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I think this question has several angles and many answers. Most model railroaders never have enough space. Smaller radius saves space. Therefore most train guys are trying to get away with the smallest curves possible to have more railroad in the space. This is compounded by the fact that we all seem to want to be able to watch the trains run. Necessitating a circle or loop of some kind. Just a circle with no straight track in 18" radius is 3'x3' square. A 4' x 8' sheet of plywood with 18" radius curves only has five feet of straight track between curves at the most. Bump it to 24" radius it is 4' of straight, 30" radius it is 3' of straight (it won't fit widthwise, just for comparison of straight away sake). Most people starting in the hobby are at 18" radius because most train sets come with sectional track with this radius. A 36" diameter curve fits nicely on a 4' X 8' sheet of plywood with a little left over for the margins. Most larger stuff won't run well (or at all) as has been mentioned by others. Perhaps it is problems with small radius that leads some beginners to think that getting trains to run well is too much hassle. Then there is the bunch that says, "you can force a cab forward around a 18" radius and it won't look good , but it will work". My response: things seem to work great on that little sheet of plywood test somehow don't work so well in the layout....Most guys who have been modeling for a while make a distinction between radius theory and practice. Most of them have stories about tight radii that didn't work out somehow. Among modelers who are building larger layouts with more space, 30" or somewhere near that has been the standard for many years. I think that the percentage of modelers in this category is much smaller than the train set bunch. Everyone I know who has been around a while (and has the space) has minimums somewhere around 30". Because of the space taken up by the curves, one needs more than a 4' x 8' to make this happen. Usually room sized layouts and larger. Then there are those who want big radii and don't have the space (everyone). I think most of us fit into this category. These guys recognize the issues with tight radii and choose designs and equipment to minmize the problems inherent with small radius curves. These guys don't have huge 2-10-2's on 18" radius curves. They choose smaller gear to run. I think the problems come up when people try to force stuff meant to go on larger curves on the tight stuff. I think maybe the question should be first, "How big is your layout?" followed by "What is your minimum radius?". For the record, my space is 13' x 22', minmum is 30" mainline, 28" (one curve) staging.
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