You may be right. I was thinking more in terms of how Best Track does it, with a short permanent curve section and then flat sections that attach to it. Looking at the plans, tough, it seems like there's a single section with a curve at one end.FatSebastian wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:34 amWhy? I'd imagine the Best Track approach would involve something like mild brake bending in the desired location...
This is true. I guess I have it in my mind that it needs to be permanently curved, but I won't know till it arrives.FatSebastian wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:34 am
In Jobe's schematic, it may not be necessary for Freedom-like bending to be totally permanent, if a curve can be induced by pulling the framework under tension into the desired shape using truss work or something like an adjustable turnbuckle. An outstanding question is how the metal plating responds to mild bending (does it "bounce back" when disassembled?), something you won't know for sure until you have it in hand...
I plan to build a heavy duty shelf in my garage to store the lanes while I'm making time to work on the track and later the track itself. It would be nice if the whole thing laid flat.FatSebastian wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:34 amRegardless of whether you have a track section that is permanently curved, or the size of it, a stowed 4-lane track will have a footprint of about 8 x 1.5 feet at minimum. This would be true even for a commercial track. The curvature affects how tall the case needs to be (and possibly whether there'd be two cases, as recommended by Best Track). Yes, a taller case will be heavier, which affects portability, but a stowed derby track is going to take up a fair amount of real estate anyway...
I think I need to track down someone who's used this stuff before. Surely there's a few old timers around this board who must have...