Hi my layout is 2ft 6" wide in “n” gauge, and i need to know the minimum curve i can set on flexitrack (peco code 55) it will allow me to use without problems later once its all ballasted and settled.
At the moment my longest loco is kato SD 90 is this a good measure to judge by if it can cope with the curves i choose, a friend has suggested to get an old car and lengthen it to test when im laying the track all is well
many thanks
iomtt
Kato claims the SD90 will handle 9-3/4" curves, but they recommend at least 11. Depending on the rest of your rolling stock, the SD90 might well be the decider. I think you are going to want the largest radius that will fit in your space for a beast the size of an SD90. Allowing some clearance on the sides, that is going to be in the 13 to 13-1/2" range.
[#ditto] I was going to recommend 12, but 13 1/2 sounds a lot better.
The best thing to do is build a test track with curves of various radii, and see how well you like your train’s performance.
That’s what I did, and it really opened my eyes.
The Kato SD90 is a big engine and will look and track better on a radius of 11" or more.
Cheers,
Cliff