Rule of thumb is to make your mainline curves with the largest radius that you can. Mine are 24" and I know many go with 30" or more.
Is there any consensus on curves in industrial complexes? If you don't plan to take any 85' passenger cars or 4-8-4 Northerns in there I would think you can get away with 18". Anybody have experience with this?
Rick
I have some of that in my yard areas.
All the switches are #4, most are Atlas, some tight bends to get around, but switching speeds are low, as the prototype, and it works for me.
I made thing fit into what space I had to use for the overall layout.
I can pull and shove 4 or 5 cars with no problems.
Although, not ALL of the switches are Atlas. Kind of a hodge-podge of what I had left over from other layouts.
I am considering a major rebuild of the yard areas using all new Atlas switches, and replacing some of the brass with NS track.
Mike.
My You Tube
hbgatsf Rule of thumb is to make your mainline curves with the largest radius that you can. Mine are 24" and I know many go with 30" or more. Is there any consensus on curves in industrial complexes? If you don't plan to take any 85' passenger cars or 4-8-4 Northerns in there I would think you can get away with 18". Anybody have experience with this?
What I have done is to match the minimum radius to the type of industry or car length I plan to switch. Not all cars will be going onto all spurs, so the "minimum" radius for the layout is not the way I look at it.
Example: My lumber center will receive 73' center partition cars. So the radius for that spur will be broad (unsure of the actual radius dimension) and the switch to the spur will be a #8. The corn syrup spur, receiving 40' tank cars, will be a sharper curve accessed by a #5 turnout.
Just for adding manufactured complexity/interest to Ops, the SD40-2 can switch the lumber center but is not allowed to switch the corn syrup spur. The crew must fire up an old ALCO S2 to switch that (and one other) industry.
- Douglas
My layout is designed with these guidelines:
Visible mainline: #6 minimum turnout, 36" minimum radius
Hidden mainline: #6 Minimum turnout, 24" minimum radius
Yard and secondary: #5 minimum turnout, 22" minimum radius
Industrial area: #4 minimum turnout, 18" minimum radius
-Kevin
Living the dream.
It all boils down to what you run and how you run it. Most curves on my layout are 18", I run smaller engines and 40' or less boxcars (have a few flat cars that are a bit longer) and they look fine doing it, I also run short trains. Now if you run really long trains you might need something more or if you run up steaper grades on a long curve. Also on your layout do you have a dedicated engine to switch the area like I do in my carfloat area or is this something else, how big are your road engines ?
Just an observation. Nice broad curves on a mainline are great for looks. But for most of us, we rarely run our trains backwards on the main, and could probably have tighter curves if we had to.
We do run trains in both directions on our industrial trackage, so a case can be made that nice broad curves have their own benefits there too. Fewer derailments. And derailments in a highly detailed industrial area are if anything even more hazardous to the layout than a derailment on the main.
And since industries are focal points for visitors and layout photographers, there are purely visual advantages to not going too tight on the curves in your industrial areas.
Dave Nelson
rrebellIt all boils down to what you run and how you run it.
I had one siding, that came out to just over 15. With 40ft cars and a SW switcher and moving slow, I did spot cars there.
But I would say; just because you can,don't mean you should
hbgatsfIs there any consensus on curves in industrial complexes?
Basically you can make them as sharp as you need to and still handle whatever cars you plan to service a siding with. I'd probably suggest having curves that can handle a 60' freight car. But if you only plan on short freight cars you can get away with sharper curves.
Rule of thumb? Size to fit the need.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
If you have cars longer than 60' for that siding, I would go with a broader curve than 18", especially if you need to couple-uncouple in the curve. What is the length of your rolling stock? Locos should not be an issue.
Simon
My mainline minimum radius is 30 inches, and that applies most everywhere else too. But when necessary, I'll go down to 24 inch radius for industrial tracks.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Thanks for the responses. The area I am working on right now is a steel mill complex, and I might need to go to 18'' on some of the curves to make things fit. The longest cars that will be there are 52' gondolas and the motive power will be yard switchers so I think I will be fine.
It seems that going slow with the industrial tracks is a sound approach. My industrial areas are fairly straight, so speed isn't really an issue. The problem I can see with any track is providing enough spacing between each for the cars.
Look at it as a real railroader. What do you intend running?
The smaller the radius then the smaller the engine. Larger engines would be banned. The same with freight vehicles. Small is beautiful.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
As I move along with this project the radius issue isn't as bad as I anticipated. I have room to stay over 22" in most spots. The couple that are a little less are only a few inches long.
I do need to figure track centers where I will have crossovers. I am using Peco #6 for those. I have room to go to 2.25" or 2.5" centers which would have something like a 2" or a little more straight section between them.
Is that enough so that the S curves won't cause derailments at slow speeds and 50' cars? Switching locomotives will be used.
LastspikemikeWe can't run one Spectrum 2-10-2 as it derails at the 22" radius. We can't run Walthers heavyweights for the same reason. Our Proto 2000 SD40 complains through 22"
The OP was asking about industrial trackage.
Just like the prototype, keep the big stuff off of the tight industrial trackage.
Tighter curves are fine in industrial areas.
It also depends on era. 1920 industrial trackage on the prototype could have #3 and #4 switches. However on a 2020 era layout, new industrial trackage would have the same standards as main line trackage from the 1940's. If your trackage represents track that was established in 1900, then yes 18" radius will look right. If you are representing an industrial park that was built in the 1960's - 1980's then 18" won't look as appropriate.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com