Well gentlemen I think we got it. I found a Peco medium radius turnout in my stash and put it down on the east side of the dog bone and after loosening up the rail on the diverging leg, that T1 took the 24" curve without a wobble. So I just got off line from Walthers and ordered another medium turnout for the west side of the dogbone,plus a track gauge just to be sure.Oh yeah my Government bribe check showed up yesterday, can you say "Twin T-1 Texas".
Thanks,
Ron
Not being an expert on Peco turnouts, my answer may be incorrect. I looked at the turnouts on Walther's web page and if I understand you correctly, you are using a turnout that has a 60" radius diverging leg. You are then attaching flex track to the turnout that is shaped to a 24" radius. If you didn't build a transition easement into that 24" radius, you have created a kink in the curvature of the rails that I would think could be trouble for just about any locomotive that would travel through the turnout. Perhaps reworking just the area of track closest to the turnout will fix the issue. Put your head down as close to the track as possible and follow the curve of the rail with your eye. Is it a smooth, constant curve or do you see a sharp transition point where the radii change? If you see a sudden change, I'd bet that is where your problem lies.
Don Z.
Research; it's not just for geeks.
Thanks for the comments. I guess I am looking for the easy way out of this, I dread tearing up track and road bed,then adding to the width of the bench work to go to 26". Let me explain this. My bench work is 24 inches wide heading north. On the right hand side (East) the main line goes straight and makes a left turn (West) into a stub end,six track yard.
The left hand side (West), also running north takes a 24" curve to the left runs through an 8 inch straight section and curves back to the right also a 24" curve then runs straight north into the same yard into a turning Wye some 50 inches west of the first track. That T1 handles those two 24" curves OK.
The problem comes in when I decided to put in the Dog Bone loop to allow continuous running. I bought two Peco large radius turnouts and placed them on each side of the layout intending to join them with a 24" curve to make the loop. The T1 Texas will not run through the diverging leg of either turnout into a 24 " curve.
With the obvious differences as advertised, the Blueline T-1 is identical to the Paragon T-1. In that respect, BLI announced that its engines of that type were good for 24" minimums. Model Railroader Mag claimed that it is actually better than that and good down to 22". I agree because I could barely make my PRR J1 work on my non-eased 22" radius EZ-Track. 24" is entirely satisfactory for these engines.
HV, you are experiencing what every modeller experiences when he introduces a much larger steamer to his trackwork. I was no exeception, and neither are you it seems. Every such engine, starting with my first 4-6-6-4, then my first 4-8-4, followed by the 2-10-4, and my last headbanger was the T1 Duplex 4-4-4-4 from BLI. Without exception I had to tweak parts of my trackwork. Usually that meant getting what amounted to kinks at joins smoother, or making sure rails were matched at nearly the same level along curves, and so on.
As loathar has guessed, you will probably find that this engine will behave once it makes you jump through some hoops. If that means a substantial re-do of your loop, well...what else is there?
You are now officially in "the club."
-Crandell
Model RR did a product review sometime in 2004 on the BLI Pennsy J-1 stating it would handle 24" radius, about three pages before that review a BLI ad on the C&0 Texas T1 claims 24" minimum radius, so I bought it.It don't. The third driver is indeed a "blind driver"(no wheel flange). I joined two pieces of code 100 flex track at 26" radius hooked up an old power pack and bingo the T1 moved around that curve fine. I run all C&O steam, DCC w/sound and the idea of a major tear down to change the radius is terrible. I do not want to put a good looking, beautiful sound,$300.00 engine on a display track, or turn it into a planter. Sooooooo it looks like I should break out the tools and tear up the Old Town loop.
Is it possible that you ended up with a bit less then 24" during track laying?
If you do redo the section, try putting in easements (if you have not already) to help guide the loco into the turn.
Good luck!
Chris
I hate to bother you people again but I need some feed back. Running HO with Peco large radius turnouts,I built one end of a dog bone using 24 inch radius for the curves with two Peco turnouts coming off the mainline to make the loop. My 2-8-0's, 2-8-4's and the 4-8-2 all make it around the loop no problem. Then I got a 2-10-4 Texas and you quessed it, the T1 will not run the curve.If the front trucks make it into the curve the lead drivers lift up and over the rail. I have tried everything to make it work to no avail. I am thinking about tearing the loop out and relaying to a 26 inch curve but that would mean widening the bench work on that end, a large job. Broadway Imports say the T1 will handle 24" curves but mine doesn't. I am frustrated, I really like that Texas monster.
Thanks for the vent.