Hello,
I considering buying the HO Acela Express set and have 2 questions.
1. If installing 15'' radius EZTrack in a circle, what is the diameter for the outer rim and the diameter for the inner rim?
2. Can this set run, at a reasonable speed without derailing, on a 15'' radius track? The set comes with a 22'' track set but won't fit my layout.
Greatly appreciate your time and help.
Phat Vu
AFAIK, it will not work on 15" radius. If it does, it will look awful. My minimum radius is 30" and 80' passenger cars still hang over too much in curves.
Gene
Quote1. If installing 15'' radius EZTrack in a circle, what is the diameter for the outer rim and the diameter for the inner rim?
Roadbed of HO gauge E-Z Track is just a little less than 2 inches wide. Radius is measured to centerline of track.
• Diameter for the outer rim = just under 32"
• Diameter for the inner rim = just under 28"
Quote2. Can this set run, at a reasonable speed without derailing, on a 15'' radius track?
No
19 inch curve radius is the recommended minimum for the N scale Acela Express.
Good Morning All,
As many of you know.....I work partime in a train store. Over the years, from talking to customers and from personal experience, I now believe the best piece of advice I can give is this.....if the manufacturer says the minimum radius is such and such, add two inches to that minimum.
Bob
Consider the following, quoted from Wikipedia:
"The curve radii used (in HO) are still much less than those on full-size railroads. For instance, a full-size railroad curve with a radius of 800 meters (roughly 2500 feet or about one half mile) would require a radius of a bit over 345 in (876.3 cm), far more than a typical "gentle" curve using hand-laid track on a high-quality layout. Curvature equivalent to that used by real railroads is simply impractical because of the limited size of the layout."
The longest cars I run are 50' boxcars, and they don't look good on the 18" track which I am limited to now. I am building an addition to my shop/office, but even then I will be limited to 22" radius, so I will continue to limit my cars to 50' . I can now see why the "purists" hide the curves behind barriers or in tunnels. So I guess my "no spin" answer would be, if you are limited to 15" track, don't buy the Acela; it may run, but you probably won't like the appearance.
Bo
All,
Thanks a great deal for the help!!
Best regards,
Phat