Minimum Radius, What are the Consequences?

[Anonymous]

snjroy

 Is there a club in your vicinity? I now run my larger steam (8 and 10 drivers) at our local club and have no problems there (it has 24" curves). It gives me another reason to go at the club on a regular basis!

Simon

 

I could not find an HO scale club in my area. Even if I had, I have limted free time for running trains, and cannot make time for a commute longer than a walk down the basement stairs to a layout.

I am now planning to widen my layout and install 24'' curves. Fortuantly, my layout has not progressed beyond track-laying, so it is not too much of a set-back.

Thanks for all the help,

S. Connor

[hardcoalcase]

The simple solution is to just run half of the locomotive through the 18" curve at a time! 

Jim

[IRONROOSTER]

hardcoalcase

The simple solution is to just run half of the locomotive through the 18" curve at a time! 

Jim

 

Uh, does it matter whether it's the left half or the right half that goes through first?

 

 

 

Paul

[riogrande5761]

S. Connor

I could not find an HO scale club in my area. Even if I had, I have limted free time for running trains, and cannot make time for a commute longer than a walk down the basement stairs to a layout.

I am now planning to widen my layout and install 24'' curves. Fortunately, my layout has not progressed beyond track-laying, so it is not too much of a set-back.

Thanks for all the help,

S. Connor

I don't blame you.  I didn't have a layout for many years and finally got in touch with a modular group in this area, but now I have a layout I'm building and have less motivation to go haul my trains to meets to run them when there is a layout down stairs.  Plus, alot of my trains are HQ detailed models and I'd rather not expose them to the vagaries of little kids touching the trains as they run around the layout with parents who don't supervise them and let them run wild, as they did at the last show I ran at.  Certainly the lesson is to bring only cheap trains to those club meets in the future.

Just curious, are you using sectional track or flex?  Of course with flex you can draw any radii you want, but some brands such as KATO unitrack offer a wide variety of curve radii so you can still build a layout to your design with a good deal of flexability.  KATO HO unitrack is also code 83 too, so it looks closer to scale.  I bought some to use for test track before starting my current layout and it works great.

[Anonymous]

I currently use bachmann sectional, mostly due to that I recieved a bulk of it as a gift.

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

The problem with sectional track is where a staight section connects with a curve section. 

If you have two cars connected together with one still on the straight section and one on the curve section, the couplers do not line up especially with long cars. This can cause derailments as the couplers pull against each other. 

With flex track, transition tracks can connect the straight track with the curve track. 

Otherwise, short railcars and locomotives should be used , and the coulers should have long shanks or be in a swing bracket.

 

Tyco and other train set HO have couplers on the trucks instead of the carbody to accommodate 18" curves. 

[riogrande5761]

Garry,

Good point.  One can simulate transition track by putting in a larger radius section before the straight away, but flex track works the best for spiral transitions or easments as they are called.  I've been using easements since I read John Armstrongs book back in the 80's.  This is the next level for model railroaders as they level up their skills from sectional track to flex track.

[dinwitty]

Rivarossi engines will take 18" radius, I think my BLI Y6b can also. I repaired a friends RR Big Boy and with no tender it went thru 15 inch! I have a NWSL Little Joe, its listed minimum is 26" radius, why? side ladders impede the truck movement, if I removed them it could turn on 24 inch. BUT even the South Shore knew where these big engines couldnt run and had signs saying "800 class restricted". I am building my layout a lot on where I can/cannot run stuff, I will have 15 inch radius in industrial areas, smaller engines only, 40 ft cars or less. Standard mainline is 24 inch with my South Shore 26 inch. (except where noted as above...hehe) You should have no trouble with bachmanns 2-6-6-2 on 18 inch. My Bowser 4-6-6-4 will do 18 inch but the big boy...really nopers, 22 inch.

[BRAKIE]

Heartland Division CB&Q

Tyco and other train set HO have couplers on the trucks instead of the carbody to accommodate 18" curves.

 

Athearn,Roundhouse,Atlas,Intermountain,Red Caboose and other brand of freights cars with their body mounted couplers that is 40-50' in lenght will go around 18" curves.The "train set" cars with truck mounted couplers was cheaply made for train sets and not to be used as example for 18" curves.

Locomotives up to a 4-8-4 or a SD40-2 will go around 18" curves-don't look very pretty but,around they go.

18" curves isn't a evil thing if properly used with nothing larger then 2-8-2s, 4-6-2 or 4 axle diesels with 40-50' freight cars.Passenger cars should be restricted to Athearn's BB passenger cars since these was made to run on 18" curves.

AHM and IHC passenger cars will go around 18" curves but, again not very pretty to watch.