4mm EM Gauge Society Trackwork.

GWR Jim

Western Thunderer
Just a question regarding the new trackwork being produced by the EMGS, wondering if anyone has news regarding its release date?


Really looking forward to its coming as I have been using up all my fag packets (back of) doing sketches of plans on.


James.
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
No idea - but EXPO EM (Spring) is not so very far away and I daresay we'll find out more detail then.

Adam
 

GWR Jim

Western Thunderer
Adam, thanks.

Yep, you are right but.... I will be away in the US for the PRRT&HS Annual Meeting which is a bit of a bummer. Perhaps you would be kind enough to report back on here. Am thinking we need to up the pace a little bit on Forum.

James.
 

ullypug

Western Thunderer
I haven't heard of a release date as I don't think the EMGS know themselves. I believe there's a hold up at PECO at the moment (personal personnel reasons) but as Adam says we're hoping to hear more at Expo in a couple of weeks.
 

CamRys

New Member
I have been told that the EMGS is hoping to have the trackwork on sale at Expo EM on 18/19 May but there are no guarantees that it will be available by then.
 

CamRys

New Member
My current understanding is that the plain track should be available at Expo EM this coming weekend but the turnouts are not yet ready.
 

ullypug

Western Thunderer
The EMGS facebook feed (yes there is one) has some images of the tooling for the turnouts along with the comment that some samples should be available at the weekend.
 

76043

Western Thunderer
Great to see the pic of the tooling. I do hope modeller's appreciate the amount of work that goes into tooling a new product and the fact that the tooling is all done in Beer, Devon.

It's so easy to pan products (online), but if they are anything like the OO points, they will satisfy the vast majority. We all know every railway company had it's own design of trackwork, but you have to compromise for tooling.

I have no connection to PECO for the record.
Tony
 
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AJC

Western Thunderer
Great to see the pic of the tooling. I do hope modeller's appreciate the amount of work that goes into tooling a new product and the fact that the tooling is all done in Beer, Devon.

It's so easy to pan products (online), but if they are anything like the OO points, they will satisfy the vast majority. We all know every railway company had it's own design of trackwork, but you have to compromise for tooling.

I have no connection to PECO for the record.
Tony

I quite agree - the vast majority of those of us working in EM (and P4, for that matter) over the years have used EMGS or Scalefour Society templates for just about everything, regardless of prototype. Only in relatively recent years, thanks mainly to the work of Martin Wynn and Templot, has anyone really departed from that so to my mind there's no real difference between the EMGS/PECO versions and the template-based layouts we're so familiar with. This is not a cause of angst for me and of course, there are things that can be done to make any of these components closer to tmake them closer to scale representations should anyone want to do so. I'm looking forward to using one or two.

Adam
 

martin_wynne

Western Thunderer
to my mind there's no real difference between the EMGS/PECO versions and the template-based layouts we're so familiar with.
Hi Adam,

A couple of important differences come to mind. The first is that the traditional templates are available in a wide range of sizes. But it's likely to be a long time before such a full range is available from EMGS/Peco, indeed it's very likely that the B-6 will be the only size available for some time given the level of investment needed.

Secondly, and to me more significantly, they are dead straight. Maybe it will be found that they can be curved a fraction, but it's not likely they will curve properly in both similar- and contra-flexure to create a proper curved crossover. And even if they do, a B-6 is too short to be significantly curved without the inner radius becoming too tight.

Even using the Society/C&L templates it is difficult to make good curved turnouts. This was actually the reason I created Templot in the first place, the need to have proper curved turnout templates. Because so much of the bullhead railway was in fact curved, in some places most of it:

outside_slip_shrewsbury_1978_600.jpg


So I welcome these new EM ready-to-use turnouts (and also the Peco 00 ones despite their geometry), but I see them mainly as a starting point to get folks into building track in more sizes and formations.

A small shunting yard can probably use two or thee of these B-6 turnouts and look very good. They are the right size for a small yard, and the fact that they are all straight won't necessarily look out of place.

But larger layouts built entirely using straight B-6 turnouts are going to look all very samey, and not very convincing. But much better than no layout at all of course, if ready-made pointwork is the only way.

cheers,

Martin.
 

ullypug

Western Thunderer
Martin
you've hit the nail on the head. The turnouts are very much aimed at those starting out in EM but who are put off by the notion that you have to make turnouts because it's perceived as difficult. Never bothered me personally but for some it's a real impediment. Other turnouts are being considered but these will likely also be straight. There are a few people waiting to get their hands on them to see how much they can be curved without destroying their functionality!
I think that once people have turnouts and track which they know works and is correct, it will instil confidence to attempt something a bit more challenging. Having 'benchmarked track' allows progress without worrying whether the stock or track is defective should there be a problem.
 
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