Ribbon Rail Products

nolatron

Member
In the Febuary 06 Model Railroader, the "Build the Stoney Creek" article mentions how the writer used a radius guage by Ribbon Rail to help make curves with flex track.

I've been searching left and right on google and can't find anything about this company or product. The Materials List on page 61 didn't even list the product.

Has anybody here seen them? I was trying to see if they make any n-scale products as well (article was an HO railroad).

Thanks.
 

2-8-2

Member
Try your search again...this time use RibbonRail or Ribbonrail (one word). I was able to find several sources. Good luck!

:thumb:
 
I just use a metal yard stick with holes drilled at every inch mark, and half inch mark. Put nail in one end and your pencil/marker in the other and draw. works perfect every time
 
I use a string with a loop to fit over a tack and wrap the other end around a pencil. Have your radius a bit small, then unwrap just a bit at the ends to meet the marks. That automatically give you an easement into the curve.

Lynn
 

pgandw

Active Member
The Ribbonrail is different from marking your radius on the roadbed or subroadbed. It helps curve and hold the flex track in a precise radius curve.

There are really 2 different types of HO and N flex track available today - the "springy" Atlas flex track and similar; and Micro Engineering and other flex tracks that "spring" very little. The ME stuff generally offers a lot finer detail and comes in codes 70 and 55 in HO, and down to code 40 in smaller gauges. However, the ME track is very stiff, and once curved, holds the curve. Avoiding kinks and maintaining the desired curve radius is not so easily done with ME track unless you pre-bend it to the right radius somehow and/or use a tool like Ribbonrail. I don't know about availability of Ribbonrail in N.

Hope this helps.

yours in tracking
 

60103

Pooh Bah
I have a couple of the Ribbonrail gauges, but I don't think I used them -- weren't for the radii I needed.
I have a set of Tracksetta gauges; I think they're part of Peco now. They're loneger than the Ribbonrail ones but come in a limited selection of radii -- I think I have 24,36 and 60 inches and one more, plus straight.
 
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