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Among a set of rolling stock I just received are several very nice 74' centerbeams. They're perfect for the Maine based layout I'm scheming up but they're longer than anything else I'm planning to run. Does anyone have experience with these cars and have a sense of what a safe minimum operating radius for them might be? Curves will be built with easements. It would not hurt my feelings to have a rule that engines cannot couple directly to the centerbeams - in fact there was a rule about engines coupling to long cars in the Maine Central timetable.
Justin
Justin,
I don't own any 74' centerbeams, but my 80' heavyweight passenger cars will go around a 9-3/4" radius curve. However they don't look very good doing it! Bigger is better. I use 27" radius on my mainline, but will drop down to 15" radius on a hidden helix to save space.
Curve radius choice is always a comprimise between appearance and the available space.
I would recommend taking some flex track and tacking it at various curve radius's and trying the centerbeams and your locomotives to see if you uncover any operational problems. I would think that 12" to 15" radius curves would give reliable operation.
Glenn
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