What's your largest radius??????

[Anonymous]

They did a review in the May issue of Classic Toy Trains,of a box electric loco that operates on O-72 curves.How many of us out there operate on that wide a radius??? I don't. I don't even think I can run that wide in my back yard. Thanks Easter

[phillyreading]

I am running mainly O-42 curves, a few O-54 curves, some O-31 curves using mainly GarGraves track. Have seen up to O-110 curves in catalogs or web-sites, and you thought that O-72 was a large curve.
You must have a very small backyard, as it would take more than 300 feet of track just to go around the pond in my yard, don't want an outdoor layout but just mentioning how big the yard is.
Lee Fritz

[palallin]

My tightest radius is approximately O48; my largest is approximately O64. My switches are O72 and O100 (nominal, Gargraves). At its extreme width, my layout is approximately 72" wide. The track plan is a dogbone folded back on top of itself.

(Incidentally, I plan to use 18" radius on the On30 narrow gauge.)

[cnw1995]

It will again be 027. Tom (spankybird) seems to run everything - even the largest engines - on 027 curves!

[phillyreading]

I have looked at On30 track systems & trains and it does not appeal to me, more like an attempt at S Gauge cross-over size. Others may love On30 but not me.
Lee F.

[Anonymous]

You folks that are runing the large radius curves,is it because you run engines that require that radius,or just like the more realistic appeal of it??? Easter

[palallin]

I caught the narrow gauge bug, but not enough to pop for the brass On3 stuff. Most of the equipment offered is in fact accurate in scale but the prototypes are usually 36" gauge.

I use the larger radius because I like the look and because my engines are happier with the wider curves given the grades. I currently have no engines that need more than O31, but two that do are on the wish list (they need O42).

[dwiemer]

Right now I am about a 36, but around thanksgiving, I fit into a 38. [B)] Oh you mean track radius, well, for my trains 36 is smallest, but on the new layout, I am planning on mostly 54" Fastrack. Not that I mind using the smaller 36, except one Weaver engine, all my stuff works fine on it, but I want to lessen the chance of a curve taken at too fast a speed (small children).
Dennis

[lionelsoni]

Strictly speaking, infinite. But you probably don't want to count tangents. I have a little O27-profile O72, which has a radius of 35 1/4 inches.

[jefelectric]

Smallest is 031, largest is 054 some 036, 042 & 045. Mixture of Realtrax & Atlas.

[phillyreading]

Easter,
I am running O-42 curves because a few of my locomotives require it, Have an interurban set that needs O-42 curves to run & a new 4-8-4 steam locomotive that needs it. 027 is good for smaller equipment & trollies, my SD-45 diesels will try to knock off the 027 switches as the switch housings[8D] stick up too high, so I need the clearance of an 022 switch in O gauge. Some of my post-war rolling stock can not go through the 027 switches, example a depressed center equipment car with four sets of wheels.
Lee Fritz

[Dr. John]

Using O-27 track, my largest curves (for the planned layout) are O-42, followed by some Marx O-34, the rest being O-27.

[FJ and G]

Largest is 20 foot diameter, but expect I'll need some 072 to get around some trees and avoid a fence (operating toy trains outdoors on R/C).

[csxt30]

Well, I have all 72" radius, but when I started this time, I was making templates for what I though was 72", but later found out it was 140" radius !! That was where I started building & then did some more thinking & figuring & found out 140 wouldn''t fit in my area, & then got it right at 72" !! It just happened to turn out ok though & everyone likes that one big 140" radius !! [:D]

[Birds]

O-31.

[msacco]

0-31 all the way. Not very realistic, but I get a lot of track and switches in a small area.

Mike S.

[pbjwilson]

I'm using MTH Realtrax O-31. O-42, O-72. Interestingly when you use 2 O-31 curves mixed with 3 O-42 curves to make a 180degree turn around the result is a 36' diameter curve. Hope that makes sense.

Like the O-72's to make s curves that my trains snake through. An S curve has alot of visual appeal and all you need really is 2 O-72 curves.

[Anonymous]

Well I have an outdoor three rail layout that is under construction. It has one section of track that my cousin is working on that will be a 25' radius curve and on the mountain division, there is a section going down hill that has a 30' radius curve.

[Anonymous]

My future layouts I want to use O-72 curves and up for a mainline and wider in the future. Testing my Big Boy on the O36 curves ran good, but was somewhat tight, especially the tender (even though both were rated to run on O-31).

I like the larger curves because not only do engines look better running on them, you can afford to run them a bit faster without worrying about them overturning from sharp curves. I think there are very few, if any real railroads that have any sharp curves.

[spankybird]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cnw1995

It will again be 027. Tom (spankybird) seems to run everything - even the largest engines - on 027 curves!

It's All 027

[:D] [8D] [;)] [^]

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the helpful input guys. I was just trying to get a reality check on how many of us could actually operate the large wide radius locos that MTH & Lionel makes. I believe most of us are not in to those exotic machines,for whatever the reason might be,money or space. Easter

[lionelsoni]

Even O72 doesn't come close to realistic. If I remember correctly, the F3 was designed for a 22-degree curve, which I figure is O133.

[Anonymous]

Balloon tracks for passeneger terminals were often in the range of 1,000-1,200 feet in diameter. That scales out to O-240 to O-300.

The largest radius track I personally have is O-72 and that's to support some near scale passenger cars (18") and the scale PA-1 that pulls them. Even at O-72 there is noticeable overhang on cars this length.

[Anonymous]

R-36" [072], R 42" [084], R-48" [096]. But, some 054 turnouts in the yard [R-27"]