Radius Question and Passenger coaches

[iis612]

I am wondering, what is the shortest radius I could get away with if I am running full size passenger equipment and body mounted couplers?
My original intent was to use 30", but I am hoping to shorten it to 26-28" range. Would that provide reliable operation? Looks are another issue all together. I can hide the overhang with proper use of scenery components.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Russ Bellinis]

I think the best way to check it would be to build a test board. Make a table top of plywood 60" x 60" and put down concentric circles of track at 26 inches and 28 inches. Then set up a train with the full length coaches and body mount couplers and see how they do. It might work even better to make the table top a rectangle with a straight section on each side the length of a full length passenger car so that you could rail them on a straight. You could use the cheapest code 100 flex track you can find to build it with because you are not interested in how it looks, just how it works.

 

[nachoman]

If all the passenger cars are the same length, you may be able to go sharper than 26" with body-mount couplers. Why? Because is each car is the same length, the ends wil overhang exactly the same amount on curves. The issues will be where the long passenger car couples to a chorter locomotive, or in areas of S-curves, crossovers, or where a curve meets a straightaway. So if you want to test it out, you are going to need to test the situations that are likely to cause problems, and not just make circles of track.

Kevin

 

[wjstix]

On my last HO layout I had some 28" curves; my Walthers Superliners with body-mounted couplers went thru them with no problems.