what size ho curves track should i use? right inow i have 22'radius curves. should i stick with 22" curves or should i use smaller or bigger curves
A little more info might be useful, but for starters - most prototype passenger cars are about 80 feet long. That's about a foot long in HO. At these lengths, when cars go around a curve there is considerable overhand on the inside of the curve. It is not visually attractive, and more to the point if there is an inside track at minimum center-to-center distance the passenger cars might scrape against cars or locos on that inner track. Also, on sharp curves you may have to use talgo trucks - trucks with the couplers mounted on an extension of the truck frame - in order to keep the cars coupled together.
If you want to use these full-length cars, you should consider larger curves, say 30" minimum. The other option is to look for cars that are shorter - 60 feet or 70 feet long.
Quote from: usher42 on January 31, 2012, 01:01:28 PM
what size ho curves track should i use? right inow i have 22'radius curves. should i stick with 22" curves or should i use smaller or bigger curves
22" should do but you may have to couple the cars together further apart than scale distance.
As for curves? I'd never go lower than 22" and always go as wide as you have space for. Even narrow gauge looks far better on wider curves than it does on smaller radius curves, regardless of model railroad myths. :)
I sue old time Overland cars and they are good to go on 22
It's a good idea to use the largest radius possible for your space. The larger the radii the fewer the problems.
If you are looking for shorties, Athearn just announced that they are releasing the old MDC Harriman cars but with upated parts. Harriman family owned railroads - IC, UP, SP - all had turtle roofed passenger cars, thus the name Harriman cars.
In one of my past forays into HO I had several of the cars pulled by their (MDC's) consolidation. Made a nice train.