Model Train Journal

This was posted over on OGR. I think Chris has posted here on occasion.

http://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/so-y ... rack-do-ya

I watched that; it seems to work pretty well...

Mark in Oregon

I had a friend that did his by hand and got great results, but he was pretty talented modeling wise in general. This looks a LOT easier. Easy is good.

If and when I ever am forced to bend a piece of flex track..................I'll get someone else to do it for me.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:If and when I ever am forced to bend a piece of flex track..................I'll get someone else to do it for me.

If and when I ever am forced to hand lay track...........I'll find another hobby!

E7 wrote:

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:If and when I ever am forced to bend a piece of flex track..................I'll get someone else to do it for me.

If and when I ever am forced to hand lay track...........I'll find another hobby!

Ok... Some folks seem to be married to Atlas track and have major anxiety attacks when the supply drops to endangered species lever.

Got to have other options.

Is ME track that hard to bend???

It can't be any harder than bending Gargraves 3-rail flex track, I should be OK

Seaboard Air Line Fan wrote:Is ME track that hard to bend???

YES!

It bends easy by hand. It's track not rebar.

robert. wrote:It bends easy by hand. It's track not rebar.

Get a batch of ME weathered flex and let us know how you make out.

robert. wrote:

Tom Dempsey wrote:

Seaboard Air Line Fan wrote:Is ME track that hard to bend???

Yes!

It bends easy by hand. It's track not rebar.

Atlas flex is relatively easy to bend because the rail slides easily through the ties.

Gargraves is not so easy to bend because the ties have a better grip on the rails. Takes more force to curve than Atlas flex.*

ME flex is harder to bend than Gargraves because the ties have a much stronger grip on the rail. The first time I tried to put a curve in ME Flex track I thought they had accidently sent me rigid track. But once pushed hard enough to break the bonds between ties and rail it became as easy to bend as the other two.

*I am comparing Atlas O two rail flex to Gargraves three rail flex to ME two rail flex--probably an apple, orange , apple comparison but Atlas O Flex is definitely easier to bend than ME two rail flex.

Okay all you track benders out there in trainland...listen up. I've bent enough ME flex, both plain and weathered to be familiar with it tendency to resist simple flexing. It is however quite bendable when one wants to bend it...but I made one of these new idea bending blocks just to see what it was worth...and I have to admit is makes the task a little easier on the hands/fingers etc. That said, all my track bending is complete...been so for a while now. Had this handy bending block been on my radar screen back when I had just started it would have been a nice aid, and a tip of the hat to the fellow who offered the tip.

Robert

Robert wrote:and a tip of the hat to the fellow who offered the tip. Robert

That would be Chris. I merely passed on his video.

Rich