Beginner 1 Gauge Layout Question

Bongo Boy

New Member
Dec 2, 2004
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Colorado Springs
15' radius for 4-6-6-4 or 4-8-4 Gauge One?

I'm interested in garden rail, but the portion of my back yard that I can use is about 70' wide by 30' deep, and that's fence-to-fence (wide) and fence-to-patio (deep).

I'm concerned that only having a max. 15' radius turn is going to look pretty silly with longer locomotives such as the Challenger and even the GS-4, especially if there are any passenger cars to speak of. Is this just too tight a radius?

Any opinions? Would I be better off selecting older-era, shorter engines? Thanks.