Rail Spacing

[godsteam]

I am thinking about building a 16mm scale garden railway using Pico SM32 rail.

What is the minimum distance between tracks?

And what is the minimum radius for bends and will Pico SM32 bend that far?

Is the Pico Y point for re-joining the main track?

Thanks

[MDLR]

The distance between tracks depends on what rolling stock you're intending to run, and whether or not you've joined the 16mm Association and intend in due course to host garden railway meetings, in which case you'll have to consider what stock other people might bring.

With regard to track radius, Peco do 2' 6" radius curves - you wouldn't want to go less than that unless you're contemplating only running light 4-wheeled locos and stock, in which case you CAN go down to 14" radius, using Faller E-Train track.

[godsteam]

I have joined the 16mm NGM and hope invite people around next year.

So what spacing would I have to allow to not have accidents?

[laalratty]

The widest commercially available loco I know of was the Roundhouse Vale of Rheidol at 135mm wide. So I'd allow at least 140mm between tracks on straight lines, and more on curves to allow for stock swinging out (the tighter the radius, the greater distance you allow).

[andymctractor]

I used two W+LLR Accucraft coaches running them past each other several times noting the wide sweep of the end steps on the outside of bends and the overhang of the middle of the coaches on the inside of bends and then added 1 to 2 cms to the dimensions.
Also, platform heights should be checked by running a RH Billy or Katie chassis past.  I learned this particular lesson after casting 50 jigstones platform edges using one mould, set them firmly into an island platform and found the cylinder blocks on these chassis wouldn't pass over.  I had to grind them down during an open day holding up proceedings for some time. I also had to re grind the mortar lines by hand later.  It would have been simpler to set them out further away from the track.  
Simply, the implications of getting this wrong is less if the gap is too wide as opposed to too narrow.
Good luck.

[Big Al]

Have a look at this site http://www.wis.co.uk/andy/16mm/index.html