SP&S Shelf Layout

[ocalicreek]

looking good!

I do have to ask about the easements though, how necessary are they? I mean, i've read about them, but i suppose i don't understand. If something will fit in a curve, then it will fit. Does the easement just reduce coupler swing between curves and tangent track sections, increasing reliability? or is it a purely cosmetic choice?

I don't mean to hijack Greg's thread, but I consider easements critical after having gone to a local clinic in which they were radically demonstrated. An O scale two-rail car was pushed, violently, down a stretch of track that had been laid using the classic bent-stick easement technique. It rolled smoothly into the curve and stayed on the track the whole way with a helper standing at the end of the track to catch it.

Easements eliminate that toy-train-layout look associated with beginner train sets. Why Bachmann or Atlas didn't include 'easement' curve sections in their EZ track or roadbed track sections is beyond me. It would DRASTICALLY improve the look and operation of a train set, especially the ones targeted at being starter sets designed to introduce folks to the hobby (beyond the Xmas tree setup).

Anyway, easements do what they say - they allow a train to 'ease' into a curve in order to avoid jerky lateral motion that would potentially derail a train. What is critical for full-sized trains really makes our models look and operate like the real thing too! But, just like the real thing, it takes a little advanced planning, and many modelers aren't patient enough to wait.


Nice work, Greg! Looking forward to see how you 'treat' the track.

Galen