Terms of Service

By using ModelRailCalc you agree to these terms. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the site.

What this site is

ModelRailCalc publishes calculators, reference charts and buying guidance for model railroading. It is an information site supported by affiliate commissions. Nothing is sold directly here, and we never ask for payment details.

Use of the site

You may read, print and use anything here for your own model railroading, including commercially if you build layouts for a living. You may not:

• Republish substantial portions of the content as your own.
• Scrape the site at a rate that degrades it for other people.
• Use it to build a competing database of product information.
• Misrepresent our recommendations, or present our figures as tested results.

Quoting a figure or a table with attribution and a link is fine and welcome. That is what the reference charts are for.

Accuracy and the limits of the guidance

We work hard to be accurate and we will still sometimes be wrong. Everything here is researched guidance, not professional advice, and the disclaimer sets out the limits in detail, including the difference between a published standard and a rule of thumb, and where to defer to a licensed professional.

Verify anything that matters before you act on it. Check a radius, clearance or grade against your own equipment before cutting wood or laying rail. Confirm a current price before budgeting around it. A manufacturer's stated figure for a specific model always takes priority over any general rule here.

Calculators

The calculators run entirely in your browser and are provided as planning tools. They show the formula they used so you can check the working. They are not a substitute for measuring your own equipment and your own space, and we accept no liability for a layout built to a figure that was not verified.

Affiliate links and third parties

This site contains affiliate links, primarily to Amazon. See the affiliate disclosure for how that works. Products, prices and availability are controlled by the retailer, not by us, and any purchase is a transaction between you and them under their terms. We are not responsible for the products themselves, their fitness for your purpose, their delivery or their warranty.

Intellectual property

The text, calculators, tables and design of this site belong to us. Product names, brands, trademarks and product images belong to their respective owners and are used to identify the products discussed. NMRA standards and recommended practices are the property of the National Model Railroad Association; we cite them and do not reproduce them.

No warranty and limitation of liability

This site is provided as is and as available, without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error free, or that any figure here is suitable for your particular purpose.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we accept no liability for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage arising from your use of this site or from anything you build, buy or decide as a result of it.

Changes

We may update these terms. The current version is always the one on this page, with the date shown at the top. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.

Questions: get in touch.