A few weeks ago I got a PWRS product announcment email, and in it I found that Kato had announced a new HO scale unitrack product due to come in May of 2022.These are two new HO scale "large radius," concrete tie curve pieces, with one being 60 7/8" (R1546MM) and 63 1/4" (R1666mm). These are for modellers who want to see there trains on broader curves and is comsthing I have been hopping Kato would make, and am sure others have as well.A full or half circle with a 63" or 60" would have a overall diameter of 126" or 120" inches, being 10' or 10.5' feet wide. This is incredible, as I thought 42" was the preferred perfect curve for realistic looking trains rounding curved tracks, and now they are being made! I am concerned of how big each curve pieces will be and how many pieces will be in a single package, along with how many will be needed to make a full circle.
Will post images later as linking them is a complicated process.
I do not think these products would be useful for very many people needing to make a 180 degree turn.
However... EVERY layout should have a beauty curve of as large a radius as possible, even if only for a few feet. Also, few things look better than long trains going through large S curves. These would be great for that was well.
These new products will help Unitrack users achieve these features.
My second N scale layout had a 210 degree turn that was 72 inch radius, and it looked amazing! I have not had anything close to this since, and I never will.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Engi1487 A full or half circle with a 63" or 60" would have a overall diameter of 126" or 120" inches, being 10' or 10.5' feet wide. This is incredible, as I thought 42" was the preferred perfect curve for realistic looking trains rounding curved tracks, and now they are being made! I am concerned of how big each curve pieces will be and how many pieces will be in a single package, along with how many will be needed to make a full circle.
A full or half circle with a 63" or 60" would have a overall diameter of 126" or 120" inches, being 10' or 10.5' feet wide. This is incredible, as I thought 42" was the preferred perfect curve for realistic looking trains rounding curved tracks, and now they are being made! I am concerned of how big each curve pieces will be and how many pieces will be in a single package, along with how many will be needed to make a full circle.
But, one thing is certain, and you have already done the calculation. To use these curved sections of track to make a half circle, say for trains to turn and head back at the end of a layout, you will need a width of as much as 10.5 feet just for the track. Add, say, 3 inches on either side of the track for safety sake, and you are up to 11 feet. Now, to get around that end of the layout, you will likely need a clearance on each side of as much as 3 feet for an aisle. So, you are going to need 17 feet of space at the end of the layout.
That is one huge space in HO scale.
Rich
Alton Junction
Kato USA's website shows both of these new broad curve pieces are 11.25º, so are 1/2 the size of the regular 22.5º curve pieces. This, plus the fact they come in packs of 4, would lead me to believe that they are indeed meant for adding cosmetic broad curves to break up long straight sections of track, rather than making full 90º or 180º curves. BTW the difference in radius between the two new sizes is 2-3/8", same as difference between the other Kato regular curves*, so apparently is meant to allow a cosmetic curve in a double-track mainline.
http://www.katousa.com/HO/Unitrack/g-concrete.html
*(Kato HO Unitrack starts with 24"R curves, then has three sizes larger and three sizes smaller, with a difference of 2-3/8" from each other. So, 24", 26-3/8", 28-3/4" etc.)
wjstixNew broad curve pieces are 11.25º, so are 1/2 the size of the regular 22.5º curve pieces.
Also, this allows a modeler to remove one curved section from a longer curve, and replace it with one of these on each end for nice and easy easements.
I haven't seen any of these pieces or heard anything about them, but based on the info posted in this thread there would be 32 pieces to form a complete circle and each piece would be about 12-1/2" long.
LINK to SNSR Blog