DE20100930U1 - Flexible track piece for a model railway - Google Patents

Description

Description

Flexible track piece for a model railway

Every curved track section is based on a corresponding curve radius. To construct curved track sections with different curve radii,
Accordingly, different track sections with different curve radii are required. Since the number of different curve radii approaches infinity, an infinite number of differently shaped, rigid track sections would also be required. Since one cannot
To produce an infinite number of differently shaped rigid track pieces, you need a flexible track piece that can be cut into an infinite number of differently shaped track pieces.
(curve radii) can be bent.

The flexible track sections with embankment bodies of conventional design have a
Slope body made of elastic material, which expands by stretching and compressing the
Material can be deformed and usually requires additional stiffening elements
(DE 3903 843 A1 and DE 2248 727 C2). When deforming these track pieces, the resulting stretching and compression can lead to unwanted, sometimes unsightly
Changes in the surface structure of the embankment body may occur. There are currently
no complete flexible track sections with dimensionally stable embankment bodies for two-wire direct current systems
or three-wire AC system.

The invention specified in claim 1 is based on the problem of creating a flexible track piece for a model railway with embankment body made of dimensionally stable material, which can be used without processing ballast bed (3), sleepers (7), small iron imitations (8) for
The rails (1) + (2), center conductor (5) and plug connections (12) can be bent into an infinite number of different track shapes (curve radii).

This problem is solved with the features listed in claim 1.

The invention ensures that the dimensionally stable ballast bed (3) in the area of the
Expansion joints (6) + (7) can be easily pushed together or pulled apart and the rail (2) which is only attached on one side to the open side of the expansion joints (6) can be
non-fixed rail side in the longitudinal direction, guided by the small iron imitations (8) and automatically follows the new sleeper course, whereby a more or less

less severe curvature of the entire flexible track section is possible and thus an infinite number of different curve radii can be produced from just one prefabricated track section. Only the length of the rail (2) that can be moved longitudinally on one side and the separately designed, snap-on ballast bed embankment parts (4) still require adjustment to the selected track shape, which can be easily carried out by the end user.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is specified in claim 2. The normally visible expansion joints (6) + (7) are concealed in the area of the ballast bed slope by the separately designed, snap-on ballast bed slope parts (4). The visible expansion joints (6) in the sleeper area are placed as far under the sleepers (7) as possible, have a cutting width (b) that is minimized depending on the expansion joint cutting length (a) and the maximum expansion angle (<*), and the expansion joint cutting angle (/}) is not designed at a right angle to the top of the ballast bed (3), but at an angle of approximately 45°, which means that the cutting edges of the expansion joints (6) overlap. This design and arrangement of the expansion joints (6) achieves the usual, visually closed overall impression.

An embodiment of the invention is explained with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. They show:

Fig. 1: Cross section through a rigid track section, conventional design.

Fig. 2: Cross section through the flexible track section.

Fig. 3: Top view of a flexible track section.

Fig. 4: Side view of a flexible track piece.

Fig. 5: Top view of a curved flexible track piece.

Fig. 6: Expansion joint (6) in production state and in bent state.

1 rail

2 Rail

3 Slope bodies

4 gravel bed embankment parts

5 center conductor

6 expansion joints

7 expansion joints

8 small iron imitations

9 Center conductor connecting bridge

10 fixing points of the rails (1) + (2)

11 Guide point of the longitudinally movable rail (2)

12 Plug connection

a Expansion joint cutting length

b Expansion joint cutting width

oc expansion joint angle

β expansion joint cutting angle

The figures show track sections according to the C-track system (DE 196 01 737 C2).

Fig. 1 and 2 show the different construction of conventional rigid track sections (Fig. 1) and flexible track sections (Fig. 2) in cross-section, in the expansion joint area. In Fig. 2, one can see the necessary laying of the center conductor connecting web (9) towards the fixed rail (1) and the locking connection between the bedding body (3) and the separately designed, lockable ballast bed embankment parts (4).

Fig. 3 and 4 show the structure of the flexible track section in several sections. Here, the position of the expansion joints (6) + (7) and the special cutting angle (/1) of the expansion joints (6) and the new shape of the center conductor can be clearly seen. A cutting angle of approx. 45° is always possible when producing the flexible track section, since no other track sections are in the way during the necessary processing.

The different geometrical states of the flexible track section are shown in Fig. 5. The upper part is straight, the lower part is curved for comparison. The different shapes of the expansion joints (6) + (7) and the three fastening points (10) of the rails (1) + (2) can be seen here. The fourth fastening point of the rails (1) + (2) that is usual for rigid tracks has been replaced in the flexible track section by the guide point (11), which allows the rail (2) to be moved longitudinally on one side. There are no expansion joints in the area of the plug connections (12), so that the usual plug connections can be used.

Based on the representation of an expansion joint (6) in Fig. 6, the design for the expansion joint cut width (b) can be calculated depending on the expansion joint cut length (a) and the desired maximum expansion joint angle (<*). The following applies:

tan <x = b / a , hence: b = tan oc *a

For the C-track system, for example, it would be desirable for the flexible track section to be deformable from a straight track section to a curved track section with a minimum curve radius of approx. 700mm, which corresponds to a maximum expansion joint angle of 0.8°. The necessary expansion joint cut width (b) would then have to be approx. 0.35mm for an expansion joint cut length (a) of 25mm (b = tan 0.8° * 25mm). This very small expansion joint cut width (b) of only 0.35mm makes it very easy to achieve the desired, visually closed appearance of the flexible track section.

Claims (2)

1. Flexible track piece for a model railway, consisting of the rails ( 1 ) + ( 2 ), the possibly existing center conductor ( 5 ), the plug connections ( 12 ) for connecting the track pieces to each other and the complete, dimensionally stable embankment body ( 3 ) + ( 4 ) with integrated sleepers ( 7 ) and the small iron imitations ( 8 ) for guiding the rails ( 1 ) + ( 2 ), characterized in that several expansion joints ( 6 ) + ( 7 ) are inserted into the track piece in the sleeper direction in the ballast bed ( 3 ), the ballast bed embankment parts ( 4 ) are designed separately and can be snapped on, the center conductor connecting web ( 9 ) is laid in the area of the expansion joints ( 6 ) + ( 7 ) between the closed sides of the expansion joints ( 6 ) + ( 7 ) and the rail ( 2 ) is on the open side of the Expansion joints ( 6 ) can be moved longitudinally on one side. 2. Flexible track piece for a model railway according to claim 1, characterized in that the expansion joints ( 6 ) are inserted into the ballast bed ( 3 ) at an intersection angle (β) and the incisions of the expansion joints ( 6 ) + ( 7 ) in the ballast bed ( 3 ) have a minimum intersection width (b) and are almost completely covered by the sleepers ( 7 ) and the ballast bed embankment parts ( 4 ).