Kato / Tomix Shinkansen 500 min. turn radius?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi,

I was wondering if anybody has tried to run a Kato / Tomix Shinkansen 500 set on a 249mm 9 3/4” turn? Per Kato, their Shinkansen 500 minimum turn radius is 315mm 12 3/8” per the box.

Will the 500 actually negotiate a 9 3/4” turn, with some uncharacteristic over-hang or does it actually pinch and de-rail?

Thanks for the advice!
-reg

[8)] I would like to purchase a 500, even if I have to run it at slow speeds, to go along with my TGV Atlantic which fortunately can negotiate a 9 3/4” turn at speed on my layout.

2

I do know the Kato set is very unforgiving of tight curves - my brother has one, and our next N-scale layout will need to have very gentle curves for it to run. The problem seemed to be mainly with the lead trucks on the end cars which would jam against the side skirts and derail if it tried to run through too tight a curve. Hope this is of some help!

3

Hi Railroading_Brit,

Thanks for the advice. I looked at a couple of close up pictures of the Kato 500 and I can see what you#8217;re saying. Those shrouds over the wheels look like they can be problematic since they look like they are the limiting factor to the turning radius of the cars. Thanks for pointing that out!

-reg