Flex track
Sooner or later no catalog piece fits: the transition between two track ends that don't line up, or the fitting piece that has to be exactly 137 mm long. That's what flex track is for — the only track whose shape you determine yourself.
Like any track, it comes from the quick-pick bar; the button Flex track jumps there. Not every module contains one. Freshly placed, it has the shape it had in the module. What becomes of it is decided by the Flex context menu:
| Entry | Result |
|---|---|
| Convert to Bezier | freely shapeable, with handles |
| Replace with curve… | an arc with Radius and Angle |
| Replace with straight… | a straight with Length |
Any shape can be converted back into any other.
Bending freely
The converted track shows three handles at each end:
| Handle | |
|---|---|
| Square | the endpoint |
| Circle next to it | how far the curve follows the end's direction before it turns away |
| Circle further along | rotates the direction the track runs out of the end |
Drag an endpoint onto a free track end and it snaps onto it, taking on that end's direction. So you don't have to hit the angle for a kink-free transition yourself — snapping sets it for you.
With numbers
The free-form shape has no radius you could write down. If you need a number, enter the shape via Replace with curve… or Replace with straight…. The dialog opens with the current values, so you correct them instead of typing from scratch.
A new arc is almost never as long as what it replaces. The end that's attached to another track stays put; otherwise it's the first end. So build a fitting piece starting from the side that's already in place.
Smallest curve radius
If a flex track is bent tighter than allowed, a red bar appears over the spot, in the plan and in 3D, though not on printouts.
The allowed radius is set in Plan Properties: 762 mm by default for H0, the figure for long-distance coaches. Short cars manage 360 mm too; 0 turns the warning off. Flex → Smallest curve radius… overrides the value for a single track — for an industrial siding, say.
The circle segment button doesn't draw track
New Circle Segment is a drawing tool. Its arc is a line in the plan, nothing a train could run on.
See also
- Embankments and ramps: giving a flex track a grade
- Dimensions and measuring