Check chair EM (0.8mm flangeway) – 4mm (100) C&L FineScale

[Julian GascoyneParticipant]

HI all

I came across this item in the EMGS stores list. On the face of it a check chair for use when building EM gauge pointwork.

But why 0.8mm flangeway? Surely the check rail flangeway should be the same as the crossing flangeway (1mm)?

Indeed if CG (check gauge) + check rail flangeway = Track gauge, and CG is 17.25,
then 17.25 + 0.8 = 18.05
and 17.25 + 1.0 = 18.25
So I don’t think a 0.8 flangeway is going to work!

Can anyone confirm if these are actually EM gauge check chairs or not?
And if not, what on earth are they for?

Perhaps we could sponsor someone to make EM gauge check chairs for us?

Thanks
Julian

[Tim Woodland]

I have some somewhere myself, bought as a job lot of track building parts from the eBay. I have a feeling they are Exactoscale and to P4 dimensions?

[Trade OfficerKeymaster]

@Julian Gascoyne said:
HI all

I came across this item in the EMGS stores list. On the face of it a check chair for use when building EM gauge pointwork.

But why 0.8mm flangeway? Surely the check rail flangeway should be the same as the crossing flangeway (1mm)?

Indeed if CG (check gauge) + check rail flangeway = Track gauge, and CG is 17.25,
then 17.25 + 0.8 = 18.05
and 17.25 + 1.0 = 18.25
So I don’t think a 0.8 flangeway is going to work!

Can anyone confirm if these are actually EM gauge check chairs or not?
And if not, what on earth are they for?

Perhaps we could sponsor someone to make EM gauge check chairs for us?

Thanks
Julian  

Hi
You are right about the fact that strictly speaking the gap should be 1mm. I thought I had removed EM from the description but on looking following your post, I hadn’t. I will correct that. I will also correct the fact that they are ExactoScale and not C&L. Looking on their site I can’t see an equivalent
I was told the reason behind it but I have forgotten the detail (must ask again). I don’t think they were originally intended for EM gauge – but don’t quote me!
The issue around getting correct EM gauge check chairs will be the cost of manufacturing the moulds v the likely sales. Remember 1 pack is sufficient for 10 points.
I have used these quite successfully You obviously need to be careful with BtoB
I think for the moment we have what we have. Maybe the upsurge in 3D printing might give us opportunities in the future

John
Trade Officer

[Anthony GomersallParticipant]

I have used these and they work well. You do have to be careful with back to backs. I have played with 16.75 back to backs and that works too but I am a bit of an heretic.
Tony

[Nick RidgwayParticipant]

I’ve got a check-railed curve to build so I’ll let the forum know how I get on with them.

[Julian GascoyneParticipant]

Thanks for the replies.

I’m encouraged that a couple of people report using these with success. I would really like to use them in preference to chopping up normal chairs.

At the moment I am in the middle of building half a dozen turnouts with the 0.8mm flangeway. So I need to decide if I am going to continue with these or rebuild them with a 1.0mm flangeway. I have run my one and only EM loco through the only finished turnout with mixed results. Sometimes it is ok, sometimes it catches at the knuckle. This seems to depend on the starting position of the wheel so I suspect a varable b2b, maybe caused by a wheel not being on square. As suggested I checked the b2b of the loco and yes it is a shade under (about 16.45). The loco runs ok on my existing shunting plank with 1.0mm flangeway so I guess the conclusion is that you can use 0.8 check chairs, but the resulting track will be more sensitive to the b2b being correct and the wheels being on square.

[Julian GascoyneParticipant]

I thought I’d give you an update on the 0.8mm flangeway check chairs.

I decided to go ahead with using the 0.8mm check chairs and have constructed a number of turnouts with them. I can’t say with certainty that they work yet as the turnouts are still on my workbench. I ran out of check chairs recently so ordered some more from the stores and have hit a snag.

For the original bag of 0.8mm check chairs (bought at least 10 years ago) the check rail gauge fits snugly between the running rail and the check rail.

But for the newly purchased bag of 0.8mm check chairs, the check rail gauge won’t fit between the running rail and the check rail.

I tried to measure the gaps with calipers (quite hard to do) and have come to the conclusion that the first disk of the check rail gauge is 0.9mm wide (or maybe a bit less), the gap on the original bag of check chairs is 0.9mm, but the gap on the new bag of check chairs is 0.8mm (hence the gauge won’t fit).

I’ll try and post a picture so you can see what I mean.

[Julian GascoyneParticipant]

The check chairs on the right are the old ones, the check rail gauge fits.
The check chairs on the left are the new ones, the check rail gauge doesn’t fit.

[Martin WynneParticipant]

Hi Julian,

The 0.8mm check rail chairs are used with the EM-SF track standard. 18.0 mm gauge. See:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/135587-manchester-model-railway-society-em-standards/?do=findComment&comment=4813140

cheers,

Martin.

[Author]

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