Track Distance Solver

When planning a layout, especially when using a CAD tool to do so, you often times need to find the right combination of tack in order to span a gap. The Track Solver is a simple lookup table for gaps of various lengths, showing which BRIO straight track are needed to create that length. It gives you the most efficient solution, spanning the gap with the fewest track pieces being used. You can adjust the solution by making use of the track equivalences:

  • 1 D = 2 A1 = 4 A2
  • 2 D = 3 A

A few notes about the track solver:

  • With BRIO track you can only build lengths in 18mm increments. Below 270mm, the increments can be as long as 36mm or 54mm.
  • If you’re fortunate enough to have A3, you can create 72mm, 126mm, 180mm, and 234mm lengths. These are highlighted in the table below. A3 is not needed for lengths greater than 234mm, as these can all be made with combinations of other track.
  • If you have 3rd party track of a non-standard length (such as the Jesse’s Toy Box 3″ straight or the Maxim 3″ straight) and you want to see if they help, simply subtract the track length of the 3rd party track piece from the needed distance, and look up the new distance on the chart.
  • The Vario System means that “close” is generally “close enough”, but short runs of straight track are much less flexible than long runs, and curves are significantly more flexible than straights.
Distance
(mm)		 Increment
(mm)		 A2
54 mm		 A3
72 mm		 A1
108 mm		 A
144 mm		 D
216 mm
54 54 1
72 18 1
108 36 (54†) 1
126 18 1 1
144 18 (36†) 1
162 18 1 1
180 18 1 1
198 18 (36†) 1 1
216 18 1
234 18 1 1 1
252 18 (36†) 1 1
270 18 1 1
288 18 2
306 18 1 1 1
324 18 1 1
342 18 1 2
360 18 1 1
378 18 1 1 1
396 18 1 2
414 18 1 1 1
432 18 2
450 18 1 1 2
468 18 1 1 1
486 18 1 2
504 18 2 1
522 18 1 1 1 1
540 18 1 2
558 18 1 2 1
576 18 2 1 1
594 18 1 1 2
612 18 1 2 1
630 18 1 1 2
648 18 3

†The larger increment assumes no A3 track is available.