mikeingeorgia
New Member
Do any of you know what the minimum turning radius is for a BLI J1 2-10-4?
Minimum radius for a J1?
- Thread starter mikeingeorgia
- Start date
You mean minimum curve radius? BLI says 22" radius on their web site. I'm sure it would probably make it around but not at much over 20 or so scale miles per hour. I would think that 24" would the absolute minimum for prototype speed and 26" ot larger would be even better.
mikeingeorgia
New Member
Ok, thanks. I took it to one guys house and we tried to run it but it couldn't make it around the curves. He said he wasn't sure what his minimum radius was, so I wasn't sure.
Selector
Well-Known Member
Two things...the catalog says 24" is the minimum, but Model Railroader Magazine staff said they felt that 22" was doable reliably. I can tell you that it was hit and miss on my EZ-Track layout that I had when I first got that engine myself. I think BLI was being honest and cautious for the potential buyer's sake, and probably desired to cover their own butts as well so that they would not have to take back engines that were optimistically rated from irate and disappointed buyers.
Secondly, there are two things that will cause grief to a long wheelbase of drivers. One is short radius (I'd say this covers about 50-70% of your problem in all likelihood), and uneven track...either it allows the engine to wobble and yaw (side to side), or it makes the engine pitch up and down (vertical kinks between rail sections, especially nasty when it happens along a curve, really bad on tight curves of the kind you have).
What I am saying is....lose the tight curves, and maybe use a straightedge atop the rails and look for gaps between it and the rail tops using a backlight and your eyes down level with the tracks.
Sorry if this seems blunt and direct, but there ain't no foolin' them 10-coupled monsters. Mine showed me where my mistakes were, and you are apparently there, too.
Secondly, there are two things that will cause grief to a long wheelbase of drivers. One is short radius (I'd say this covers about 50-70% of your problem in all likelihood), and uneven track...either it allows the engine to wobble and yaw (side to side), or it makes the engine pitch up and down (vertical kinks between rail sections, especially nasty when it happens along a curve, really bad on tight curves of the kind you have).
What I am saying is....lose the tight curves, and maybe use a straightedge atop the rails and look for gaps between it and the rail tops using a backlight and your eyes down level with the tracks.
Sorry if this seems blunt and direct, but there ain't no foolin' them 10-coupled monsters. Mine showed me where my mistakes were, and you are apparently there, too.
