The Miniature Railway Supply Co Ltd
42 Stratford Way, Boxmoor
Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP3 9AS
ENGLAND
Phone/24hr Answerphone/Fax 01442 214702
International Phone/Answerphone/Fax +44 1442 214702
www.miniaturerailwaysupply.com
e-mail: sales@miniaturerailwaysupply.com

5/8" High Aluminium Rail - Expansion Chart
4m Lengths

The following conditions need to be met for the information in the table below to be valid:
Fish bolt Hole diameter (obround) : 6.0mm x 4.3mm
First hole centre from rail end : 9.525mm (3/8")
Second hole pitch from first hole : 19.05mm (3/4")
The rail ends must be sawn clean and square and free from burs etc
The fish plates used are Miniature Railway Supply Company fish plates
Miniature Railway Supply Company standard M4 obround neck fishbolts and nuts are used to secure the fish plates
This allows a maximum gap of 2.4mm with fishbolts in Standard configuration
or gap of 3.3mm with fishbolts in High Expansion configuration (see here)
The figures are per 4 metre lengths of rail
The coefficient of expansion has been taken as 0.0255 millimetres per metre per degree C.

The temperatures given below are that of the RAIL which is likely to be different to the ambient temperature
To provide effective jointing you need to assume face to face joints at maximum rail temperature and therefore gap the joint as appropriate depending on the rail temperature when laid
The operating range of this rail before putting joints under tension/compression is
25°C with standard configuration fishbolts
or
35°C with High Expansion configuration fishbolts see here
Click here for instructions on how to use this table


4m Lengths
5/8" Aluminium Rail
Rail temperature when laid (degrees C)
Maximum Rail Temp
(degrees C)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
-15-1.35-1.8-2.25-2.7-3.15-3.6-4.05-4.5-4.95
-10-0.9-1.35-1.8-2.25-2.7-3.15-3.6-4.05-4.5
-5-0.45-0.9-1.35-1.8-2.25-2.7-3.15-3.6-4.05
00-0.45-0.9-1.35-1.8-2.25-2.7-3.15-3.6
50.450-0.45-0.9-1.35-1.8-2.25-2.7-3.15
100.90.450-0.45-0.9-1.35-1.8-2.25-2.7
151.350.90.450-0.45-0.9-1.35-1.8-2.25
201.81.350.90.450-0.45-0.9-1.35-1.8
252.251.81.350.90.450-0.45-0.9-1.35
302.72.251.81.350.90.450-0.45-0.9
353.152.72.251.81.350.90.450-0.45
403.63.152.72.251.81.350.90.450
454.053.63.152.72.251.81.350.90.45
504.54.053.63.152.72.251.81.350.9
554.954.54.053.63.152.72.251.81.35
605.44.954.54.053.63.152.72.251.8
655.855.44.954.54.053.63.152.72.25
706.35.855.44.954.54.053.63.152.7
756.756.35.855.44.954.54.053.63.15
This data only applies to Miniature Railway Supply Company products


Back to Rail Expansion Data


Back to homepage