Superbly explained as ever. I’m now painting up my platforms built quite similarly but my platform’s are 10 feet long, slightly curved and the track is canted too so I had different levels to work on and a curve. 15mm MDF edges and the platform itself in 3mm ply. It was a bit of a struggle!
Very straightforward all round 👍 I have always just cut card around the edges of the track, mainly by trial and error, seems to work😁 Like you say Nigel, it’s all compromise and none of us (outside of Chester Cathedral) have hundreds of feet in which to drop a perfectly graduated curve, there’ll be gaps. We’re only playing trains!
Another excellent and highly useful video! This is exactly the help that I need to sort my platforms out, as I have made a pigs ear of them so far (and had a trip to hospital with a nasty cut after slipping with a saw for my trouble. Thankfully, no damage done!). Now I should be able to get closer to something passable as a platform and not a piece of plywood cut by a wood butcher 🤞
Great video and good tips! I’m guessing that the curved platform in real life is far larger than for a mode railway - what I mean is, if model railway curves were scaled down from RL curves, they would take up a lot of floor space. They’re just a compromise to allow the layout to be run in a fairly minimal space.
Yes. If 00 scale curve were to be modelled/scaled correctly you'd need 32 sheets of 8' x 4' board to get the proverbial standard Hornby track mat to fit.
I personally prefer slightly curved platforms as opposed to straight as i think they just look more realistic... most platforms in the 70/80s were actually on curves on the actual network as opposed to the modern straight platforms nowadays
Interesting video and some great ideas for creating those curved platforms. They are tricky and as u say should be avoided if possible. Us modellers have to compromise a fair bit. And the issue with curved platforms is the gap. For example your 27.5mm gap is a scale 6.8 foot so that's the compromise it is massive. On that radius. My advice to other modellers is if possible use a larger flexi track radius to minimise the gap which will look slightly better. Unfortunately not many people have the luxury of space to do that so as u say always best to avoid if possible. I'm actually planning a curved platform but it's hidden under the town scene and it's more for if I'm using a camera train as won't be seen by the naked eye so u won't see the gap as easy well hopefully anyway.. Thanks for your helpfull and informative video 👍👏🙂
That's not a 27.5mm gap -- it's 27.5mm from track centre to platform edge. Since British rolling stock is about 8.75ft wide (about 35mm in OO), the gap from the edge of the train to the platform is "only" a nominal 2.4ft, which is jump-able if you're healthy and have no luggage. 🤣 ("Nominal" in the sense that this is what the gap would be if the train itself curved, rather than being made of a series of straight segments. For doors above the bogie pivot points, that would be more or less the actual gap.)
@beeble2003 🤣 yes that's what I ment lol. I don't always explain it well lol. He did a great job with those platforms and I was just saying sometimes we have to compromise to achieve what we want or what space allows in our modeling 🙂
Great video - very useful - the correct name is compound curve - ie a curve formed of curves of different radii. Also curves are joined to straights and to each other using transition curves - based on a clothoid spiral.
It is a lot easier to use tracksetter curves than trying to find the CenterPoint and a home made compass. Often centre points can be out in space beyond the board.
Curved platforms on a layout are a bit silly and never look very realistic. But, they also look *really* interesting and the sense of satisfaction when you get it just right is strong. I designed the new (little) layout around the basic task to get rid of curved platforms. But I know I'll miss them.
Because it's an intrinsically complicated subject. If the train carriages bent with the track, it would be simple, but they don't. So you have to figure out how a series of straight lines move as you pull them around the curve: the middles of the carriages hang over the inside of the curve and the ends stick out on the outside.
Brilliant, loved the cutaway pencil. Regards, Charlie.
Another very enjoyable video
Superbly explained as ever. I’m now painting up my platforms built quite similarly but my platform’s are 10 feet long, slightly curved and the track is canted too so I had different levels to work on and a curve. 15mm MDF edges and the platform itself in 3mm ply. It was a bit of a struggle!
Very straightforward all round 👍
I have always just cut card around the edges of the track, mainly by trial and error, seems to work😁
Like you say Nigel, it’s all compromise and none of us (outside of Chester Cathedral) have hundreds of feet in which to drop a perfectly graduated curve, there’ll be gaps. We’re only playing trains!
Another excellent and highly useful video! This is exactly the help that I need to sort my platforms out, as I have made a pigs ear of them so far (and had a trip to hospital with a nasty cut after slipping with a saw for my trouble. Thankfully, no damage done!). Now I should be able to get closer to something passable as a platform and not a piece of plywood cut by a wood butcher 🤞
Great video and good tips!
I’m guessing that the curved platform in real life is far larger than for a mode railway - what I mean is, if model railway curves were scaled down from RL curves, they would take up a lot of floor space.
They’re just a compromise to allow the layout to be run in a fairly minimal space.
Yes. If 00 scale curve were to be modelled/scaled correctly you'd need 32 sheets of 8' x 4' board to get the proverbial standard Hornby track mat to fit.
Good evening Mr train man. Even fantastic watching your videos on holiday in Marmaris 🤣👍🏻
Hope your having a wonderful time 👍👍😃
I personally prefer slightly curved platforms as opposed to straight as i think they just look more realistic... most platforms in the 70/80s were actually on curves on the actual network as opposed to the modern straight platforms nowadays
Personal preferences, that's why there is no wrong answer in the world of model railways 👍
Interesting video and some great ideas for creating those curved platforms. They are tricky and as u say should be avoided if possible. Us modellers have to compromise a fair bit. And the issue with curved platforms is the gap. For example your 27.5mm gap is a scale 6.8 foot so that's the compromise it is massive. On that radius. My advice to other modellers is if possible use a larger flexi track radius to minimise the gap which will look slightly better.
Unfortunately not many people have the luxury of space to do that so as u say always best to avoid if possible. I'm actually planning a curved platform but it's hidden under the town scene and it's more for if I'm using a camera train as won't be seen by the naked eye so u won't see the gap as easy well hopefully anyway..
Thanks for your helpfull and informative video 👍👏🙂
That's not a 27.5mm gap -- it's 27.5mm from track centre to platform edge. Since British rolling stock is about 8.75ft wide (about 35mm in OO), the gap from the edge of the train to the platform is "only" a nominal 2.4ft, which is jump-able if you're healthy and have no luggage. 🤣 ("Nominal" in the sense that this is what the gap would be if the train itself curved, rather than being made of a series of straight segments. For doors above the bogie pivot points, that would be more or less the actual gap.)
@beeble2003 🤣 yes that's what I ment lol. I don't always explain it well lol. He did a great job with those platforms and I was just saying sometimes we have to compromise to achieve what we want or what space allows in our modeling 🙂
Dear sir, I’ve been waiting for you to do a vid like this…..thanks
Great video - very useful - the correct name is compound curve - ie a curve formed of curves of different radii. Also curves are joined to straights and to each other using transition curves - based on a clothoid spiral.
It is a lot easier to use tracksetter curves than trying to find the CenterPoint and a home made compass. Often centre points can be out in space beyond the board.
Interesting video, Nigel. I take it you are not using Mark III carriages on your layout as they would need even more clearance?
I do have some, but restrict them to the shallower curves 😜
Curved platforms on a layout are a bit silly and never look very realistic. But, they also look *really* interesting and the sense of satisfaction when you get it just right is strong. I designed the new (little) layout around the basic task to get rid of curved platforms. But I know I'll miss them.
why make it so complicated
Because it's an intrinsically complicated subject. If the train carriages bent with the track, it would be simple, but they don't. So you have to figure out how a series of straight lines move as you pull them around the curve: the middles of the carriages hang over the inside of the curve and the ends stick out on the outside.
in 70s/80s 99.4 % of platforms were straight anyway