Download Train On A Track
Trine Gritz
"This software has made a world of difference in how North Alabama tracks and reports all training of employees and contract staff. Because of this software, we believe we have set the standard within the State of Alabama mental health system for training documentation. Our most recent licensing and accreditation surveys have been a tremendous success in the areas of employee training and record-keeping thanks, in large part, to TRAIN TRACK!"
I have been successful in measuring the actual dimensions of the various pieces and creating straight sections that match the real one closely. I first created a 2 D cross section of the track, drew a line perpendicular to it from one edge, and then used FollowMe to extrude the cross section the length of the line. It turned out exactly as I wanted. I was also able to create the interlocking tab and cutouts and combine the sections to form components of the various straight parts. So far, so good with only a little time invested. I very much appreciate the power of SketchUp Make.
FWIW, Your second screen shot showing the ends of the track not aligned with the radial lines indicates that the end segments are not perpendicular to the radials. If the profile is not placed perpendicular to the first segment in the path, the Follow Me tool projects (not rotate) it to perpendicular. And the extrusion will end perpendicular to the last segment in the path. If you use a sector of a circle instead of starting with an arc, you can end up with what you want.
I looked up the radius of Brio wooden track curves and found inner radius of 182 and outer of 222. I drew the profile based on those radii and they are still correct after Follow Me.
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I appreciate your time in looking up the Brio info. I purchased some track from ChooChooTrack.com after meeting the owner at a train show. He makes his own track and has a slightly different cross section than some of the competition which allows the trains to track better. Also, all of his sections are in even inch lengths, which helps with layouts for me.
In those days of endless laundry and endless potty training and endless bedtime routines, all the intensity of first-time motherhood kept me from writing. Wooden train layouts became my creative outlet.
Note: with many of the budget brands of track, you may want to take a piece of sandpaper and sand down any rough cuts. Saws cutting curves across the grain of the wood are often the cause, so check curves, switch tracks, and the ends of tracks for anything rough, splintery, or sharp.
Hi! Thank you for the information. I just bought some used Brio switches that have plastic male connectors (they came as part of a Travel Switching Set). Two of the three male connectors have somehow worked themselves out of the wood or gotten pulled out, so that there is a gap between the switch and the next piece of track. Is it common for this to happen for this type of Brio switch? Thank you.
Help! My son just inherited tons of learning curve Thomas trains from my nephew, however, the tracks are long gone. We bought a set of wooden tracks, but they are too wide for the trains. What tracks will fit these trains? Thank you!
Would this set be compatible with Brio track? Fisher Price responded to a question and said no, but your site says they should work. Have you tried them?
-price.mattel.com/shop/en-us/fp/thomas-wooden-railway-battery-operated-engine-set-ffr57
Hi which brands are compatible with Battat All Aboard pieces? I got a 34 piece set for my son as a gift or should I just start with another brand and collect from there? He is obsessed with trains!! Thank you!
Hi! Just did some testing, and it looks like Battat should be compatible with pretty much any standard wooden train tracks, even IKEA tracks (though the fit there is snug). I hope your son enjoys the set! ?
Great website! I was wondering if you could help me.I have 50 or so Thomas the train and friends take and play trains, purchased for my grandsons. But they like to link them together and form larger trains. But the take and play tracks are not as nice as the wooden tracks- is there one that will work with the narrower wheels on the trains I have?
Hi, we bought a Thomas basic figure 8 starter set in the US while staying there. We are now based in South Africa and looking to expand our set, but in SA, Thomas sets are prohibitively expensive due to import taxes.
I have seen that the Hape sets are not too expensive. Are Hape and Melissa & Doug tracks compatible with Thomas tracks?
Secondly, which brands offer the best incline tracks compatible with the lego platform tracks?
Do you have any recommendation for a motorized train as well? I notice that Brio and Thomas motorized trains are usually priced over $30 each which is quite steep. Are there any alternatives that you recommend?
Yes, the turn radius should fit! I just measured, and the larger size of curved tracks has a diameter just over 17 inches. You could have a second loop inside of that one with the smaller curved tracks if you wanted.
Hi, I'm Jessica! While playing trains for the last several years, my Little Engineer and I have had a lot of fun and learned so much together. I'm excited to share our discoveries with other people who have kids who love trains in their lives.
On Monday, October 9, the Geneva outbound platform (Platform 2) will be closed for rehabilitation through the end of 2024. Commuters must use the temporary platform located east of Third Street. All trains will board passengers from the rear cars on this platform. Please allow additional time to access the in-service platform and exercise caution near the work zones.
Beginning Monday, March 13, access to the Homewood Station from the east will be closed for station construction until Summer 2024. Access to the boarding platform will be through the Park Avenue entrance ONLY (west side of tracks).
The 147th street/Sibley Blvd station is closed for reconstruction until late summer 2024. During this time, trains will not stop at this station. As alternates, please use the nearby Ivanhoe or Harvey stations. Updates will be provided once the rehabiliation is complete and the station is accessible. Metra apologizes for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
There was no organized lesson to go along with this activity, but if your kids are anything like mine there is bound to be lots of pretend play! My boys were making up stories about crossing train tracks and sharing train tracks, as well as observing log and short track marks!
After we were through I thought about how much fun this activity would be to do on a long piece of butcher paper! I think I may have found our next train activity! Until next time, try this one out with your munchkins and share your pictures with me on the Munchkins and Moms Facebook page or tag us on Instagram!)
A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as a train track or permanent way (often "perway"[1] in Australia), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, British English) and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying subgrade. It enables trains to move by providing a dependable surface for their wheels to roll upon. Early tracks were constructed with wooden or cast iron rails, and wooden or stone sleepers; since the 1870s, rails have almost universally been made from steel.
The first railway in Britain was the Wollaton Wagonway, built in 1603 between Wollaton and Strelley in Nottinghamshire. It used wooden rails and was the first of around 50 wooden-railed tramways built over the next 164 years.[2] These early wooden tramways typically used rails of oak or beech, attached to wooden sleepers with iron or wooden nails. Gravel or small stones were packed around the sleepers to hold them in place and provide a walkway for the people or horses that moved wagons along the track. The rails were usually about 3 feet (0.91 m) long and were not joined - instead, adjacent rails were laid on a common sleeper. The straight rails could be angled at these joints to form primitive curved track.[2]
When steam locomotives were introduced, starting in 1804, the track then in use proved too weak to carry the additional weight. Richard Trevithick's pioneering locomotive at Pen-y-darren broke the plateway track and had to be withdrawn. As locomotives became more widespread in the 1810s and 1820s, engineers built rigid track formations, with iron rails mounted on stone sleepers, and cast-iron chairs holding them in place. This proved to be a mistake, and was soon replaced with flexible track structures that allowed a degree of elastic movement as trains passed over them.[2]
Traditionally, tracks are constructed using flat-bottomed steel rails laid on and spiked or screwed into timber or pre-stressed concrete sleepers (known as ties in North America), with crushed stone ballast placed beneath and around the sleepers.[4][5]
Most modern railroads with heavy traffic use continuously welded rails that are attached to the sleepers with base plates that spread the load. When concrete sleepers are used, a plastic or rubber pad is usually placed between the rail and the tie plate. Rail is usually attached to the sleeper with resilient fastenings, although cut spikes are widely used in North America. For much of the 20th century, rail track used softwood timber sleepers and jointed rails, and a considerable amount of this track remains on secondary and tertiary routes.
Jointed rails were used at first because contemporary technology did not offer any alternative. However, the intrinsic weakness in resisting vertical loading results in the ballast becoming depressed and a heavy maintenance workload is imposed to prevent unacceptable geometrical defects at the joints. The joints also needed to be lubricated, and wear at the fishplate (joint bar) mating surfaces needed to be rectified by shimming. For this reason jointed track is not financially appropriate for heavily operated railroads.
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