Hey Fellow Mrxrder’s
I have a question, I’m running modern era equipment such as ac4400’s mac’sd90’s etc (six wheeled axled loco’s. What would be the best radius I could run without the loco derailing and looking realistic. Note:( I have about 2 feet in width to work with here.) I have been goin’ nutso trying to figure out the right deminsions[banghead] Thanks for the help[swg]
Sincerely,
TrainsRMe
Those are big engines… I am sure you will get alot of different replies to this but here is some info to help you out. I have some -9’s, SD70 and AC4400s on my layout.
You can get away with maybe 20-22 depending on the maker. They usually list operating minimums. That wont look good at all but it will work.
24" radius is OK. Runs well, looks ok.
26-28 is great and still pratical.
When is doubt, get as much as you can.
Thanks Canazar, I will give that a shot[swg]
Trains,
If 4’ is your maximum width then 22" will be your maximum radii. Some 6-axle locomotives and longer, modern rolling stock should operate fine on that size curve. However, they won’t necessarily look good doing it.
If you plan on having opposing curves on your layout, make sure you separate them with a section of straight track that is as long as your longest piece of rolling stock or locomotive. Otherwise, you create an “S” curve and run the risk of derailments.
Hope that helps…
Tom
re you in N or HO? 2’ in N will allow 11" radius, not too bad, but is you could squeeze 30" or 36" it’d be better. In HO you can’t turn anything but a trolley in 2’!! That’d be 11" - trollys can do about 9". [%-)]
I run 31 inches. Yes I take up more room but no worries on equiptment except the most largest of Brass engines built in the old ways.
Perfect timing. I have a hollow core door 87" x 25.5". I want to run P42, E8/9 and a bunch of Superliner and California Zephyr on it. The max radius I can squeeze is 12" with little room at the edge. My next compromise is either a 11.5" or 11".
Do you think I am risking too much with that 11" or max 12" radius and long modern equipment? Will there be serious overhang?
Jimmy
I have an HO test track with 10" radius curves and my NW2 runs fine on it, as do 0-4-0s and 0-6-0s. They look fine too. Lots of myths get perpetrated in this hobby.
That would be one man’s opinion. Why don’t you take a pic and let others make up their own mind?
Can you couple a car to your loco? I imagine the couple overhang would be pushing its’ operational limits.
David B
Of course it’s one man’s opinion. That’s all anyone can have. And yes I can couple cars to the locos. But I’m not going to post a photo here just so the aloof ones can say, “See, I told you it would look bad.”
I was replying to a guy who said nothing bigger than a trolley could negotiate 11" radius curves, and that simply is not true.
Nobody on this forum uses prototype sized curves. That being the case, it’s up to the individual modeller to decide what looks right for him. I just threw in the comment, “They look fine” to save people the trouble of posting the standard next question, “Yeah, but how do they look.”
As someone once said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
I am also modelling modern equipment (including long intermodal flats and autoracks) in N-scale and settled on a minimum radius of 15". What really helped me was to get a 4’ x 8’ sheet of homasote and mockup some temporary track arrangements with different radii from 11" up to 24". I then took lots of pictures and compared the results and decided that 15" looked really good. Note that I am trying to fit a layout in a limited space and am trying to find the smallest acceptable radius for that space. A better approach would be to find the largest radius that your space can accomodate, but this is not always possible. Jamie
Folks:
If you bring the layout up closer to the eye of the beholder, sharp curves look better, as you can’t judge the radius as easily.
There was a railroad in MR (or was it RMC) recently which used HO scale and curves this sharp. Locos were small 4 and 6 wheel switchers. There was once a lot of work
HarryHotsput, You are obviously going to do whatever you want - if you don’t want someone else’s opion, don’t ask.
I didn’t ask. [:)]
Again, you are trying to pass off your opinion as fact. The fact is that there are layouts on these forums that actually use prototype size radius. I for one do not, but they are out there.
For example, if someone has a switching layout and uses #10s as his switches, then he is well within the prototype. Or, if someone is making a pier-based layout with tight radius, then, again he is well within prototype practice.
My groups uses 80" min radius. Again, well within prototype practice.
I am a little discouraged that you wont back up your previous statement without a pic as I would like to see your switcher go around a 10" radius (as would many others).
David B
David, what is “my groups”?
How does one post a photo?
BTW, please keep in mind that what I have is a test track, not a layout. But on my next layout I’m gonna work in a section of 80" radius curve just so I can say I have it. [:)]
“My Groups” would be the groups I belong to. I have to use plural because we include other Free-Mo groups in our setups. Hence, I belong to Groups rather than one Group.
To post a pic do the following.
Go to Photobucket and sign up for an account.
Take your picture.
Transfer said picture to your computer.
Resize your photo with XNVIEW or equivilant to keep dial-up people happy.
Upload your picture to photobucket by signing into your photobucket acount and browsing to your picture.
Copy the URL of your picture and place it between IMG tags.
David B
I have seen trolley layouts that have engines that are essentially the same drive as 4 axle diesel go around 10" or sharper curves. What’s the big deal? Its not much of a challenge.
There are N scale “layouts” where the inside rail of the “loop” is a half dollar.
Dave H.
DB:
Well, he was not strictly correct in that one sentence then, although if he said “99% of modelers aren’t using prototype sized Class 1 mainline radii” he’d probably be way on the safe side. But the rest of his points are worth repeating, I think…“don’t dismiss, try” is one, and “rules are made to be broken” is another…at the very least, if you try and fail, you find o
David -
Did you know that at least one real railroad used 2-6-6-2 Mallets on track having curves with a radius equivalent to 15" in HO scale? I think it was the Uintah.