Curve Radius......

[Anonymous]

Hi Everybody....

I am starting on a new train garden for christmas. I am using a lot of my
Grandfather's trains that I have inherited.

To make a long story short... I am planning on running several trains each on their own seperated track. Where I am having trouble is from what people are saying there are issues with 18" curves. Right now I am planning on running his Royal Hudson 4-6-4 engine, a PRR K4 4-6-2 and a 2 or 3 diesel engines pulling freight trains....

Will I have a problem using the 18" curves with the locomotives?? There is where I am confused based on what people have written.....

Thanks!!!!
Ryan[:)]

[selector]

If you are talking about HO scale, and if the wheel flanges are not large (i.e., they conform with NMRA RP 25 codes) you may have some problems with the Hudson, but not the others.

If you are talking about garden scale, or G scale, those are very sharp curves...and will cause problems, in all likelihood. I confess, though, that I know almost nothing about G scale.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is HO, in fact everything is HO....

I guess for the most part... Is there a litmus test I can use to determine if there will be a problem or do these thing tend to be more experience driven??

[jwmurrayjr]

Train garden? HO scale.

Please elaborate.

Thanks,

[tomikawaTT]

The only way to find out what rolling stock will operate over what radius is to experiment.

Two considerations, not mutually exclusive:
1. Can my (fill in the blank) take this radius without derailing?
2. Does my (same entry) look reasonable on this radius?

Example, from an experiment I just performed a few hours ago:
An HO GG-1 (2-C+C-2, long solid carbody) can, in fact, take an 18 inch radius curve when running light. Of course, fences, telephone poles and trees on the outside of the curve are at peril from the truly ghastly overhang. I didn't try to see if it could pull anything around that radius, because my available passenger cars won't take less than 22 inch radius curves without derailing (truck swing interference).

Another example:
A short but prototypical train (Low-drivered Baldwin 0-8-0T, five four wheel freight cars and a brake van) on the identical curve had no problems whatsoever and looked right at home. Of course, the whole train only occupied about 90 degrees of the test curve.

My test curve was snapped together from train set track in about two minutes, and came apart just as fast to make way for another experiment on somewhat similar lines which gave rise to this wry observation:

Happiness is proving that your locomotive can pull a test grade steeper than your ruling grade with more cars than will fit between the turnouts of the passing siding at the top.

Model railroading is fun!

[Anonymous]

If the diesels are smaller 4 axles. I would put the diesels on the tighter curves and the steam engines on the largest curve you can fit. The size of the curve goes a long way toward how good your trains look.

[claycts]

Radius is 99% for looks an 1% for operation.
You can, at a low speed, run most of what you ahve on 18" radius. The larger the radius the better the LOOK of the equipment. With this in mind, you can purchase code 100 22" radius track and solve all problems at one time.
If you have brass then you are ahead going to nickel silver track.
This is my $.02

[selector]

I have a Broadway Limited Hudson, an excellent locomotive, that the manufacturer claims will accept a minimum of 18" radii. That is not my experience. Sometimes yes, often no. However, when I switched to 22" radii, the sun came out.

Go to a local hobby shop, ask the kind owner to open a package of 22" EZ-Track, or something that can approximate 18" curves, and see how it goes, backwards AND forwards. If it stumbles, you know what to do.