What’s the smallest radius these engines can work.You can read about 18’', but what’s about brass?
And can you go smaller? Who has some experience?
Wolfgang
Just like any other scale/gauge combination, it depends on what engine you’re talking about.
Brass doesn’t always equate to better cornering abilities, and sometimes can be the archilles heel. That is to say that with lead trucks, there is a better chance of a short circuit when all the parts are made of a conductive metal when you start pushing them to the extreme limits than with plastic.
Both can be fiddled with to be more reliable on curves, but shays,and climaxes would be better from the start, partly due to the fact that they were designed for this from the start.
Yes, but I ask for some experience. It’s clear, a shay has another minimum radius than a bigger engine.
But which engines do you have (manufactorer ! ) which what minumum radius!
The Blackstone HOn3 K-27 should go over 18’', you can read. What does she really manage? What’s about another manufactorer?
Wolfgang
I think you are asking for something that isn’t there. In HOn3, very few of us (I’ve never heard of anybody) have a testing program to see how tight a curve a given locomotive will take. Most of us pick a minimum radius that we feel will let us run our chosen locomotives without any significant problems.
If I’m stuck with a small minimum radius (15" - 18" in my case, depending on the layout design I finally choose), I don’t try to run the largest possible locomotive through it. My test layout I am building will have somewhere between15" radius and 17" minimum radius for the HOn3 line. The MDC inside frame 2-8-0 (C-20 ish) is the largest locomotive I would even attempt - and I doubt I will even try that. MDC advertised an 18" minimum radius, but I have heard of success down to 15"
Many of the brass K series 2-8-2s need 22" to avoid shorting while on curves. You can probably modify them to do less. Brass locomotive manufacturers seldom tested to a given radius, and often there is no minimum stated.
Blackstone tested their K-27 to 17" radius and Shinohara #4 turnouts. Recommended minimum radius is 18".
MDC (Roundhouse) Shays have been known to struggle on 15" radius - the telescoping line shafts will usually only work on the outside on a 15" radius. Again, the manufacturer advertised 18" radius. I am assuming my smaller Keystone Sha
I was asking for a definition of the term “these engines,” from the original question. Your original question was too vague. You gave us no idea what you had (if anything) or what you were planning to model.
I have an old MDC 2-8-0 in HOn3 and it works well on an 18 inch radius curve.
When an ad says that a certain piece of rolling stock should or will go over a certain minimum radius, it means that the track has to be near perfectly laid and you will be running it at a low speed. Rarely, is overhang or appearance taken into consideration in these claims.
I want to build a module with a wye. I have no idea which engine will run on the layout and on my module.
Now I have to plan if it is possible to build a wye at the module, if the radius can be as sharp as needed. I think of two legs, about 21’’ and the other about 18’'.
Wolfgang
Eighteen-inch radius should do 'er except for the larger locomotives such as the brass K-class locomotives. Such tight radii don’t look too bad because the rails are closer together. An 18" curve in HOn3 looks at least as good as (and operates like) a 24" curve in HO. I’d recommend turnouts larger than #4 in HOn3 because the radius is sharper due to the closer rails.
Mark
Thank you for the knowledge. Fred W, your list is good.
Today I did some testing, here’re the data. I will take my test track to the next FREMO meeting to get more data.
Wolfgang
So, it looks like these smallish locomotives will work at 15 to 16-inch radii.
Mark
Doesn’t Grandt line have some little deisels that could probably do about 12" radius. Dudler’ do you get Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazzette?? Good mag for those little gauges and engines. Theres also a couple websites around for micro layouts. I’ll see if I can spot something for ya. BILL
edit,Dudler,check out carendt.com for micro layouts and accessories.BILL