A concern

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DakotaLove39

DakotaLove39

Always Improvising
Hi all,

I could't really tell where to ask this, so please bear with me..

I'm in the process of getting ahold of an SP 4449 GS-4 and a short run of matching streamliner cars to go with her.

My concern with this is that right now I am stuck with the Power-Loc track I got with a Life-Like set a long time ago. I believe the curved sections are 18" turns, can the GS-4 make these? I've been able to make some observations using an HO GS-4 display piece that I have, and the wheels seem to look rather tight on the curve, but I am not really experienced enough to truly tell if the loco can actually move through the curves on her own.

Should I scrap the old track and get ahold of a new set of track with larger curves?
 
What GS-4 are you looking at?

Both the MTH & PCM versions are set up for 22" radius. The old Lionel HO/Bachmann offerings may work on 18, but I would not chance it.

Life-like power lock, as far as I remember, never came higher then 18" until fairly recently, and in trains sets was always 18".
 


While some of the sets with 4-8-4s did come on 18in. radius turns, they don't look "at home" on them. I'd go with 22in. not only for smooth operation but for a more natural look when going thru a turn. I always hated to see the pilot trucks sticking out to the side like a sprint car on a dirt track. The wider the turn the more proto it appears. ;)
 
Would you reccommend new track? I've been pondering ways to use two different types (For example, my Power-Loc and Bachmann EZ-track), such as soldering the Power-Lock adapters to a couple switches to make a permanent turn-out adapter so I can run a loop of one type and a loop of another. the only problem I can forsee with such a setup is power supply. Would I want to isolate the two types of track into their own circuits?
 
In all seriousness....if you intend to buy new track of this type, and you have every intention of staying in the hobby, even growing in it for the foreseeable future, you would be well advised to purchase wider curves than 22". You should look for something above 26" so that any future heavyweight passenger cars will run well on them...better quality ones, that is...and so that as you get a strong desire to buy larger steamers you will be able to run them. Brass? Forget it...they won't go around curves less than about 28" radius for the four-coupled and higher engines of the Northern type. A BLI 2-10-4 will negotiate 24" curves reliably, and 22" curves unreliably. However, you won't get Walthers Heavyweights to run on curves less than 24", and they would have to be perfect.

EZ-Track comes in radii larger than 22". I think their highest radius is well over 30" now.

I realize this might impose other restrictions on you in your space, but EZ-Track is not inexpensive, so if you are going to purchase new items of that label, why not find a way to use 26" or higher curves and enjoy the better looks and performance, not to mention greater future utility?

-Crandell
 
I was actually thinking of Kato. I'd go with Atlas when it comes time to make a more permanent layout (Handlaying doesn't appeal to me just yet.)

Selector, I see no such restrictions. If I have to get ahold of a bigger curve radius to run my favorite steamer, then that's fine by me. I have quite a bit of room for it.
 
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I have a Genesis UP FEF-3 which is similar to the GS-4 and it does not like 18" curves. 22" seem to be the minimum for these big 4-8-4 locomotives. If I had the room, I'd use bigger radius curves.
 
my spectrum mountain (4-8-2) can make it around the 18" radius found in my industry aera but it is digging into the rails pretty good. even with my mainline at 22" radius the loco slows a little but will make it around. I had to tweak the 18" radus track to get the engine to run good. I also had to notch out part of the tender so that the rear of the locos cab roof could clear it in the tight turn.
 
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