I have a 5x9 HO layout modeled after Atlas track plan 28 the Granite Gorge and Northern, and I’ve modeled it for the most part as is from the Atlas book but I was wondering would Kato’s new Metra commuter cars run on the layout on the outer line? I know the loco would be fine as it’s standard size but the commuter cars i don’t know. The outer curves are 22’’ radius and inner curves are 18inch radius. I have a Amtrak set with the GE 40-8B loco and Athearn passenger cars that run fine but the Metra commuter cars look longer and not sure if they would navigate the curves or would their be too much overhang if they did. I think the couplers are spring loaded, im not sure. Any ideas or suggestions? I love running passenger trains more than anything and since im from Chicago, I was very excited with Kato came out with these cars.
are the athearns superliners, or phase 1 Amtrak cars? if Metra cars 85’ like their BN counterparts then you’d probably be safe operating them on that wide of curves I think don’t take my word exactly.
Athearn’s ‘RTR’ passenger cars(old ‘Blue Box’ ones) are 72’ long. The Bi-Level Kato cars are full length 85’ cars. They might get around a 22" radius curve. but I would test them first. Has anyone here on the forums run a train of these HO cars around 22" radius curves?
The Walthers full length passenger cars will not go around 22" radius without ‘surgery’ to the under body so that the trucks can swivel far enough. Evan with the ‘surgery’, you might have issues with diaphragms hanging up. My old layout had ‘easemented’ 22" radius curves. Athearn passenger cars with diaphragms and body mounted couplers would reliably track around the curves, but sort of look out of place doing it.
Jim
I’ve got these cars and they’ll run fine around 22" curves. My layout has 22" curves on the inner track and 24" on the outer track. I have run these cars on the inner track at 22" no problem!
As far as the couplers go, there are two types, the stock couplers and the kinematic couplers. The kinematic couplers require taking off the truck assembly and mounting a coupler converter under the car. This is included with the cars. This allows the cars to run closer together. I am able to run the cars in this configuration on my layout with no problems!
Hope this helps!
Thanks alot as I didn’t want to spend a alot of money on these cars ($79.98) and then get excited and when I get them on the track the diaphrams or couplers started either hanging up and/or derailing or there was too much overhang where it would look out of place. I wonder if Kato is going to come out with the new engine that Metra uses now. I see they have it for N scale but not for HO???
http://katousa.com/HO/F40PH/index.html this is for their locomotives.
http://katousa.com/HO/Bilevel/index.html this is for their cars