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New Loco Can’t Navigate Curves
Miles asks readers:
“I have a question on this new loco I bought. It is a Budd Amtrak powered coach and it cannot navigate the curves I have on my layout on account of two details next to the trucks that limit the amount they can turn. Should I cut those details off or not?”
6 Responses to New Loco Can’t Navigate Curves
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Sounds like you are running too tight of curves. A lot of the good stuff needs 22 inch radius or better. If you are not able to make the turns with the items still on your cars or engines then your option would be to cut them off……. But I don’t recommend that as you just spent money on it I am sure. Even if you did cut the items off the car then your wheels might make the turns but with sharp curves your couplers might not stay aligned with the other cars.
. My suggestion would be to re-evaluate your turns in your layout and see if there is anyway to shallow those curves out. Most likely your layout is on board in the center of your room. One way to shallow them out is to build your layout along the wall around your room and build a gate or drop in across your entry door. You can gain a lot shollow-er curve by doing that. When I was younger my first layout was all 18 inch radius curves but my long engines and passenger cars parts had to be trimmed and over the years I have been trying to restore those cars and although I am getting them done I regret what I did as a kid. You will wish you never cut that stuff off later on. Consider the real fix and run them on proper curves. It is a shelf type but self standing layout and uses a 3 track swing gate to get through into the room. If done right it will work almost flawless. I go through my gate 20 times a day just to get tools and it is easy to get through even with trains running. from Newman
well, I use bachmann track for my layout and i only have the E-Z version. also, my space for my layout is only 4 by 6 feet and i don’t have the time or permission from my parents to expand. Also, i’m broke so i cant spend more on track. AND, get this, practically the whole room is bookshelves that my dad refuses to remove and this queen bed that is a piece of junk but no one will remove it, either. so I’m stuck for space, and the router for our internet is in the same room, AND my mom has her BIKE left in there. so I’m stuck. But I’ll wait on cutting the details off until I pay 30$ to my dad (for the cab forward) and can figure out what to do next. One more thing. I just got a tip about this insulating foam and how it can be used for landforms. Does it work?
Hi Miles: The short answer is yes. My layout is in a 9’x11′ room and I have experimented with just about every idea out there for making landforms from waded up newspaper covered with paper mache, plaster and hydrocal. I have stacked insulating foam from the lumber yard and from packaging of most types. I have used ‘Mountains in minutes, and also the type in cans from the lumber yard. Woodland Scenics plaster cloth and Sculptamold. They all work, a lot of fun working with them and they make a mess. Stacking, Sculpting, Moulding, Creating your own world as you see fit. I hope this answers the question without confusing you. My mountains & hills range from a few inches to over 3’ in height. If you would like any help, I can supply the blog moderator with pictures of them in stages of progress as I have been very prolific in picture taking from designs on the floor to where I am with it today. It is still a work in progress and I enjoy the heck working on it. Your friend in Railroading, J E
Mike I had an idea since space is a problem right now…. Make an end to end layout and use that to work in and out of a station which in reality will be close together. An end to end works well especially if you like switching or station to station back and forth. If you get it up and going something small is always wanted at the smaller train shows. So it would be a good reason to go to a local show or two and spend the day running there. Just keeping it as a loop will work as well but using larger cars and engines may have to wait. It was several years before I started building my main layout and getting the good stuff out on the track
My Tree Stump Railroad is basically a double circle of track and the inner track is close to only a 16 inch radius. This was once my tracks on a board under the Christmas Tree.
I found some small shows to start out with and with the layout you can get in free as an exhibitor and have fun too. My portable layout is just a 4 ft by 4 ft plywood and it slides out of the back of the van onto an old Grill Base (no Grill of course) and drops onto a couple of dowel pins so it cannot slip off. I have built a Tree stump in the middle of the tracks out of layered 2 inch Styrofoam and painted up as the bark of an old stump. With stuffed animals and bugs and critters all over it, it is now an I Spy layout for kids. Yes the turns are tight but using the smaller engines and cars it works real well. I have been to over 50 train shows now and it is always a hit. I will have it at the Noblesville NMRA Show coming up this Sunday on the 31st near Indy. SO this is an interesting way to make a small train layout work for you. It is fun to show off your work.
The Tree Stump has received a new DCC system but will still run it on standard DC at this show because the engines that I have to make these turns do not have the chips installed yet. DCC and engines with sound will be a great addition at the shows with horns and bells and engine sounds. But at least one more show here before I change it over. I will also have a quick plug to change from one to the other with ease till I get all the engines I would take with me converted to DCC. This is just an idea and maybe with what you already have started with . I enjoy taking it to shows and talking with people.
from Newman
Newman, I’ve had the same problem, specifically with long wheelbase locomotives and passenger cars. Most passenger cars because of the long wheelbase need a minimum 22″ radius curve and some 24″. However even though 22-24″ is recommended, they will operate much better with fewer derailments on curves with a radius greater than 26″. On my layout still under construction, I decided on 35″ plus. It really depends on how much space you have to operate. I would not recommend cutting off under carriage details, such as air, heat and water hoses. I tried running some of my long wheelbase diesel and steam locomotives and passenger cars on 18″ radius curves and it just didn’t work. Also you are going to have to look at turnouts. The standard #4 turnout is great for 4-6-2, and 2-8-2 locomotives and short wheelbase diesels but are troublesome for 2-10-2, 4-10-2 and articulateds. They are also problems for all long wheelbase passenger cars. for these you need at least #5 and preferably #6 turnouts which need twice as much space as the #4. Hope this helps.
Hi James, I hear you and Miles of space restrictions available. My layout ended up in the third bay of the garage and in order to be able to make these turns I built for one thing self standing wall modules so I can break them down without tearing them up if I ever have to move, and the other is if something ever happens to me my 2 boys can split the tables if they want and continue to build off of them. I started out trying to build an oval in the bay but to get the turns to work well I was pushing the benches to do that around the edge of the bay. I finally decided on the shelf type modules and are self supporting around the walls of the garage. This allowed the curves to shallow up and I have then any where from 28 to 40 inch radius curves by doing that. I started out as part of a model RR Club member on a Module layout. So I had the experience to build what I wanted. I still have some of my club modules and I plan to plug in a 7 foot extension bridge to link those module in the second bay when I have folks over. That plan is coming along now. The first modules should link in before the snow melts for the season. With the tracks to the outside walls I needed an entrance to get in on a regular basis and that came with a three track swing gate that just today I have already been in and out of it 4 times. I average 10 to 20 times a day just to get tools. But it works very well and there are no locking pins to find and lock each time. Just a magnetic cabinet lock to hold it into place till it is opened. Hope this is useful in your plans. Also you said the size of your switches and yes that is correct that in most cases you will need at least a No 6 Switch for your larger engines If you just plan on going in to get cars with a smaller engine or switch engine (Usually 2 wheel trucks) then a No 4 will work. But I recommend no 6 or higher. The size of the switch reads this way: for every what ever measurement forward down the track Say 6 as in a Number 6 switch your switch rail will curve 1 of those measurements out from your straight track. a number 8 and number 4 does the same thing 8 down the track verses 1 to the side.
I have been building my own switches now and unless I am in a switch yard I will continue to install the homemade ones. I have built 6 so far and 5 are installed and working better that the hobby shop ones. My first switch was just a bit off on the gauge of the track and as soon as it is adjusted it will be put in use. I am now working on a a double curve (2 of them locked together for a cross over to the other track) I expect them to be successful as well. I will be working that switch at the NMRA train Show in Noblesville Indiana on Sunday Jan 31st for people to see what I am doing. At some point you are ready to try one I would be glad to talk to you and tell you about building them.
Both of you good luck on finding the space to build your layouts.
from Newman