What is the minimum radius for a six wheel boggie diesel engine, how to work out this radius.
Scale?
Make of engine?
You can mark the radius with a "trammel". Take a long flat stick (yardstick) and drill holes the desired radius aprat. Mark the center of the curve and loosely nail the stick through one hole, the put a pencil in the other hole and mark off the arc.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Most models in HO scale will run okay on a 22" radii but it doesn't look realistic for a mainline track.
If you want to insure the best of both operating and visual worlds and can afford the space, I'd go for at the very least, a 26" or 28" radii on the main track, if you're running six axle locomotives or steam engines - they will operate better and it will look more convincing. A plus is that larger passenger cars will also opeate smoother and you minimize the risk of derailments.
You can buy all kinds of track layout software that can printout patterns or you can just use the ol' transom method. get a yard stick or a ruler(depending on the length)and drill a small hole on the centerline at 22", 24" 28", 30", 32" and 34" on one end and another hole in the opposite end of scale - place a nail thru it to position the transom and then using a pencil, place the pencil point thru the hole at the desired radius and swing an arc, tangent to your straight track.
There are many good publications on this showing you step by step methods -that is what I'd recommend you do first.
Good luck with your project,
HeritageFleet1
bumpsy What is the minimum radius for a six wheel boggie diesel engine, how to work out this radius.
Not sure what a boggie is, but it depends on what the Manufacture built it to run on. Contrary to popular Myth many larger steam and diesels where designed to work on 18 inch radius turns. I have 10 or so 6 wheel truck diesels that work fine on 18 inch turns.
Do they look better on a larger turn? Heck yes! But if a person does not have the have the room, you do what you got to do. Bigger engines do require better track laying in tight turns.
to the site as well.
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
This will vary with the engine being modeled (Alco RSC3, GP9, etc.) and the manufacturer (Atlas, Walthers and so on.)
I have a Walthers P1K RSC-3 which has 6 axles, and it works fine on my 18-inch curves. I don't have anything tighter than that to test it on.
Let us know what engine you have and who made it, and somebody who has one will be happy to give you what they know from experience.
Oh, and welcome aboard!
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Most manufacturers will advertise the minimum radius. Some will show 18 inch while others will show 22 inch.
Springfield PA