Minimum Radius 00

[DCB]

Having seen a working 00 layout only 2ft wide operating at Bekra Models Newton Abbot on Monday I have to re assess my views on minimum radius.  It actually had a class 47 and two bogie coaches crawling round relentlessly at around a scale 15MPH.   It looked like the curves were made from a single length of code 100 streamline which would give just under 2ft diameter/ 12" radius.

Obviously if a CoCo can get round so can 0-4-0s so an industrial layout with a continous run or U shaped FY at the back has to be feasible.   Thinking Hornby Sentinel or Peckett here not Smokey Joe or Nellie.  Can't see getting a big 0-6-0 round but maybe a 1361 or 1366 0-6-0PT.  I know many RTR products struggle with 2nd Radius circa 18"

I'm hoping to rebuild my old 2ft wide 6 ish by 2 N gauge baseboard with 00 track to see if I can make this work

I'm interested to hear of other folks thoughts.

See pics of Bekra's layout, go and see it if you don't believe me, its a great shop with friendly helpful staff but 120 miles from where I live so I can't just pop in for a pack of fishplates.

See pics.

[The Stationmaster]

I have an 00 module with a siding layout on it and the minimum radius, over a short distance, is 9 inches - quite happy with small 0-6-0Ts at low speed albeit using standard r-t-r couplings

[johnhutnick]

Having seen a working 00 layout only 2ft wide operating at Bekra Models Newton Abbot on Monday I have to re assess my views on minimum radius.  It actually had a class 47 and two bogie coaches crawling round relentlessly at around a scale 15MPH.   It looked like the curves were made from a single length of code 100 streamline which would give just under 2ft diameter/ 12" radius.

Obviously if a CoCo can get round so can 0-4-0s so an industrial layout with a continous run or U shaped FY at the back has to be feasible.   Thinking Hornby Sentinel or Peckett here not Smokey Joe or Nellie.  Can't see getting a big 0-6-0 round but maybe a 1361 or 1366 0-6-0PT.  I know many RTR products struggle with 2nd Radius circa 18"

I'm hoping to rebuild my old 2ft wide 6 ish by 2 N gauge baseboard with 00 track to see if I can make this work

I'm interested to hear of other folks thoughts.

See pics of Bekra's layout, go and see it if you don't believe me, its a great shop with friendly helpful staff but 120 miles from where I live so I can't just pop in for a pack of fishplates.

See pics.

You may wish to view four Youtube videos posted by Richard Higgins about OO minimum radius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSYyOab97HE

[johnhutnick]

You may wish to view four Youtube videos posted by Richard Higgins about OO minimum radius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSYyOab97HE

 

You may wish to view four Youtube videos posted by Richard Higgins about OO minimum radius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSYyOab97HE

I also just found a further Youtube video with 7.5" curves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWG4t68wBcU

[Booking Hall]

Bit late on this one, but in the Railway Modeller for June 1988, in 'Plan of the month', 'Yarmouth Quay', the writer mentioned that it was possible to get a Mainline class 03 to go round a 7" diameter curve of Streamline track, and then proceeded to design a 4ft x 2ft 'U' shaped layout (which I might build one day!) from it.

[RodneyS]

Thanks for that information about Yarmouth Quay.  I will have to look it up.

I remember seeing the layout (or perhaps a copy of it?) at one of the Horsham exhibitions many years ago but didn't realise the plan had been in RM.

I asked the operator about the curve and I thought he said it was  about 9'' radius.  I could be wrong as it was a long time ago and it might have been tighter in the centre.

I think he did say that he had to remove one of the coupling hooks so that wagons would operate reliably.

Rodney

 

[Booking Hall]

On 27/12/2019 at 11:13, RodneyS said:

Thanks for that information about Yarmouth Quay.  I will have to look it up.

I remember seeing the layout (or perhaps a copy of it?) at one of the Horsham exhibitions many years ago but didn't realise the plan had been in RM.

I asked the operator about the curve and I thought he said it was  about 9'' radius.  I could be wrong as it was a long time ago and it might have been tighter in the centre.

I think he did say that he had to remove one of the coupling hooks so that wagons would operate reliably.

Rodney

 

I'd have liked to have seen it Rodney. Having re-read the article, the author does indeed say that the curves he ended up with were around 9" radius.

Paul