hartleymartin Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 3.75mm sounds like Cod 143/148 Peco would have a virtual monopoly if they released a Code 124 bullhead version. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Let us consider your typical single-car garage. The internal dimensions vary from about 17' x 9' to 22' x 12'. (My own measures 17'8" x 9'8" or about 212" x 116") With the 40.5" curve, I can get a 180-degree curve into the garage and still have some 17.5" clearance between the track centre-line and the wall on each side. This means that the last section of the curves could have the peco curved points (122"/68" radius) to form one end of a run-around loop. I will then have some 14 feet from the end of the curved section of track (which includes one half of the run-around loop) If I have the buffer stops up against the wall, I can probably get an 8 or 9-foot run-around loop. Not bad ey? Even with a clear 6-foot run-around loop. This would be about 12 x 4-wheel goods wagons and brake van. If you are only operating smaller locomotives (I've got mostly 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 tank locomotives) then a 40" curve shouldn't be a problem. if you use flexible track to transition from the set-track radius back out to the straight you can get reliable running shunting with buffered vehicles. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcher 1 Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 A 'modern' house, (built 1970), has a second bedroom of 14ft x 7ft, so with those setrack curves, one could have a continuous run or a U shaped layout. (Only trouble is having to have a bed & other furniture in it as well. ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Peco announced O gauge setrack points back in, I think, February 2013 Railway Modeller but when I asked them a couple of weeks ago on any ETA there was no date available for release. I would assume that the dimensions would match the straight and curves now released. Both straights and curves appeared in this week's Kernow e-newsletter, order time 7 days.£6.00 for a straight and £6.50 for a curve so without any further discounts that'd be £52 for a circle which should be within the range of almost all 7mm modellers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 Looked very nice at the show yesterday. Mr Peco did say that they knew they had to do the points but it was when they could fit them in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcher 1 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 (edited) Peco announced O gauge setrack points back in, I think, February 2013 Railway Modeller but when I asked them a couple of weeks ago on any ETA there was no date available for release. I would assume that the dimensions would match the straight and curves now released. Both straights and curves appeared in this week's Kernow e-newsletter, order time 7 days.£6.00 for a straight and £6.50 for a curve so without any further discounts that'd be £52 for a circle which should be within the range of almost all 7mm modellers. I thought it was 12 to a full circle (?). (Even at £78, not too bad for a test track / running in track / future layout.) Edited September 8, 2013 by fatmac Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcher 1 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Looked very nice at the show yesterday. Mr Peco did say that they knew they had to do the points but it was when they could fit them in. Then they need to 'fit them in' pretty damn quick! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymw Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 It's 16 for a full circle, and at a discount price of £84 from Blackpool Best wishes, Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Oh well, even wronger than I thought... still, could be very useful to many Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltic17 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 From the discussions above - I spoke to PECO at Telford today at length re a 3 way point - i.e. to match the original points (& not SetTrack) - I was told I was the first person to suggest it to them - they took it on board and said they will look into it/discuss it at a future product development meeting - they do seem quite interested in developing their O guage range so we might be in luck although we might have to wait a little while yet I guess. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I suggested a 'setrack' range and expanding on their pointwork range at least 18 months ago only to be told there was "no market" for such things. As the Guild standard minimum is 6ft radius that's why they didn't think there was a market for, say, 4ft points. Unfortunately it seems that Peco are, or at least were, under the impression that the Guild speaks for all 7mm modellers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcher 1 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 ...& I asked them about smaller radius points last year (!), they said that they were not going to be making any as there wasn't a market for them. Seems like loss of memory going on there.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymw Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Well, they wouldn't realise there is a market, until folk asked. In the last year or so, there has been the promises, and at least an actual release of small locos, at a more reasonable cost cf other rtr 7mm locos. This has definitely sparked an interest in folk to buy rtr instead of having to kit build. Simple pre-set track makes it easy to lay track on the floor or wherever you can find a bit of flat space for a few hours, so there is a new market developing quite quickly. Before the end of 2014, with any luck, there could be half a dozen small locos, and maybe a couple of dozen wagon choices, all rtr on clip together track and small radius point, so if the market wasn't there when Peco/whoever al last looked, the market will be here quite soon. Best wishes, Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Gilbert Posted September 8, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 8, 2013 Having chatted with Mr Peco on Saturday I suspect they think there's a market now - those curves don't look too bad and will suit a lot of the current RTR offerings. I feel a test track in the garage coming on... Chris 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 With set-track curves available at a reasonable price, I think that we're going to see a lot more O gauge layouts that follow the classic "Started with a trainset loop of track and it expanded from there" scenario. The Hudswell Clarke, and Fowler from Ixion and the Terrier from Dapol, as well as several different companies selling RTR wagons might be just enough to get people started. After getting the RTR stuff running, I think people will attempt kits to expand their collection (after all, who wants to have all the same RTR stuff as someone else?) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 If they bring out a 'radius 2' curve then I would guess a lot of other rtr stock like the Heljan diesels would cope - certainly my 33 seemed happy when I tried it on a 4ft curved flexitrack although obviously couldn't do a scale 150mph with it... You're right Martin, nobody enters any scale armed with a shedfull of tools and a biscuit tin - they start with rtr, then perhaps try a kit in plastic then brass, then maybe hand-build some track, all over the course of a few years. The only difference of course with 7mm is that it's a much slower process because it's far more expensive and it takes a lot more guts to take a knife to a £50 - or more - kit than it does a £7.99 Hornby Railroad wagon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 There wasnt a market 18 months ago .Pure and simples .Dapol ,Ixion and others are changing that with small loco prototypes.Companies arent stupid even if some think they are .They invest money in what they can afford to make and sell and the market wants . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Well, you've been able to get O scale set-track for a while, but you had to buy code 148 american from Atlas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenglade Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 You're right Martin, nobody enters any scale armed with a shedfull of tools and a biscuit tin - they start with rtr, then perhaps try a kit in plastic then brass, then maybe hand-build some track, all over the course of a few years. The only difference of course with 7mm is that it's a much slower process because it's far more expensive and it takes a lot more guts to take a knife to a £50 - or more - kit than it does a £7.99 Hornby Railroad wagon. ahhh. but not all of us are the same...my first venture into 7mm was with a Martin Finney Gresley A1 and corridor tender ( not started yet).. but then I didn't buy it as a venture into 7mm, it was more for the love of that particular locomotive which I was going to build as a display model and also for a little research to help in details with the 5" version that I'm building. However it rekindled my interest in model railways as a child with my grandfather in 00. So now I have two Connoisseur models, a LNER brake van and a J71 ( both built) and also a C&L 'point in a bag' kit which is also built, to which I shall add more in due course for a future railway once I get a little too old for regular use of the big stuff. Which I guess means that yes I did start in 7mm with a shed full of tools and a biscuit tin or two..... Regards Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hartleymartin Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I think a lot of people "trade up" from OO scale. One of the reasons I decided to move into O scale 10 years ago (just after I finished high school) was because I had been reading a number of articles from Railway modeller which talked about failing eye sight and O scale being less fiddly. I figured that it wasn't worth building a huge collection of HO/OO or N gauge only to trade up years from now. I have variously looked into O-16.5/On30 and O standard gauge, and even flirted with O-24.5/O-21 at times. I recently acquired a Hudswell Clarke on ebay (only slightly cheaper than retail) and I also acquired a Tower Models barclay from a deceased estate for less than the cost of the unbuilt kit. I promptly pulled it apart and have set about modifying and changing several things. The most drastic was when the razor saw came out and it went from an enclosed cab to an open-backed cab! The Hudswell Clarke is going through several modifications too. Another member of this forum kindly turned some 16" buffers for me and the saddle tank has had a sanding block taken to it in an attempt to smooth out the tank profile. It's due for a trip to the paint shops for a respray in matt black and some numbers. I've also got some kit-bashed models which will eventually be Sydney C and D class trams, with a possible future F class and G class on the workshop roster. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Here's a couple of 7mm biscuit tin conversions- scratchbuilt 61XX and Adams Radial both first entry in 0 gauge. However they probably wouldn't have made it around Peco set track 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I thought one of the reasons the Adams Radial was so successful on the Lyme Regis branch was its ability to cope with the almost setrack-type curves on the line? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted September 9, 2013 Author Share Posted September 9, 2013 For those wanting the O gauge set track points, send Peco an e mail. The more they get the more chance we stand in getting them. Tell them you like the set track straights and curves but need the points as well to increase the size of the layout. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I thought one of the reasons the Adams Radial was so successful on the Lyme Regis branch was its ability to cope with the almost setrack-type curves on the line? Your right the Radial could cope with about 30" curves but the 61XX now that's another story. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenglade Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 very nice loco's Mike... Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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