For me it makes it easier to know what I'm buying when it comes to curves. I know when I buy 8ft diameter curves it makes a 8ft circle, 10ft diameter curves makes a 10ft circles and so forth. Companies such as LGB, Piko, etc that rate curves R1, R2, R3 I have no clue what I'm getting. Plus rating curves in diameter of a circle makes it dummy proof. Aristocraft has come out within a few years a number of choices of diameter curves where before you just had 4ft, 5ft, 8ft, 10ft and 20ft. Now we have 12ft, 14ft, 16ft. I think it's great to have a choice of nice wide curves. You may hate me for saing this, but although LGB makes all of thier trains to run on R1 curves, it's not realistic and because LGB ran on such tight curves they never ventured into expanding the line of choices in wide curves like Aristocraft did.
The biggest radius that LGB Makes is R5 (4640mm diameter or a bit over 15 ft diameter). Those curves are meant for standard gauge trains. I rather use flex track than sectional track - it's less toy-like when you don't use fixed curves. R5 turnouts are beautiful but they take a lot of space. I agree with you, spending all the extra design and manufacturing effort to get a Mikado to go around R1 curves is ridiculous in my opinion. If all it takes is a coupling that can swing wide to go around R1, that's one thing, but to actually make the Mikado frame so that it pivots when going around R1, well that's a bit much. Trouble is that many people I know with their layouts indoors, do use R1 to get more tracks into a limited space. LGB should have done what USAT and Aristo have done - just specify a larger minimum diameter for the larger engines. However, that problem may sort of go away - just heard that LGB will no longer develop new "standard" gauge products - in future they will concentrate on narrow gauge products only. As to the use of diameter - I can see your point. Maybe for you a diameter is easier to visualize - it's just that model train curved track has always been specified using raddii for all scales and gauges, so Aristo and USAT are swimming against the stream. I wonder who else uses diameter instead of radius. I checked Sunset Valley and LLagas Creek, the two large 45mm track/turnout manufacturers in the US and they both use radius, not diameter (essentially for their switches since they only manufacture flex track).
Wow, thats too bad. Before LGB went bankrupt they were getting pretty good at capturing the USA freight cars as a model. The LGB new style box car, new style hopper car and new style tank car were the best American version freight trains they came out with. To concentrate on just narrow gauge could be a small niche and a problem if trying to compete against American Narrow Gauge trains in a market where Accucraft and Bachmann are going head to head. Accucraft even has the AMS division which produces cheaper narrow gauge plastic freight cars or is LGB going to stick with 1:22.5 narrow gauge and try to compete with 1:20.32 Fn3 narrow gauge, either is a big mistake. They should try to stay in the mid 70's to modern USA freight car market which seems to be real popular right now. However USA Trains and Aristocraft already have a much deeper hold on the market right now.
I spoke too soon and posted something misleading. That strategy only applies to European prototype products. For US prototypes Marklin-LGB will still produce both standard and narrow gauge items.
Now that would make more buisness sense, thanx for the correction. I own a LGB new style Modern Box Car in the Rail Box road name, it's the most realistic box car with the Rail Box road name prodcuced by any manufacturer as far as I'm concerned which is why I bought it. If LGB keeps making good quality modern freight cars like that they could give USA Trains and Aristocraft a run for thier money. The USA Trains Rail Box version is on a American Series simulated steel box car, I begged Charles Ro to make one in the Ultimate Series but he won't as long as the ones in the American series sit around for sale. Don't even get me started on the Aristocaft Railbox which is on the 53ft Evans box car with doors that don't open. Although I have seen double door RailBox box cars on real railroads but they were hi cube with the white roof top and the first rib on the top front and back are in white. That is how hi cube box cars are marked and easily identified here in the USA. No one has made a hi-cube box car in G scale yet, that would be a neat modern box car to make next.
Well, IF my NSLHS has what I need, in quantity needed......... I could have 2 or four of the 4 preferred bridges maybe this weekend. Otherwise, I'll have to order them and wait. But, I'm also now looking at a Limited Edition, 2 car matched set(#0038) of cars. Another very interesting set to add to my growing collection of "stuff". Name/Maker forbidden to mention!!
Not really, you can mention a manufacturer or maker. LGB, Aristocraft, USA Trains, MTH, Hartland are all manufacturers for example that can be mentioned.
Please PM me regarding any statements or questions about TrainBoard policy rules, theses statements that are posted in the forum are NOT considered on subject topics. The Upper staff members and I will DELETE those questions and statements in the main forum.
Made offer on cars. Only 1 bridge available. Need 4 total. Gotta look into ordering from another source.
Offer accepted! Got cars!! Already paid. Hope to get next week sometime. Gotta do some more searching for bridges;. NSLHS only has 1 in stock. Need 4 total. Oh well........Maybe in 2 weeks.
Not working tonight. Needed time off, just in case trouble with dental work yesterday. Set up the K and an 8 car mixed. Ran for about 3 hours non stop, with no problems. A few photos and some video.
No work done. Short on cash this week! Did get about a 3 hour run in on Tuesday afternoon though! Ran the K, 2 boxcars, 1 reefer and 5 passenger cars. Yeah, I kinow, the C&S cars do NOT belong! Have not had the chance to run them through the shops for minor paint/decal work, to convert them to DRGW cars. Yet. West end West end, slightly different angle DRGW "Rico" Eventual site of curved trestle. Makeshift bridge barely seen.
A few more photos. Rounding redesigned section. Some additional ballasting still needs to be done. Rest of redesigned section. Small station planned for siding. Big enough for single car only.
The single car siding would be a useful team track. Just add loading dock. The passing siding would be a natural place for the station. Just sayin'.....
Keith,in post 133,second to last pic,is that a grade or just photo telling lies.If it is a grade....how steep. Following this with interest,keep it coming. Cheers Stu.
Keith,how do you find the brass track for pick up etc? As I found it to be a pita,lots of probs with I think it was carbon build up,anyways alotta cleaning was always needed for running sessions.Changed to nickle silver I tink.....all good now! It looks great now that it has all settled in abit,ballast looks great,have just found some over here that looks the same.
Camera is making it look worse than it really is. It's a 10 foot Diameter curve. Elevation change is probably no more than 2" total. don't really have any idea of what the actual grade is! All grades are eyeballed. Just tried to make sure that they were not too steep. Can handle 2 GP40's and about 10 cars without problems. Just waiting for payday, so i can order the bridges I need to continue!
Jason, I don't have too many problems with power pick up. Last run with K, I set locomotive on track and went! No track cleaning prior. Using track clamps also, so that might help with power. Have a single power drop, and I think I'm losing some power to front half of layout, opposite power connection. But, I do have a second set of LGB connections on hand. Just need to get them installed, and connected by alligator clips for now. Should help with power loss to that side of layout. Alos hoping it will help with transmitter problems I have occasionally. Specifically, with horn NOT working as it should. Activate and it'll stay on! Also have an under car mount track cleaner that I really need to work on installing! Will help keep track clean as train runs. Designed to mount UNDER a car, so it's kept nicely hidden from view. In certain places, it should work better than drywall screen and telescoping paint pole! Want to get a powered track brush as well, to sweep tree leaves etc...off the track. Anyway....
Think I'm gonna take time off from my weekend trips to Northglenn for a couple weeks. I've got other stuff to do around home, before mid Oct arrives! Also gonna use the extra time to work outside a bit more, before it gets too cold to continue. Now, I need to start getting bridge location(s) ready. Ordered the Garden Metal Model bridges I need. Hopefully, they'll be in next week sometime. Coming from a shop in ILL. Not from the NSLHS in Denver. They didn't have the quantity I needed available. And I don't know how long an order would have taken. So, I did the next best thing. At least this way, I can try to get them installed and track down before winter sets in! Might even get a train fired up for a while. Maybe the GP40's this time. Will figure that out when the time comes! Maybe a few more photos of construction zone, where bridges are going.
