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Piper, I'm in the process of laying track on my N scale layout. I have a minimum radius on the main of 17.5 and 16 on anything else. I have a reversing loop with the larger radius on the outside and 16 as the inner loop. I use a passenger car to test all my track as that is about the maximum length of anything I run. I found the difference between the two loop visually and operationally almost to be the same. MR did a "project" layout called the Wisconsin Central; they used 15 inch mainline curves. I suspect you would be okay with those as well. If you can, go larger, but if you can't then consider 15 inches. Helix's are a whole other issue. You track grade is affected by the radius of the track, and the height separation of the track over the lower track, rail head to rail head, but don't forget the thickness of the material you are laying your track on. There is another way to go about a helix, which in N scale works really well. Maybe tomorrow, if I remember, I will supply you with a link to "Nolix's". A nolix is like a helix in that it is an area dedicated to elevating the track to a second deck. But unlike a helix, more than 50% of the track will be visible. Waiting for a train to come out of a helix can sometimes seem like forever, especially if the deck separation gets into the high teens or lower 20's in inches. I am in the process of building a nolix. So on my layout, I have two decks, both U shaped, with a reversing loop over and under and the end of left U. At the end of the right U, I have another part of the layout, which is L shaped, 6 1/2 by 6 1/2 which will house the nolix. With a maximum curve of 17 1/2 inches, this means it is standing out three and a half feet from the wall. The track will make three loops around this area. The first loop I have decided to keep hidden except for a small tunnel showing, the next two loops will be side by side, but one track lower than the other, separated by a river. This is hard to describe, but in 80 feet of running, about 50 feet of it will be visible. My buddy is building a helix in HO, with a 20 inch separation and 80 feet of track (excluding double tracking) and about 6 feet of it will be visible. So I am able to squeeze out more visible mainline running with only a small part of the mainline not visible at time to time. By the way, there are only about 40 people on the planet who have any idea of what a nolix is or how you should build one, so if you post a question about it in a forum, you will probably be met with silence. A nolix is a great design tool in N scale, but not so hot in HO (eats lots of space - but great for a peninsula). In the link I will try and find, I have another link to some ones layout in N who is using one.
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