Hello all. This is my first post. Need some opinions, if you will. I am getting into the larger, scale-sized steamers that run on a minimum of O54. My ‘train room’ is 20 ft by 13.5 ft. I was told by my hobby shop to use the largest curve I could. Problem is, by doing so I am restricted to a shelf-style, around the walls layout. I would like to avoid a duckunder or lift-out if possible. I came up with a C-shaped (or folded dogbone) around the walls with an aisle, but the maximun curve I could use would be O54. Does anyone have any opinions / experience with using scale steamers and O54 curves?? Do they look out of place?? Thanks in advance for your input!!
1st off [#welcome]
I don’t have any scale engines, but I do have some long passenger cars that are rated for O-31, and some for O-42 and they look aweful on those radii. I have a minimum O-45 layout and the O-31 cars look great on them, O-42 still look a bit out of place with a slightly larger than I would like overhang.
If you have to go O-54 I wouldn’t try anything over O-42 min, the overhang will cause you to have to have wider than normal track spacing so the engines don’t bang into each other, or into longer passenger cars. If you are going O-54 most, if not all, passenger cars should look fine on them.
What I would recommend is buying one of the engines you are looking at and testing it out on some test track first to see if you can live with the overhang…
Thanks for the welcome. I have a simple oval of O72 that I use now, and the trains look fine. My worry is that I commit to a plan with O54, build it, and find it doesn’t look fine. I’m thinking around the walls with larger radius to be safe. A duckunder would be a compromise, but everywhere I read that is all part of the game.
Check out the coffee pot from about 5 or so pages back… Chief has a drop down that works pretty good (better than a duckunder IMHO). Don Baker built a liftout bridge, but we have yet to see pictures of that (at least I haven’t seen any).
Very interesting question !!! My trainroom is 20x12, and I had some similiar questions when I was trying to figure out this layout plan.
My goals were -
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MUST be able to accomodate 72 curves. (I had the Lionel 072 Cab Forward, and the Lionel Big Boy w/Legacy on order)
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Do NOT want any pop-ups, or crawl unders.
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MUST be able to run 2 trains on oppossing tracks, simultaneously.
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MUST be able to reverse the direction of the trains,
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Maximize switching options (I love to do switching)
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Need a Engine Yard, Industridal area.
So this is the layout design I currently am working too. (Seriously doubt it will be the final one.)
Brent is correct I haven’t posted any pictures of the Bridge yet. It just isn’t that pretty. But it does work! And the best part is it works consistently.
Below is bridge, you will notice at the entrance some material using to adjust track height to mate with track in bridge. (Bridge is from MTH, I removed the plastic bottom and replaced with sheet metal for additional strength. (In the near background there is a “black” area, that provides accessibilty on the other side of this penninsula.
Bridge from other side. Notice I said it isn’t pretty!
Bridge OPEN for accessibility. Simply hinges. Track does NOT make electrical contact on the hinged side. Track MUST allign correctly and closely.
Regarding opinions of track size, engine size etc…
I have a LOVE/HATE relationshi
[#welcome]
As Brent said, don’t automatically discount the duckunder/lift-out. Although my layout is small (6’ x 9’), I am more of a scale guy and would strongly advocate doing whatever possible to get the widest diameter curves into the layout. While I primarily run switchers (0-4-0 and 0-6-0) on 36" and 54" diameters, I would love to run some big steamers. I am envious of the space you have for your layout. [;)] Keep us posted on your progress.
Regards,
John
Judging by the size of my train room (smaller than yours), you should have plenty of room for O72 curves. (Even on O72, a Railking Big Boy looks a little silly, not to mention a scale GG-1!) I would make at least two tracks with O72 curves and think that O42 is fine for the rest. You can get a “train squeezer” to grab derailed cars from a distance. If you frame with 2x4’s and cover with 3/4" plywood like I did, you can walk all over it like Gulliver and straighten out problems in hands-on fashion.
Welcome to da Forum.
I had a smaller layout back in 2006 and took it down to be replaced by my present layout with 0-72, 0-54,0-42,-0-27 curves. Best move I made. Saw the Lionel BB and just had to get it, along with Legacy. Love the Big stuff so went with the larger track. BB does have big overhang and looks bad even on 0-72 curves. Even some of my 18 inch passenger cars cut the corners a little but not that much. Hope this helps?
Again welcome to DA FORUM.
My new layout from 2006
BB overhang…
laz57
Welcome to the forum. Laz is right, O-72 is the recommended minimum curve for running scale steamers such as the Big Boy. I had to readjust my layout a couple of times (meaning tearing it down and rebuilding it) to get to something that can handle the MTH O-72 NH electrics, and I’m still not done. I wish I had more room (and I have my eye on a 25’ x 10’ space), but it’s just not happening at this point.
Obviously, a duckunder or moveable bridge is not optimal, but what in life is? Make your own choice according to your wishes - the duckunder/bridge solution with an around-the-room layout, or a folded dogbone, or just keep the big engines on a shelf and build an O-54 (or smaller) layout.
One additional thing to keep in mind - there are quite a few engines rated for O-72 that can actually run on smaller curves, so if you have one or two like that you can get away with it. It’s not pretty, as others have noted.
You should feel lucky you haven’t been bitten by the 2-rail scale bug yet, where engines sometimes require the equivalent of O-144!
NH Chris
Laz…thanks for the pics. We now know where that ebay seller FoxyLady lives, on your layout. Jack
LOL, JACK, I’m waiting for the double Ds[;)].
laz57
Thanks for the warm welcomes and the tips!! Anyone else out there with larger scale engines (24" to 26") and smaller (54" to 63") diameter curves??
I have a K-Line Allegheny that is 26 inches long but designed for O-31 minimum curves but works better on O-45+
[#welcome] PereMarquette1225,
You will need at least 072 and maybe 084 or 096(Gargraves track radius for curves) for some of the larger scale locomotives, especially if you run a scale 4-6-6-6-4 steam loco, they do make them that big but are expensive to buy as well.
I have an MTH T1 steam loco that runs on 042 but has some trouble at times and I am using Gargraves track which is just a little larger in radius than Lionel tubular for the same size curve.
If 054 don’t work that well try opening it up at the curves by putting a half section of straight track between two curves, you won’t need 072 track that way.
Lee F.
Did you see what she posted on Ebay yesterday for Valentine’s Day?! Only one of the best cabooses I’ve seen all week! [:P]
Use the widest curves you can get away with. Also think about using more than one curve size, and easements.
Jim
welcome to the forum, depending where the opening in the room is you can use 3 walls with a turn around at each end.
Lee who built the 4-6-6-6-4?, is that a Super Challenger? [swg]
Be careful of your track spacing on curves, I run some 18" K Line Heavy Weight Passenger cars on the outside track of the CTC&W which is O-54 curves, and a LionMaster Big Boy on the adjacent inside track, which is O-42, with O-54 transitions and when the Big Boy passes those passenger cars in the curves, I wouldn’t want to get even SCALE size fingers in between them, and I have 5 1/2" track spacing center to center. The LionMaster Big Boy is designed to run on O-31 curves, but WOW are things hanging out in space that ought not be, it is about 30" long.
Doug
Consider using spiral curves. These start with a long radius, O72 track in your case, then transition to a shorter radius, O54 in your case. They are an excellent way to tuck a sharp curve into a corner without having it look sharp. I suspect that at least one end of your dogbone will be in a corner. You should be able to use O54 for the back part of it and reduce the width of the loop to the equivalent of O63. If you pull the other loop back into the room a few feet, you should be able to get a narrow aisle between the loops.
Can you describe for us where the door is?
Hello all. Thanks for all the great info. Currently I have a Hudson and a Berkshire. I don’t plan on getting anything larger. I was running my scale Berkshire yesterday and I think anything smaller than O-72 will produce an overhang that I wouldn’t be happy with. I was trying to avoid purchasing a loop of O-54 just to ‘try it’. Anyone else out there with similar size engines with O-54 or O-63?? How do they look 'rounding the bend??