 0.022" (0.55mm). It is not 0.002".
The reason I wrote my original reply in two sections, first correcting the original math error of ~0.020", then showing the NMRA max / min dimensions was to eliminate any confusion between the discussions. Still stands!
Happy RRing,
Jerry Bowers
Jerry Bowers said:IKB intended his broad gauge to be 7' even, IIRC It ended up as 7' 1/4" because early Victorian wheel and axle manufacturing tolerances weren't quite as precise as they are now. OTOH, I believe "standard gauge" these days is 4' 8-1/2" +/- 1/4" or so. (Actually, it's probably a metric figure, but what the hey). Prototype for everything. I'm not going to put a micrometer on my LGB/Aristo track. Of course, I don't own a micrometer.
The difference between HJ's reported 1.75" Kadee track gauge measurement and 45mm is 0.022" (0.55mm).
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:Greg Elmassian said:
1.74 inches times 25.4 centimeters/inch yields 44.45 millimeters45 - 44.45 = 0.05 millimeters
0.05 millimeters divided by 25.4 = 0.00196 inches… so the track gauge is .002 from 45 mm…
The original post was that the gauge was 1.75" not 45 mm
Yes, there is a difference of .002.
No mention was made of minimum or maximum specs.
So it’s 2 thousandths of an inch off (of 45 mm).
Any problems with the math?
Regards, Greg
Greg,I don’t like doing this, but yes, your math is “funky”
45.00mm - 44.45mm = 0.55mm
0.55 : 25.4 = 0.0216" or roughly twentytwo thou
Nah, I wasn’t kidding when I wrote
HJ said:
Yes, I really would have commented if it was two thou off.
BTW I did a fairly detailed comparison of the NMRA to the G1MRA to the NEM track standards once (as they apply to 45mm track), interesting subject but not worth repeating here. Most people couldn’t care less about standards.
Fer G-d’s sake, it’s Friday afternoon! My head hurts enough, already!
LART!
How’s about we talk about the severe immune response to the 1918 flu bug being the real culprit in killing off all those folks, not the flu bug itself. That I understand. Sort of.
Soap Box off, shields up.
madwolf
Gentlemen,
As I wrote
HJ said:;) :) :D
...... interesting subject but not worth repeating here. Most people couldn't care less about standards.
Man, did I boo boo… I better take up knitting!
I never did consider the kadee gadget for anything other than coupler height myself, so never checked. I’d like a go / no-go gauge to check the acceptable range, and since it is not a 3 point gauge, really no good on curves.
I’ll get a calculator for my subraction next time!
Regards, Greg
Greg Elmassian said:
Man, did I boo boo..... I better take up knitting!I never did consider the kadee gadget for anything other than coupler height myself, so never checked. I’d like a go / no-go gauge to check the acceptable range, and since it is not a 3 point gauge, really no good on curves.
I’ll get a calculator for my subraction next time!
Regards, Greg
Greg,
That can happen.
BTW the bottom of the height gauge is a three point gauge. What I wasn’t aware of when I ordered, was the function to get the uncoupling magnets in the right position at the correct height. Very clever design!
Hmm… looked at it again, it’s got 3 rectangular lugs underneath, so sort of 3 point… I’m used to them being rods, not flat lugs, but I guess if the curve was not too sharp it sort of works. Also uses some lower profile lugs to locate the magnet, kind of weird how they laid them out.
Yeah, major function to locate the uncoupling magnet height. But, how is it to be done practically? The only way I can imagine is to have a bit of clearance between the magnet and ties, then goop up the whole thing in glue, and then position and hold the magnet until glue cures.
Certainly not my idea of a strong bond! I’ve just milled the ties down with a router and then the glue is a thin bonding coat like you should use glue.
With my “track” record (pun intended) maybe I got this wrong too!
Regards, Greg
Greg Elmassian said:Greg,
Yeah, major function to locate the uncoupling magnet height. But, how is it to be done practically? The only way I can imagine is to have a bit of clearance between the magnet and ties, then goop up the whole thing in glue, and then position and hold the magnet until glue cures.
More or less.
Slight clearance between tie and magnet when stuck to the gauge, apply 5-minute epoxy to tie, set gauge, with magnet attached, on track and let cure for 10 minutes.
As I wrote: clever design!
For those who want it really accurate or are “frugal” with the epoxy: Measure the distance from the bottom of the magnet to the rail head surface of the gauge. Adjust your router accordingly and you’re in business. That would even work if you use CA.
You should be “frugal” with epoxy, it is not very strong in of itself. That was exactly my point. And yes, that’s how I did it is measure what I needed to route out of the track. But, my point is that by that time, if you have measured right, you just glue the magnet in place and it will be perfect, you do not need the fixture.
In fact, if you do use epoxy, it would be better to clamp the magnet in place, epoxy bonds are much stronger if clamped while setting. Of course, you do not need much strength here, so clamping is probably overkill.
Since the fixture is so “sloppy” on the track, I never use it to position the magnet, just a precise routed “bed” for the magnet to lie on. The fixture will make the magnet the right height indeed, but will not position it very well side to side, another critical setting for Kadees.
Along that point, I’ve just changed a few cars to body mounts, really like the improvement in backing trains, but, many of these cars now do not uncouple, when they uncoupled fine over the same magnet when truck mounted. Have you had a similar experience?
Regards, Greg
Greg,
Since I run strictly Swiss RhB equipment I decided early on to forget about magnets for uncoupling, do that by hand with a modified Swizzle Stick. The trains are short, the track is readily accessible and when push comes to shove I think I’ll have a close look at decoder actuated uncoupling.
Bodymounted couplers are out since I have some R1 in Staging, but there are some mods in planning to make sure the pivoting axles of the four wheelers line up at all times.