18" radius WILL derail my trains? That’s a certain fact? That’s odd, mine take 18" radius turns very well with no derailing and I’ve run locos ranging from Hustlers to the DDA40X, the biggest diesel loco ever built, without derailing, even through #4 turnouts at high speed. And I use all Bachmann NS EZ Track! I have no problems with 6 axle units either. Half my fleet is made up of SD’s and E units. I run an Athearn AC4400 that was made for 24" radius minimum. After a small modification to the coupler pockets, it runs and pulls just fine on 18" radius. That kinda blows a big hole in your doom and gloom statement, doesn’t it. I can’t use larger radius curves due to space constraints and N scale IS NOT an option for me. I have severe nerve damage due to diabetes and spinal meningitis (two things I wouldn’t wish on anyone) and I have an extremely difficult time with small items. Try working on your N scale locos while wearing heavy leather work gloves and you’ll have an idea of what I mean. Until you’ve been there, you just don’t know.
Jeff, I think the reason that some people feel that 18" radii will not work for them, is the trackwork. You use EZ trak which is exact in placement of each section and alignment. Those who use Flex track are prone to have problems “if” they are not very exacting with the placement of their tracks…an error in 18" alignment or radius and there will be problem for sure.
Jeff: Just because all your 6 axle diesels work on your 18" layout, doesn’t guarantee HIS will (Different manufacturers, different designs, different costs).
Shawnee: When you build your layout, you’ll find out what works, and what doesn’t. Come back & tell us, won’t you?
I am in your boat, small room and restricting radius, but I think I solved my issues fine.
My modeling rules are for mainline 24" minimum, with maybe 22" just to tweak in somewhere.My South Shore is 26" minimum for my Lil Joe. Point to Point only there.
Industrial areas can go to 18" or 15" and #4’s or sharper for small freight cars.
Then I design from there. The layout I have designed is multi-railroad and mountaineous and cityfied multi-level. Maybe some spaghetti bowling, but operating is my thing and cram it in.
With 18" radius track, do you run 85’ Superliners? 89’ Autoracks or TOFC flats? …With bodymounted couplers? Up a grade?
I didn’t think so. I did, and it was hell. HO is fine, if you have the space. But I don’t.
18" radius track should be banned.
I ran 50 foot Round house passenger cars on a layout visit once. That railroad had very close to 18" radius. I gotta tell ya, those 50 footers is the max I would go on the 18-20" and even then they kinda bulk out past the track at the corners, inside middle overhang etc.
Instead of one big woodchip hopper why not a few small ones?
You can run full length piggy backs, heavyweights and autoracks on 18" if you want to. It’s your railroad, your choices. But that aint happening on mine. The mains I plan for mine will be 36" radius max.
I don’t run any passenger equipment with the exception of a clerestory baggage car that’s on the end of a MoW train. I don’t like the look of the passenger cars. As for the autoracks and long flats, I know there’re too long for me to run, therefore I don’t. As a rule, I generally don’t run anything over 60’ and I don’t miss the longer stuff. I have a limited amount of space and can’t go to a smaller scale, so I make the most of what I’ve got to work with. I can’t go to a bigger radius because of the aforementioned space limitations. If 18" was banned it woulf freeze out people who have no other way to go.
A silly comment, hopefully made tongue in cheek.
Of course there is a time and place for 18" radius in HO as Jeffrey Wimberly so well points out.
This is a fun hobby that is fun because we can all adapt it to our own personal needs, as time, space, money and health afford. Who’s to say that any part of it should be banned if it works and provides enjoyment for someone else?
Eighteen Inch Radius Curves Are fine - for 40’ and 50’ cars and GP type 4 axle engines.
Problems start happening with longer equipment. NMRA “Recommended Practice” is 3X the car length. A 40’ car is approximately 6" long - X3 = 18 inches. See? - & these are minimums. Can you run longer? Sure, but problems inrease.
‘Braggining about’ a piece of equipment “staying on ones track” is not an endorsement of either quality or one’s skills.
ONE thing that is absolutely ‘sure’ to kill one’s fun, are DERAILMENTS.
Shawn,
Have you considered using 22" curves? I started off using 18" curves then found the limitations to it.
I ended up removing all of the mainline 18" curves & using 22".
I can generally get all but the 86’ freight cars around them.
I’m getting ready to tear down my current layout as I’m moving & when I rebuild, I will be using 24 - 30" curves on the mainline, 22" curves in the yard & 18" on any industrial spur if any curves are required
My new layout will not be bigger than yours & I currently have a 9X12 layout for my HO scale railroad.
Just my 2 cents
Gordon
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=183400
Oh, ya, check this out for prototypical radius.
Gordon
[:)]
Two big problems I had was making a joint between two pieces of flextrack in the middle of of the 18" curve and fitting a reversing loop in the middle.
The joint had to be “perfect” or it would come out with a short kink that was obviously less than 18" radius. Of course, the drawing on paper was “perfect.” My big boxcar and the passenger car didn’t like that, but the SD40-2 and the rest of the freight cars did OK. You shouldn’t have this problem with sectional track, however. I ended up changing to 22" minimum.
The layout just wasn’t long enough for the reversing loop, so I ended up rebuilding the layout to 12 feet long with a double track main oval and the reversing loop in the middle of the oval. It looks a bit toyish, but that’s OK. I will have industry/farm sidings and a small yard in the middle. Now everything runs fine, including backing through the reversing loop.
[:)]
An ancient issue of RMC had a photograph of a KCS 85 foot obs being turned on the 179 foot radius leg of the famous - or infamous depending o
I’ve found that on my layout, all my curves are 18"min, but i have my layout fairly high and the curves are viewed from the inside, making it appear more gentle. i also plan to have 22" easments into the 18 curves. from my point of veiw, i can’t tell how sharp it is and it looks good.