Min Radius on Red Caboose 73" centerbeams

[basementcalling]

Anyone have some guidelines? 18, 15? What about if they get converted to body mounts?

Rethinking some branch line trackage radii.

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

I have run them on 12" they don't look great but they will run. I have not body mounted any yet.

[wmcbride]

Agreed. They will run on 12" radius; not great looking but they will do it.

[jpwisc]

If you body mount the couplers you will need some real estate, I would not recommend going any tighter than 22". I love body mounted couplers, but I have a line with a minimum 36" radius (for now). If you have radii under 20"  the longer cars will pull the shorter ones right up and over the rails.

[Glenn Poole]

If you body mount the couplers you will need some real estate, I would not recommend going any tighter than 22". I love body mounted couplers, but I have a line with a minimum 36" radius (for now). If you have radii under 20"  the longer cars will pull the shorter ones right up and over the rails.

Yep, I have 24" radius (up a 2 percent grade around a 4 foot 180 degree turn) and 70' cars and longer with body mounted couplers will stringline unless they are run at the rear of the train.  All of you who must have body mounts apparently don't run your trains or at least not 10-12 foot long ones.  I have gone back to Micro-trains and Red Caboose for my long cars as they can be hooked directly behind my engines and pull a string of 30 to 40 cars up my grade and around the bends.