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The Original Parktrains WebsiteInformation Station |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about parktrains in general:Q: Where can I find a used park train, or parts for a park train?A: Contact Terry Miller at millerkeeshond@uswest.net . Terry is in the process of developing a comprehensive list of park train suppliers, both complete trains and parts sources. He's planning a website, but as of the last update of this page (March 1 1999) he hasn't implemented one yet.Also check out these websites: Q: Where can I find small rail?A: This is a toughie. Park-size rail is hard to come by. Generally, 12# - 25# rail is best for guages up to 24", while you might need rail as heavy as 60# for a large 36" guage train. Chance Rides sells new light rail for their C.P. Huntington trains. Hunt around your local scrap yards, or make friends with a local railroad contractor if you want used rail.Q: Where can I find crossties for a park railway?A: This is much easier. Some park railways have used standard-guage relay ties cut in half for smaller guages (24" and under). Most 36" guage roads use standard-guage creosote ties. Many smaller-guage lines use pressure-treated 4x4s as ties. I've even seen pressure-treated 2x6s used. Don't use untreated lumber, whatever you do!Q: What's the best track guage to use?A: Generally, 15" guage is about the smallest guage practical for two-abreast seating, although it is possible to use a smaller guage. Even 24" guage cars can be pretty tight. Anything much smaller than 15" becomes unstable due to the passengers' weight raising the train's center of gravity. Passenger comfort is another issue -- if you expect to carry adults, stick to 15" guage or larger.Q: How much overhang is acceptable for railroad equipment?A: The general rule of thumb is that you can cantilever the guage on either side of each rail. To put it another way, the maximum width of a car is three times the guage. So a 24" guage car can be six feet wide and still have reasonable stability. Obviously, the lower the center of gravity, the more stable the car will be. Note that this is not an exact rule, if building your own cars you may have to expirament a bit.Q: Which manufacturers' trains are the best?A: This is a highly subjective issue. For example, I've conversed with people who swear by Crown live steam locmotives, and with others who swear at them. The same applies to MTC G-16s. Also, as with most things, once a piece of equipment passes the age of 40, it's generally looked upon as a wonderful old machine regardless of its objective mechanical merits.Most park trains were and are built to very high standards. Given the proper care and maintenance, trains from any manufacturer will run reliably for years. Remember the type of service these things were built for! When buying a used train, use the same common-sense techniques you'd use when buying a used automobile, and you should coome out all right. Q: What's the steepest gradient I can expect a typical park engine to pull a loaded train up?A: The guage of the track has no effect on railroad engineering. Grades should be kept to a minimum as much as possible. If Union Pacific or Norfolk Southern consider a grade very steep, your Backyard & City Park Railway should too. Grades of 5% are about the top practical limit I've heard of being negotiated successfully (on the Portland Zoo's 30" guage railroad in Oregon), with 2% being much more realistic.Older, straight-boilered Cagneys are notoriously underpowered for anything but level track. Most of the newer locomotives will pull a decent hill (say 2-3 %), provided the trains aren't too long. Chance Rides has some gradient statistics for their C.P.Huntington on their website. Don't forget to include an easement (a.k.a. transition) in your grade layout. Suddenly going from flat track to a 3" grade is going to cause problems like pilots digging in, or derailments because one end of the train is hanging in midair as the thing tips over the top! Include about three carlegnths (using your longest locomotive or car as a carlegnth) for each percent of gradient -- i.e., 20-foot equipment should have a 60-foot transistion into a 1% grade, or a 120-foot transition into a 2% grade. Note that this is only a rule of thumb, you may be able to get away with a sharper transition, or you may need to legnthen this transition for your equipment. Q: What's the sharpest curve I can use?A: This is largely dependant on track guage. You can put a 12" guage MTC G-12 around a much sharper curve than a 36" guage Crown 4-4-0 will negotiate. One thing to keep in mind is that very sharp curves contribute to both rail and wheel flange wear. Also, curves do contribute to the rolling resistance of a train. Placing a sharp curve on a steep grade virtually increases the grade because of the added rolling resistance.A good rule of thumb is to lay out the widest curve you think will work, then double the radius. Remember that curves are always twice as sharp as you think they are! Questions about the parktrains email discussion list:Q: What is the parktrains email discussion list?A: Commonly called the parktrains list or just parktrains, this discussion forum is similar to a newsgroup. Like all email lists, you send an email to one address, called the list address. This is actually the address of a computer which automatically distributes a copy of your email to all the people who have subscribed to the list.The parktrains list is owned by Matt Conrad and hosted at Yahoo Groups . Discussion topics include anything related to park trains. The list is primarily intended for information exchange, not advertising; however limited notices of auctions, estate sales, or other sales which include park trains or park train memorabilia are tolerated. Note that parktrains is a closed list. You must be subscribed to it to have posting priviledges. This was done to prevent spam and viruses from reaching the list. Q: How do I join the parktrains mailing list?A: Simply go to the list's web page .Q: I want to sell my park train, or I'm looking for one. Can I advertise on the list?A: There was a lively discussion on the list in February of 1999 regarding this issue. The general consensus was that ads for park trains, ads seeking park trains, and ads for park train services are welcome, provided they don't become a problem. In other words, you can post an ad, so long as you're not abusing the forum.Q: I thought I was a subscriber of the parktrains list, but haven't gotten any mail since early 2001. Is the list dead, or what?A: The parktrains list's original provider was Tom Chandler of Railspot.com. Tom got hit by a bad virus in early 2001. In the aftermath, he recommended that everyone who had been running an email list on his server switch to Yahoo. So the parktrains email list moved. I tried to notify everyone, but hadn't downloaded the list's subscription list in quite a while. Therefore, I missed a number of subscribers who had recently joined the list. Such is life on the Internet!Q: Why does the Parktrains list prohibit attachments?A: This is standard with all of the lists I own. It effectively prevents viruses from being spread via the list, either deliberately or inadvertently. Note that this is NOT complete protection, you should always have the most current anti-virus software installed on your system.All material on this website is copyright (c) Matt Conrad 1995-2002 unless otherwise noted. The copyrights of individual photographs remain with the photographers; all photos are used here with permission. Permission to quote limited blocks of text is hereby granted provided proper credit is given in a footnote, end note, or (in all web pages) by hyperlink. Permission is not granted to use photographs, but may be obtained by contacting the individual photographer. |
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