Min size for curves on new layout

Can I get some advice on the minimum radius for curves.

I'm about to start designing/building a new layout for my son. We have very limited space, so I need to use the smallest board size that I can get a reasonable layout on. The board will have to be suspended from the ceiling and lower down on pulleys when Ben wants to use it.

Ben has several locos at the moment...the largest being a Bachmann EWS class 66...I guess that whatever this train will run on will dictate the size of the outside curve on the new layout, and thus the board size.

I intend to use the long flexi track pieces and tracksettas as much as possible to minimise the joins (and cost!)...but what is the smallest radius that that EWS loco will comfortably run on?

Any advice would be welcomed.

Cheers,

Nige

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Nige
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Forgot to say it's an OO layout.

Nige

Reply to
Nige

A point worth noting is where you intend to view the layout from. If it is a roundy-roundy as I guess you intend, 'inside' viewing will allow tighter curves without it looking silly. My layout (also a roundy roundy)is 'outside' viewing and to get a decent appearance my minimum curve radius is

4ft 6in. It has more to do with the appearance of long coaches than what a loco will put up with. I think David Jenkinson was amongst the earliest to observe this.

Alistair Wright

Reply to
Alistair Wright

Sound like you've got much more room than we have...our layout board can have a MAX size of 1750 x 1150 mm!

I doubt there'll be enough room for the layout and a big hole in the middle, unless Ben stands to attention!

Nige

Alistair Wright wrote:

Reply to
Nige

In message , Nige writes

The minimum radius Bachmann locomotives will handle is the so-called "second radius", which is 438mm (17 1/4 inches).

Best of luck with the layout.

Reply to
Jane Sullivan

Why using one huge board where everything has to fit?

In my opinion it is better to use relatively narrow boards along the walls. If placed high the space below may be used for storage or other purposes. Doorways may be bridged with removable narrower bridges. Curves may be broader and the line longer in this way.

Reply to
Erik Olsen DK

Nige wrote in news:Q snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net:

6'6" x 3'7" or thereabouts? Generally speaking I believe 2nd radius set track is considered the base minimum, that works out at 17" or thereabouts, 3rd radius is about 20" so you could in theory run an oval of track around your board.

Major drawback is that with the curves that tight it may well look ?orrible to an adults eyes. The other drawback is that you?ll only have around 20" of straight track on either side - one class 66 and a single carriage and more and it really will appear to be chasing it?s tail OTOH ...

Major plus side - the little ones in my experience prefer continuous run rather than end to end.

You pays your money and makes your choice.

Reply to
Chris Wilson

That's about the size of it!!!...and yes, Ben (who's 8) definitely likes the trains to go round...end to end would be of no interest...that can wait until he's much older, if he's still into model trains then.

I thought 2nd radius was the minimum (thanks also Jane!)...my plan was to have this as the outside look, 1 other full loop inside for smaller locos, a few sidings and a station 'loop'. I may even be able to fit a turntable in which Ben would love!

I understand about the perspective issue, and long trains almost catching themselves, but we have to work within the available space.

The alternative of course would be to only buy smaller locos and wagons until we have more space for a bigger layout.

Nige

Chris Wils> Nige wrote in

Reply to
Nige

I found that kiddies (up to about 10 yrs) really like the old 'train set' arrangement, an outer oval feeding two sets of sidings, one entered from the right hand end to the front, the other from the left hand end at the rear, with the engine shed and turn table, so the two sets of sidings run diagonaly beside each other. Do a google for Triang pictures, there are people who set up layouts of this type using bold Triang stock, may give you some ideas.

The shelf-round-the-room is *definately* a better arrangement, much longer run and closer to the long and thin arrangements on a real railway but crossing doors etc can make it difficult for a first layout. I never had much success with hinges so I used a drop in section (which allowed me to have a short viaduct as well).

The one I enjoyed most (although it was in N) had a central oval of track with sidings as described but with two 'wings' one with a three track fiddle yard fronted by a quay, the other with a small terminus station with a gas works on a kick back. You can start with the oval, adding the other bits as time and money allows. The sidings served to hold stock and for exchange sidings with the docks (I also got a small coal mine in there, and a mill come to think of it), the other set were carriage sidings with two road engine shed and a turntable. The main board was 63" x 22" with the fiddle yard and docks on a 12" x 70" board and the country terminus on a 11" x 48" board arranged in a U shape. I had to use *very* tight curves on the oval but with small engines and short coaches it worked okay, it was a 'light railway'. It started in an alcove in an attic bedroom then migrated to a former 'coal shed' lean-to but did not seem to suffer from the relative exposure out there. It proved a lot of fun to run although a couple more storage sidings oin the fiddle yard would have been nice.

HTH

Mike

Reply to
Mike Smith

Get hold of the old Cyril Freezer booklets published by Peco, these used very tight curves (considered acceptable in those days and still okay for a 'train set') - Do be aware that a lot of modern stock (as in recently produced models) are not as forgiving as the old stuff and require more gentle curves than the old stuff. A lot of the layouts in Plans for Small Layouts (I think it was called) featured baseboards of this size. The Plans for Larger Layouts went up to about the size of a garage, and filled it, the stuff of dreams when I was starting out.

He offered a number of plans that had a hole in the centre, only needs to take head and shoulders, usual idea was hinged against a wall to drop down onto fold-out legs. This does work, the layout seems bigger than it is. Using curved points you may squeeze in a storage loop behind scenery at the rear to represent the 'rest of the world'.

Mike

Reply to
Mike Smith

This isn't necessarily the case.

If it gets to the point where you want a more interesting layout, you might be able to add a bit of scenery to break up the sections of the layout a bit. It won't be easy with the lift-up layout you have in mind, but possibly you could put on some removable buildings and / or hills with tunnels and / or backdrops with tunnels in them that break the layout in half.

In your case the backdrop idea might have the most appeal. Decorate one side of the layout as a city and the other side as countryside. Divide it in two with a backdrop. On the city side, the tunnels would be typical urban tunnel entrances or going under roads or some such. The countryside tunnels would be more standard tunnel entrances.

As the backdrop is flat, when it is time to put the layout in the "up" position, the backdrop would be removed and leaned against a wall somewhere safe. Or maybe fashion a set of brackets (lined with felt or some other soft resting place) so the backdrop could be stored under the train table.

One of the nice things about UK railway models, compared to those of us working in the USA: many of the UK railway goods wagons are fairly small, so that they can go around fairly tight curves. This means you should be able to create a fairly interesting freight operation in a very small space, if you desired.

Reply to
gl4316

Thanks for this...we've thought about this.

Nige

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Nige

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