Large Scale Central

Question on diameter of track

General Discussion
#1

Hi ,

I’m about to start building my rr. It will be a NG RR, 120.3 scale, Colorado mountain/ Western type, era 1860 to 1915 time frame. I like the older engines with the big stacks, fluted domes and fancy paint jobs. I also like the K27s this is the reason for my question. I have run the K on 8’ diameter track and don’t like the way it looks doing it. I have the room to go as large a diameter curve as I need. I’m thinking 15 to 16’ dia. or should I go with 20’ The layout area is app 160’ by 90’, Lagas code 250 &215 Allum track & battery power.

Thanks Chuck

#2

When it comes to curves - the MRR kind - bigger is always better.

#3

If you have the room and you want to go bigger then go with the 20 dia. For me, I have the space but I like the look of the smaller curves especially on a logging line.

#4

I personally like 8’ Diameter track. But it is a little to small for the k-27. :wink: Regards,Ron

#5

The K27 is beautiful so If you can go with the 20’. You will want to show off that engine.
On my RR I have replaced most of the 5’ with 8’ and some 8’ with 10’s I wish I had the room so I could go with a nice 20’ but 10’ is as big as I can go. Bigger really is better unless you are like Shawn and model a logging operation where the track was tight and crooked.
While you are drawing up your track plan use the 20’ diameter down to 10’ on your main. Inside tight yards you can still get away with 8’.
Some guys might jump in and say you can bend your own curves but I feel that sectional track is a good start to a strong track foundation.
Happy RRing

#6

Chuck Cole said:

Hi ,

I’m about to start building my rr. It will be a NG RR, 120.3 scale, Colorado mountain/ Western type, era 1860 to 1915 time frame. I like the older engines with the big stacks, fluted domes and fancy paint jobs. I also like the K27s this is the reason for my question. I have run the K on 8’ diameter track and don’t like the way it looks doing it. I have the room to go as large a diameter curve as I need. I’m thinking 15 to 16’ dia. or should I go with 20’ The layout area is app 160’ by 90’, Lagas code 250 &215 Allum track & battery power.

Thanks Chuck

Chuck, if you really have the room to go as big as you need, don’t limit yourself to pre-determined radii, use flex track and bend the radii that you need. I have a friend that has an area similar to yours and he uses 40 ft plus radius (80 ft diameter) curves in a lot of places.

#7

One key consideration with curves is, what’s going on the inside of them? My former railroad in upstate NY had a 10’ minimum radius (20’ diameter) which looked fantastic when it came to trains running around them, but that also left me with 20’ of open space I had to landscape on the inside of the loop. That wasn’t so fantastic. Even after 5 years, none of the plants came close to growing in the way I wanted them to. So while the trains looked good, the environment they were running in was always visually lacking. It’s also a lot of space to keep weed-free and maintain in addition to just filling it with greenery.

Just food for thought…

Later,

K

#8

Kevin,

Here’s a tip: let your wife do the landscaping, works absolutely marvellously! As Steve mentioned: you plant several varieties of “stuff” and then more of that which likes the local climate/conditions.

As far as filling in, a tiny hamlet here and a tiny hamlet there, with roads connecting to the RR station which is always in the wrong place.

Back East in rural Ontario I was always amazed. 3 or 4 houses and it’s a hamlet, duly noted on the maps (good maps!). A few more and it’s a village.

The problem isn’t the filling, the work is in building all those structures without having a “Oh yes, one more of the PIKO/Aristo/whatever structures” layout.

As always strictly my opinion.

#9

That works only if your wife is into that kinda thing, or if she’s accepting of someone else who is. Mine is neither, so I’m kinda up the creek in that regard. That, and I began construction on that railroad 3 years before I met her. (She did offer to set up her smurf village on the railroad–which has carried over to the current one as well.)

Current railroad with 5’ and 6’ reverse loops is far more manageable in that regard. I’d have gone 8’ if I had the room, but probably not 10’.

Later,

K

#10

Kevin will we be seeing a article on the Smurf village in a upcoming GR edition?

That would be a HOOT!

#11

The suggestion about flex is what I did and never regretted it. We had the space and I just left our dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees and ran the railroad around them. Those and a couple of trees are out of scale but, oh well!

It is such a joy to not be limited by the track.

#12

Doug Arnold said:

The suggestion about flex is what I did and never regretted it. We had the space and I just left our dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees and ran the railroad around them. Those and a couple of trees are out of scale but, oh well!

It is such a joy to not be limited by the track.

Pretty much my situation as well except my out-of-scale trees are mature Spruces and several other bushes; etc that I didn’t want to pull up. This photo is a long time ago but illustrates the overall landscape…

(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Border-4-640.JPG)

#13

Todd Haskins said:

Kevin will we be seeing a article on the Smurf village in a upcoming GR edition?

That would be a HOOT!

Why not, there are plenty of other “Gartenzwerg” layouts.

:stuck_out_tongue: :wink: :slight_smile:

#14

A member of our club made a good start on a Smurf village on the club layout before she passed away. I would like to add to the village. It would be great to see an article to help with ideas. SMURFS UNITE!

#15

Doug Arnold said:

A member of our club made a good start on a Smurf village on the club layout before she passed away. I would like to add to the village. It would be great to see an article to help with ideas. SMURFS UNITE!

My nickname at the XC club up on the mountain was for many years “Papa Smurf”.

:wink: :slight_smile:

So I should have a special affinity, eh?!!

#16

Jon Radder said:

Doug Arnold said:

The suggestion about flex is what I did and never regretted it. We had the space and I just left our dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees and ran the railroad around them. Those and a couple of trees are out of scale but, oh well!

It is such a joy to not be limited by the track.

Pretty much mt situation as well except my out-of-scale trees are mature Spruces and several other bushes; etc that I didn’t want to pull up. This photo is a long time ago but illustrates the overall landscape…

(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Border-4-640.JPG)

Jon, those look like mature, in scale redwoods, to me. :slight_smile:

#17

[youtube]http://youtu.be/kH7vb71oy_M[/youtube]

#18

Kevin, your numbers are diameter or radius?

Kevin Strong said:

That works only if your wife is into that kinda thing, or if she’s accepting of someone else who is. Mine is neither, so I’m kinda up the creek in that regard. That, and I began construction on that railroad 3 years before I met her. (She did offer to set up her smurf village on the railroad–which has carried over to the current one as well.)

Current railroad with 5’ and 6’ reverse loops is far more manageable in that regard. I’d have gone 8’ if I had the room, but probably not 10’.

Later,

K

#19

Radius.

K

#20

Most model railroads have curves much tighter than the prototype. We use flex rail throughout our railroad and the design criteria is for a minimum radius of 2M (6.6’ radius 13’+ diameter). Many of our curves however are much broader as we have little straight track.

From a NG prototype perspective perhaps the following would help. Note: 1:20.32 was used for the conversion)

The Georgetown Loop Devils Gate High Bridge in on a 18.5 degree curve ( 15’ radius 30’ diameter)

The sharpest curves on the D&RGW NG were 24 degree curves (11.8’ radius 23.6’ diameter)

The K36 locomotive is designed to go around a 30 degree curves (9.5’ radius 19’ diameter). Locomotives with blind center drivers could go around much tighter curves.

The Unitah railroad up on Baxter pass had several 66 degree curves (4.5’ radius 9’ diameter)

Hope that helps

Stan