Trams

[tonycougar]

Hi,
Thinking of adding a little tram runaround track to the town above my layout.
Question is do they run on oo gauge track or something else?
Can't see how oo gauge regular track at even the tightest curve would get around street corners.
Is there another track system they run on?

[Mountain]

While most real town type tramways have grooved track, in model form, standard 00 gauge track is used by most tramway modellers. However, tram track also by its nature, needs to negotiate very sharp curves, so both curves and pointwork may need to be sharper then standard 00 gauge track has to offer. While I believe there are specialists who help in this way, many tramway modellers who do look for more realism will scratchbuild at least some of their track.
I dont know about modern tramway systems, but it was quite common that points on many older tramways were single bladed types in that they were made like a two bladed point but they only had a blade on one side of the point. I dont recall seeing this in model form on tram layouts but no doubt some have modelled this feature. Dont get confused by single blade points used on narrow gauge waggonways (Lightly built railways for industrial use such as mines) as these points are single bladed but centrally pivoted. You are not likely to see this design on a passenger tramway!

[tonycougar]

Thanks
I'll do a bit of googling

[Mountain]

Enjoy the research. You may end up just using standard 00 gauge track for convenience. The research is the fun bit! Also to add more on the subject, most tramway systems (But not all) used overhead electric where one can see a few different designs of pantograph used from the humble trolley pole type to more complex designs, and, the overhead system itself with the different designs.
Not all tramways had overhead electric. For a while some tramways tried using a type of electrified stud contact system whereby the metal stud in the ground was electrified when the tram passed over it and the supply was isolated after the tram left the area. I believe these were electrified by magnets on the tram much the way some modellers use magnets under locos to operate reed switches on the track. The system wasn't entirely successful as some horses and some people were electrocuted on rare occasions when the magnetically operated switch mechanisms failed to turn off power to the stud after the tram had passed.
Other forms of propulsion were also used. The most common were to use horses, or cable hauled tramways, but also petrol, diesel, steam and even gas were used as a form of propulsion (E.g. the tramway system used at Neath in Wales where gas was used in the conventional internal combustion form if my memory serves me correctly). Another tramway which had used a few different types of propulsion from horse to steam and eventually overhead electric, once ran for a few years using wind power via sails, which is the Mumbles Railway near and in Swansea in Wales.

[Bufferstop]

If you want early 20th century style trams you will certainly run into very tight turns, I did some experimenting (about 40years ago) using flat bottomed rail and Peco track spikes through a sheet of card into insulation board. A Triang motor bogie with its deep flanges could be persuaded around a 6" radius curve but the gauge needed widening out to 17mm for most of the curve, otherwise it just climbed out of the track. As the bogie only had to carry a light body a bit of friction around the curve didn't matter much. A modern day tramway with articulated two car trams would be a different proposition, you might get it down to a 10" or 12" radius. The real second generation tramways have a similar problem, to get the trams around the corner where Birminham's Corporation Street runs into Stephenson Street outside New Street Station they had to block off some doorways and shave a bit off the corner of a building

[b308]

http://www.greenhobbymodel.com/model%20 ... 0track.htm

[Mike Parkes]

Further link re Tillig Luna Tramway track https://www.conrad-electronic.co.uk/ce/ ... way-Tracks

Also available are inserts for Peco track http://www.rue-d-etropal.com/3D-printin ... -track.htm

Stick HO Tram Tracks in Google and you should find other resources / other forum articles.

[TimberSurf]

I have seen OO track on exhibition layouts that has been home made using copperclad the same way as railway track can be handmade, but with much tighter curves and special short point.
There are several options off the shelf in OO, but may not have tight curves and several for narrow gauge track in TT and N gauge
To name a few:-
Tillig
Auhagen
Tomix Tram
Kato
Peco 009 Tram

A google will bring them up

[RAF96]

Start here
http://www.tramwayinfo.com/Deftlrs.htm
and follow the associated facebook group.
Rob

[Bufferstop]

Take a look at Grime Street. Not only trams but buses, lorries and even a man on a bike.

[Mike Parkes]

You can still find old tram tracks about (that is to say the original systems not the newer ones that have occurred in past decade or so), for example concreted in at Nottingham City Transports bus depot http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3514526which clearly shows the sharp nature.

[Mountain]

I love the horse drawn trams on the first layout on this link...

https://youtu.be/8299NTgtADY

[TimberSurf]

I love the horse drawn trams on the first layout on this link...

https://youtu.be/8299NTgtADY

The horses are awesome, right up my street, however, I will NOT be trying to do my own!

[Emettman]

I love the horse drawn trams on the first layout on this link...

https://youtu.be/8299NTgtADY

I'd hate to try that in OO, but I expect somebody has.


If space is limited, especially for curves, another option is to go narrow gauge where for 2' 3" gauge in OO, **inset** tracks are readily and cheaply (compared to Tillig!) available from Tomix N. Curves from reasonable down to 4.5" curves. £20-25 pounds for a circle or a short oval, depending on radius.
No inset points but I made my own traversing points with no fiddly bits. These would, I admit, more suit a modern setting.

Chris

[TimberSurf]

How about using standard track and this gizmo