Model Railroading > HO-Gauge curve radius and layout size

Over the past year or so, I have rebuilt one HO layout and constructed another one. Both are approximately the same physical size: one is 7 x 14.5 and the other is 7 x 12. The former started out as a 4 x 8 layout in 2003, and I gradually expanded it over the years as I had a room that was large enough to support a large layout. When I rebuilt that layout in early 2020, I wanted to have curves and turnouts sufficiently large that I could have scale-coupling between passenger cars and motive power. All turnouts are #7 or higher and minimum curve radius is 36-inches, and mainline curves are are just shy of 42-inch radius with a passing siding at one end that has a radius around 39 inches. There is a branch line that circles around inside the mainline ending in a yard. Most operations are done with two-car Rapido RDC sets. The other layout is at my second home and is in a room that is 10 x 15. I started out with a custom-built train table, 5 x 9. I was unsure what I wanted to do with the layout until I saw an article in an issue of an Erie-Lackawanna Historical Society publication on the Erie's Northern Branch (Northern Railroad of NJ) and its operations around Sparkill, NY, in the early 1960s. Since I went to middle school in Closter, NJ, and some middle school classrooms had a good view of the station, I decided to model that line with a focus on the junction at Sparkill and the three-track yard at Nyack, NY, where the line ended and the passenger trains were kept overnight and on weekends. To get all that on a layout, I had to expand the 5 x 9 train table to 7 x 12. Maximum radius is 24-inches with a few places where it goes down to 20-inches on 24/20 curved turnouts. Other turnouts are #4 and wye turnouts. I have not run any trains on this layout, so I do not know if there will be operational problems. Johnp { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/20 14:45 by DocJohn.

Sounds like it is HO from the equipment but it would have the early text to specify N, HO, S or O.