i have HO 15" track and my wood chipp hopper wont turn that sharp without jumping the rail. i dont exactly how long it is, but from measureing the hieght(16’)and puting htat to the length, i estimated 72’-76’.im wondering how long do you think i can go with friehgt cars? i no every1 says go with the widest track… but with the sapce i have this is the widest i can go. any feedback is much appreciated!
I am not surprised. A 72’ car should have 30" radius curves. With 15" curves I would stick with cars that are 40’ or shorter. On the layout where I have 15" curves the longest car I have is a 36’ (Bachmann old timer types).
Having said that, in your situation you might want to hunt for cars that have the couplers mounted on the trucks rather than the body. This will allow the coupler to follow the curvature of the track rather than swinging out off toward the outside of the curve. Same for the locomotive. I have an Atlas RS3 (fairly small) that I cannot use on 18" curves. Not because the locomotive can’t handle it but because of how far its couplers swing, so I can’t easily hook it to other things.
its not the couplers. its just that the axle wont turn that far. the car can make if i significantly slow down. i have a bachman gp40 that runs just fine on my track.
I would correct your statement. Your engine doesn’t run fine. It tolerates a curve way below what it could handle in real life. If you want dependable operation at that radius you will have to stick to very small engines and cars. 40’ cars and switchers primarily. no offense intended but 18" is considered tight by about 99% of people.
15" is way below what most people would consider acceptable. It is way too sharp for most model equipment. In specific situations with the right equipment, you might get by with it but you are asking way too much having a 70+ footer go around a curve like that. It should derail. Everytime. You need either shorter cars or broader curves.
earthqu8kes,
How big of a layout do you have?
As others have pointed out, 15" radius curves are meant for short cars of 40’ or less. 72-76’ cars are just way TOO long for that radius. Norm has it right that certain cars and locomotives will “tolerate” tight curves but they will both work and look better running on larger radii.
I have a standard 4 x 8 layout and have 22" radius curves on my mainline except for 3 sections of 18", which are surrounded by two tracks of 22" radius on each end, to serve as easements. Even with 22" radus curves, I mostly run 40’ rolling stock, with an occasional 46’ gondola and 50’ boxcar added in for variety.
Rule of thumb: Go as large as you can on curves - unless your layout plans MUST dictate it otherwise.
Tom
i have a big desk,but i ahve to keep 3/4 of it for homework. so the remaining space comes to…55"x32". so yes 15" is biggest i can get.i have a very small room. on top of my desk is a loft bed. i also have a bed withplywood under the mattress, but my mom wont let me take the mattress off and build a layout on the plywood[V]. if i did i it would be 41"x60". so i still couldnt run 22" track[:(!] [sigh] [:(]
Since your layout is limited, you are going to have to go with shorter cars and locos. You might want to model large modern equipment but the size of your layout prohibits that. All modelers have to make adjustments to fit their limitations. Hang on to the bigger equipment for the day you have room for a bigger layout. Until then, there are choices you can make to fit your situation. You might consider modeling an earlier era when cars were smaller or you could go with a switching type layout that doesn’t require a full loop.
HOwdeep are you in HO?Alternate till you hae mor rigt of wy may b "N"gauge. Other optionis HOn3 Ho body “N” cale track, they handle the mall radius.“got to dump this keyoard”
earthqu8kes,
Since you are quite limited in your available space, you may want to consider a switching layout. You could do you school work on the front 24-26", leaving you 6-8" of space on the back side for switching.
55" is a nice width. Can you build anything off you desk to extend it further to the right or left? Just a thought…
Tom
how much room do u need for a 18" radius turn???
About 40 inches for an 18" half turn. (Including roadbed)
thanks for all your help guys. i’m going to my local hobby store after lunch.i’m gunna look for rolling stock under 40’.CAN’T WAIT.