HO run in track minimum radius [suggestion wanted]

[s.e. charles]

15" or 18"  ?

i assume there are 24 pieces @ 15 degrees  [360/ 15 = 24 sections]

[dem34]

Well, what would you like to do?
And what are your hard requirements?
Both are incredibly tight for HO.

[Tristan Ashcroft]

Agreed - both are on the tight side.

15 inch is really tight.

18 inch will probably accommodate 4 axle diesels and 40 ft freight cars - depending on your chosen equipment.

[s.e. charles]

it's a circle screwed to a board. put the engine on it, turn on the power pack, and let it run round round.

[dem34]

Largest you can fit then. I would still spiritually say try to keep to 22" minimums as being a professional layout builder I have seen quite a few layouts where people try to do 15" then I have to tell them unfortunately no matter how many time you send a Varney Berkshire to the shop to fix the derailing issue that it is not going to navigate the layout.

[Point353]

15" or 18"  ?

i assume there are 24 pieces @ 15 degrees  [360/ 15 = 24 sections]

What is the largest/longest locomotive that you plan to run in on this circle?
(Note that Kato Unitrack curved track sections are mostly 22.5 degrees each.)

Also, you might consider building an oval, rather than a circle, so that you can have a rerailer track on one of the straight segments.

[s.e. charles]

something along these lines [although i don't understand what wheel tread means]

just a critter to be used in 1:35 scale with HO standard gauge track dimensions

https://nwsl.com/collections/stanton-drives/products/o-stanton-drive-2015-90-wb-36-145-wheels

[peteski]

Wheel tread is the width of the wheel between the outside edge and where the flange starts.  Wider tread is usually more for most toy trains, and narrow is used by modelers who want the wheels to look more like true-scale models.  Narrower tread wheels also usually have shallower flanges (again to make them appear more accurate to scale). Might be more prone to derailing, but should not be much of a consideration when running on a circle fo track.

[Mark5]

18" is what you'd typically get in a "trainset" (Bachmann, Tyco, etc). As noted above, 15" is really tight.

22" much better if you can swing it.

[s.e. charles]

Wheel tread is the width of the wheel between the outside edge and where the flange starts.  Wider tread is usually more for most toy trains, and narrow is used by modelers who want the wheels to look more like true-scale models.  Narrower tread wheels also usually have shallower flanges (again to make them appear more accurate to scale). Might be more prone to derailing, but should not be much of a consideration when running on a circle fo track.

thanks

the plot thickens if you've the courage:  https://ngrm-online.com/index.php?/forums/topic/36152-this-hobby-is-intended-to-be-enjoyable/page/2/#comment-939577

[peteski]

I can't view that thread unless I sign in. Not going to happen.

[s.e. charles]

Robert Hudson wept

[greenwizard88]

Almost everything will run on 18" radius curves, including many 4-8-4's and even some 4-8-8-4 Big Boys.

BLI brass hybrid and some of their larger 4-8-4's won't, as well as the second run of Scale Trains "J".

Most locomotives are designed with 18" as a minimum, although they can generally go a little lower if they aren't coupled to anything. I have one curve that goes 18" -> 15" -> 18", and as long as the engine isn't coupled to anything, I've had good luck with engines that require 18" minimum radius making it through. Unlucky 4 axel diesels may have trouble if there's a lot of detail though, so 15" radius is not something I would count on working.

Long story short, if you're just going to run a critter in, 15" should work. But it probably won't work for much else.

[s.e. charles]

thanks. the romanticism is wearing off and the practical value in time & financial investment of something

as limiting [trackplan] has given me serious thoughts to rethink the endeavor.