What's your minimum radius? And why?

[Jasper]

On your layout, do you keep a minimum curve radius?

And what is the reason? Here are some reasons I can think of. There are probably others I didn't think of.
- These big curves look better to me
- These small curves are all I can fit in
- My stock will derail on anything smaller
- I have steep inclines, so I need gentle curves
- For my theme, tight curves are prototypical

Thanks.

 

[RDFMTS2]

On your layout, do you keep a minimum curve radius?

And what is the reason? Here are some reasons I can think of. There are probably others I didn't think of.
- These big curves look better to me
- These small curves are all I can fit in
- My stock will derail on anything smaller
- I have steep inclines, so I need gentle curves
- For my theme, tight curves are prototypical

Thanks.

Hi Jasper.

My first garden railway was originally laid at 2'6" radius curves. At the time, we has mainly electric rats which ran fine, and my only steam loco was a mamod SL1. Mamods were not the most sedate locos, and often derailed, when the time came to rebuild the railway following a house move for work away for 4 years, followed by moving back to our house which we had rented out, we rebuilt the railway elsewhere in the garden. This allowed us to mainly use 8' radius curves, with some 5' in sidings. The railway ran very well and looked lovely, ( in our opinion anyway).

Following what I hope will be our last house move, we now have a much smaller garden, so we now have what is basically an end to end railway with a return ballon loop. The loop is sadly only 2'8" radius, which looks quite tight so we are going to build a cutting to hide the tight curve, the train will just disappear, and reappear from a bridge about 5'4" away and run back down to the terminus, where locos are run around their train, which for me, adds to the fun of running our railway.

I am involved with our local model engineering society, where I am a part of the group who are building a raised garden railway through an existing rockery. Yes that is hard work, I spent several days cutting through a large rock to form a cutting, but it is looking good as far as we have got to date. This is planned to be 6' minimum radius, with wider radius where we can. Hopefully this will result in a railway which natural looking, and will help to keep visitors entertained on open days.

I also am connected with a mainly steam powered exhibition layout group, where we use 5'6" radius as the norm on the running line, with some smaller radii in sidings, down to about 4'6" as trains are usually running much slower while shunting. The 4'6" does occasionally get used on the running line for small exhibitions, but it does work for 0-4-0 or some 0-6-0 locos.

I appreciate that in a modern garden space can be tight, and 2' radius is the only option, but unless you are modelling Statfold Barn, or something similar, larger radius is best especially for live steam. Small electric locos will usually cope better with tight curves, so if that is what you are planning you may be fine. I have seen a lovely exhibition layout with less than a foot radius but it was a very nice industrial style layout, very small diesel, pulling one or two wagons at a time.

Anyway to sum up decide what sort of railway you want to run. What style of trains. Generally small battery or track power 0-4-0 locos pulling short trains you should get away with 2' curves. Live steam will be easier and look nicer with larger radius in my opinion.

Note these are my thoughts, others may think otherwise, and I would not say anyone's railway is wrong. As I said above we had to change from lovely wide curves to a very tight one on a part of our current railway. You have to work within the size you can allocate to the railway, taking in to account other family members use of the garden.

Regards,

David

 

[dunnyrail]

My major curves are all 4ft or LGB R3 as (I think) nearest equivalent. I do have the odd R2 and a horrific R1. My intention was to have all R3 or better but limitations of space particularly in the shed decreed otherwise. At least the R1 and R2 curves are in slow speed Station locations.

 

[Gizzy]

Go for the largest radii that you can fit in the space available.

I am mainly LGB R3, but due to constraints at the end of my line, I have a R1/R2 return loop.

You sometimes have to compromise....

 

[Jasper]

I am involved with our local model engineering society, where I am a part of the group who are building a raised garden railway through an existing rockery. Yes that is hard work, I spent several days cutting through a large rock to form a cutting, but it is looking good as far as we have got to date. This is planned to be 6' minimum radius, with wider radius where we can. Hopefully this will result in a railway which natural looking, and will help to keep visitors entertained on open days.

That sounds exciting! I hope you will post photos of this as it progresses.

 

[Jasper]

So far, I have built a very small layout in a corner of the garden. The curves are your usual LGB R1, because that's what I had, and that's what fits. The stock I have negotiates this well enough. (I'm a tram enthousiast which helps in this regard.)
But now I have much more space and I plan on restarting with generous curves. I think I can fit in a main line with curves about 1.35 metres. Most of the things I can see myself buying will be totally happy, and look good, on those curves.

 

[Gizzy]

So far, I have built a very small layout in a corner of the garden. The curves are your usual LGB R1, because that's what I had, and that's what fits. The stock I have negotiates this well enough. (I'm a tram enthousiast which helps in this regard.)
But now I have much more space and I plan on restarting with generous curves. I think I can fit in a main line with curves about 1.35 metres. Most of the things I can see myself buying will be totally happy, and look good, on those curves.

One thing to note, is that LGB stock should (mostly) run on R1 curves, where as other makes may have problems.

The Aristocraft Class 66 for example, needs R3 minimum, so I couldn't run one around the R2 return loop on my line....

 

[playmofire]

All my curves are R1, partly for space reasons and partly because all my locos are 0-4-0 (except for a 2-4-0, which comes to the same thing) and all the rolling stock is two axle. I have some R2 curves which I use when space permits to give more elegant curves on an elevated live.

 

[Rhinochugger]

So far, I have built a very small layout in a corner of the garden. The curves are your usual LGB R1, because that's what I had, and that's what fits. The stock I have negotiates this well enough. (I'm a tram enthousiast which helps in this regard.)
But now I have much more space and I plan on restarting with generous curves. I think I can fit in a main line with curves about 1.35 metres. Most of the things I can see myself buying will be totally happy, and look good, on those curves.

One of the best pieces of advice that I was given when first setting out in G scale, and which, surprisingly for me, I actually listened to, was to go as large as possible.

8ft diamater (4ft Radius) is a good minimum to accommodate virtually anything in the various scales that run on 45mm track.

I model in 1:20.3 (15mm : 1ft) and my Accucraft Jackson Sharp coach occasionally complains about a certain 8 ft curve, but it stays on the track

 

[Diesel2000]

My main lines and branch lines are all R3 and R5 because all the larger equipment runs better and looks better on it. I have a few R2 (Piko curved switches inner branch) and R1 turnouts in yards where needed to fit the space. I'm actually just starting a project to convert the 4 existing 1200 switches to 1600 in the main yard on the heavily used tracks. The 4 track main yard will be all R3. I was never happy with the R1 switches, but thats all I had when originally built and have suffered through with it .

Larger is preferable for better operation if space permits.

The planned rack section will likely include R2 curves and R1 1200 switches because thats all that will fit (and I'll reuse the 1200 switches from the main yard I'm replacing with R3).

 

[playmofire]

On reflection, my minimum radius is a bit under R1 as I have a circle of track made from R1s by ebay mike which is approx four feet from outside sleeper edge to outside sleeper edge andm my locos and rolling stock navigate it OK, but I suspect that, say, an 0-6-0 tnk even with a "floating" centre axle might not.

 

[Jasper]

That might indeed be too much.

 

[Software Tools]

Well, for the garden the mainline minimum is LGB R3 through special work and about 3m on flex curves. Within the garage yards, at yard speeds, it is LGB R1/R2 on a few items of complex special work. This was all done using was on the market 30+ years ago.

On the simple indoor layout it is R1, for simple space availability reasons. This is mostly for demonstration purposes rather than regular running.

 

[korm kormsen]

when i started, i had only R1 curves. what else?
for a decade and a half that was it - with an addition of a handfull each of LGB R2 and R3 curves.
that was good enough, first indoors, than outdoors. stainzes, playmo locos and dummies made from cheap toys and pushed by motorized tenders.
even the "Steaming Mary" ran fine on R1.








when Santa brought me a Big Hauler starter set, the problems began. - a derailing ponytruck.
buying New Qida eight-wheel flatcars (about 40cm long) didn't help neither.

because of our warm weather i fled to indoors again. so the compromise between space existing and space needed started again.

experimenting with railbending, i came to the conclusion, that "R1½" (that came out at about 150cm/5ft diameter) would be good enough for my existing and intended roling stock.
only thing, that still derails is a 60cm/2ft New Qida passenger car. (it is earmarked for some serious shortening)

 

[stevedenver]

R3, thats the max that my current ROW which is a large raised retaining wall “planter” area will allow.
R2 or R1, should i pursue an inner secondary line.
Life is better with large diameter curves.

 

[GAP]

5Ft-6Ft curves on the main layout with R1 in the shed where the yards will be built in an expansion.
The points are R3 LGB or equivalent in Aristocraft, the handmade brass ones are R5 while the 3D printed are R5 or R3.
On the sugar mill layout R1 points with curves to match where needed and larger elsewhere I did not measure the radii I use flex track and just bent it to suit using my Mk1 eyeball.
As I my railway is a freelance narrow gauge base one I really did not over concern myself with radius measurements, my largest locos, a 3truck shay and a 2-8-0 consolidation, the rest are short wheel base ones and negotiate R1 curves with no issue.

 

[Lordraglan274]

I had the space so went with LGB R5 curves right from the start, both tracks on the main line use them. This does mean a 180 degree turn needs the double track to split and a short straight inserted into the outer loop, but it works.
It looks far more realistic to my eyes, and of course it gives the opportunity to run some of the larger locomotives.

 

[Diesel2000]

I had the space so went with LGB R5 curves right from the start, both tracks on the main line use them. This does mean a 180 degree turn needs the double track to split and a short straight inserted into the outer loop, but it works.
It looks far more realistic to my eyes, and of course it gives the opportunity to run some of the larger locomotives.

Fantastic rockery!

 

[Dan]

Outdoors I have 4 different tracks to run on. 2 are for small engines and are R1. Mainline is R5, figure 8 is R3. Tunnel height is 11 inches to allow bear trap LGB moguls and the LGB Pustfix car with the wizard on top. I also made a 29 inch circle for the Christmas tree and only run FRR cars with Kadee #1 couplers, engine is a bashed HLW kit gondola with just a LGB motor block under it. other than that, indoors is all R1.

 

[rentren]

My outdoors layout is almost as sheltered as an indoor layout. Garden Railway? - No! It is an along-the-wall railway from a former wood storage area (4ft deep) to a below deck area (roughly 11ft square). Those given sheltered areas set the maximum for radii. (Images 1, 2, 4)
In former firewood storage area LGB R1, other areas wherever possible larger.
Last fall I took down the along-the-wall parts (straight and perhaps a bit boring. I want to rebuild as soon as temperatures are friendly enough (the Kootenays, W. Canada) with wide curves. I had a temporary 'study area' for this experimenting with plastic waste pipe pieces as supports. Looked a bit wind-blown And then came winter. (Images 3, 5)
When rebuilding I will use a conventional grid support. (Image 6)
Also, I will rebuild before my brown-coat helper emerges from winter denning. (Image 7)
...oh, and, (3rd edit, spell before) - I run mostly BP/RC. There is but one area outside where I need to take care of polarity. A bit of grease for the track connectors helps a lot. Not converted engines manage complete runs without issue.