Meet the New Bender!

Unlike the smaller model railroad scales in which the track is light enough that it may be curved and bent by hand, garden railroad track is heavy enough that it must be bent by a machine - a rail bender. These specialized tools use a three roller pinching arrangement to force the track to take a curve. In this photo a short, single piece of rail has been bent all the way into a small circle:



















A rail bender like this one requires the rails to be disassembled from the plastic ties before bending, then reassembled afterward. Because the inner and outer rails on a curve are of smaller and larger radii, the rails must be bent accordingly, with care taken to ensure that the rails remain in gauge (the same distance apart) from with each other. Because the tracks around Cornelia are a solid mess of curves and switches, I've been a little apprehensive about the upcoming track laying!

My mind was put totally at ease this afternoon after I tried the new dual rail bender I just got from Norm's Model Supply.






















Unlike single rail benders, Norm's bender has two sets of rollers that bend both rails at the same time while they are still attached to the ties. You literally run the thing back and forth on the track in a motion like ironing a shirt and the curve appears immediately. Turn the big knob a little farther and the curve gets a little deeper.






















Before:





















After:





















In a matter of minutes I was able to shape the lower half of the loop around the oak tree.





















This bender also allows curves of specific radii to be made by using the gauge and a provided chart, but because I am bound to follow the roadboards that are already in place, I can merely loosen or tighten the main knob as needed to get the curve desired. Still, its nice to have the dial indicator and bubble levels to provide a "dashboard" to let you know what you are doing.

A little more expensive than the simple single rail benders, but the ease of use and ability to deliver perfectly curved track should make it well worth the extra investment. A huge "thumbs up" for this great tool!