Designing my first real layout, and I've read the books, and know that I have to use easments. How well does it work to use a french curve for this? And how best to use a french curve for this? I've tried some of the CAD software, but the paper, pencil, compass seems to be just as quick.
Barry Welcome to TrainBoard......you'll find friendly advice available, and hopefully the answers you are looking for. While I have seen layouts designed using CAD I have not worked with it myself. And of course the old fashioned way still works. I think what you are talking about is the spiral easement -- the transition between straight track and curved track. By "easing" the train into the curve, you lessen the chances for derailment (and the N lawsuits filed by your N loco crews, who were used to getting jostled around in the cab as the locomotive veered directly into a curve). To illustrate this, try running a train at speed down a straight-away leading directly into a 9-3/4" radius curve and see how consistently it derails. A straightforward discussion about making and using spiral easements is at this URL (scroll about halfway down the page): http://www.sandiasoftware.com/tutor/geometry.htm eNjoy Don B
