Code 82 track gauges

[Tom CunningtonParticipant]

Hi – I’m venturing into some Code 82 FB point building – all the track gauges I can find are for code 75 rail. Before I try and adapt a set, does anyone make code 82 track gauges – in particular a roller gauge?

Thanks

Tom

[Guy MolyneuxParticipant]

Hi Tom,

The first question is, which manufacturer’s code 82 rail are you trying to use? Most gauges are designed for a 0.9mm rail head width. C&L code 82 is 0.8mm but Peco is 0.9mm so you will get ‘slop’ with C&L but not with Peco. Sadly Peco Code 82 is currently unavailable.

The closest available that will work with the commercial gauges is the EMGS Code 83 rail (unless you happen to have stocks of Peco Code 82). Peco Code 83 is also available but suffers the same problem as C&L (the head is 0.8mm and is sloppy in the gauges).

It’s topical that you post about this as I am seeing what I can do to get Peco’s Code 82 resurrected given that nothing else is really easily useable for hand made fine-scale flat-bottomed track at the moment.

It’s not all about the rail height (aka the ‘code’ you mention). Head width and foot width/height are all equally important in constructing fine scale flat bottomed track with jigs.

Thanks,

Guy

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Guy Molyneux.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Guy Molyneux.

[Patrick HuntParticipant]

Hi,

Having just attended the Missenden Abbey track building course and built my first B9 crossover from scratch, I also wanted to build some FB equivalents. Didn’t take long to find out there is next to nothing in the way of components.  PECO code 82 is no longer made and the C&L and code 83 is well undersize.  I persevered with the EMGS code 83 and EM Concrete Sleeper Base. It is an extremely tight fit unless you modify the rail.  It only needs 0.01mm taken off the base width and you can do that by running the rail through some wet and dry. Then the rail slides in far easier.

In terms of baseplate for turnouts i am going to use PECO Pandrol and Slide baseplates, readily available, and adapt as required.  The real issue is all the extra bits such as the spacer blocks and the crossing nose baseplates but where there is a will there is a way.

On gauges, the dcc concepts roller gauges, I have several sets, either do not fit or are an interference fit.  The Alan Gibson check gauge fits OK but the C&L small roller gauges do not.  The dcc concepts 3 point gauges are a slightly tight fit but a quick file on the outside edges will resolve the issue.  For the roller gauges I will mount them in a lathe and gently file the outer edges with a knife needle file.  I will then have a set of FB gauges.

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