Help with SD38-2's

[buckykatt1]

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some advice. Does anybody know what the smallest turnout an SD38-2 can run on? I'm looking to install switches (alot of em) in my steel mill layout, but I need to know what size turnouts and the sharpest radius I can get away with, without derailing my units. I'm also looking at having a double main, with universal crossovers in some locations, and again, I don't want to have any derailment issues crossing from one main to the other. Any advice will help alot. Thanks

[Charlie B]

Buckycatt1, most steel mills around here have switches that are number 4 and smaller, an SD of any kind would not be allowed in the mills . It should make it through a number 4 turnout, but number 6 on the mains would be the minimum I would use. Give us a better idea of your steel mill plans. Around the electric furnaces in the mill I used to haul fly-ash the turnouts were very tight. I never measured them but I would have bet on a number 2 not being impossible.(The locomotives they used were GE 70 tonners) Perhaps Wayne can weigh in here.

[buckykatt1]

Hi Charlie B., sorry about the lack of information. The steel mill complex itself is 4' long by 16 ' wide. The goal I'm trying to reach is to have a double main line run along the far left side of the mill (running north to south). As the track approaches the steel mill complex, it passes over a double track swing bridge. Just to the north of the bridge is a set of crossovers that will take you from the left track to the right track (main 1 to main 2). Just north of THAT crossover is a right hand switch. This switch will be the south leg of a wye. The goal is to have a set of universal crossovers from mains 1 and 2, with a wye in between them, coming off main 2. As you come around the wye (this would be on the very northwest corner of the complex, this is the entry point into the steel mill. Anything that comes in by rail would take this route. As trains pass through the northern part of the complex, they will enter a switching yard. Per operating rules, " 6-axle locomotives are prohibited from operating south of the switching lead in USS Kobe." All of the switching that is done within the complex itself (this includes, the rolling mill, electric furnace, blast furnace, coke oven, Hulett Unloader, and the slag dump) are all done by GE 44 toners, and SW 1000's. All of these areas have Shinohara # 4 switches, and I have no problems with them running on these tight turnouts. However though, since I want to run SD38-2's into my complex to drop off and pick up trains, I need to take into account longer wheel bases (6 axles instead of 4 axle units). I know that wyes are generally pretty sharp, so I need to make sure I don't make it too sharp, and derail my units (plus the train itself). So, I need switches that can handle SD38's both through universal crossovers, and into wye's. As always, any advice would be great!!

[Charlie B]

I am no help at all, I would like to see some pictures of your layout.
Charlie

[Ralph]

Hey there Bucky ("Get Fuzzy" fan?) and welcome! You're in good hands with Charlie when it comes to advice regarding tracks and steel mills. I'm wondering if you can create some sort of track lead into the complex off the main that has a #6 switch for that six axle loco so it doesn't actually enter the complex of tight switches and curves? I'm imagining the smaller switchers spotting cars "to go" on the lead for mainline trains to pick up.

Glad you could join us!
Ralph

[Russ Bellinis]

I would make a test track before you build the layout and test using an Sd38-2 to push and pull some freight cars of various lengths around turnouts and curves to see what works.

When I first got into model railroading back in the 1980's, I had an Athearn Sdp40 and I built a layout from one of the Atlas track planning books. I fitted an extra industrial spur into the layout with a single piece of 15 inch radius snap track to clear a bridge abutment. I had planned that that spur would be worked on by Gp or Sw locomotives, but for kicks I tried it with the Sdp40 to see what would happen. The Sdp40 went through the 15 inch radius curve fine. If I tried to push a 40 foot car through with the Sdp40, the freight car would tip up onto just the outside wheels going into the 15 inch radius and then drop back down coming out of the curve. When I pulled the car back out of the spur, the same thing repeated.

You can easily make a test rack on a piece of plywood, and see how your train operates through various curve radii. If you are going to use the #4 turnouts in the interior part of the plant where 6 axle units are prohibited, you could use one for test purposes on a test track before installing it on the layout.

Typically a crossover should be a minimum of a #6 turnout and #8 would be better, but sometimes the space we have available dictates that we try to do stuff that we should not do to see if it is possible and if it looks too ridiculous in the process.

[buckykatt1]

Hi Ralph and Russ, thanks for the insight. I plan on having the a long "lead" that the trains will pull in on, to drop off the trains. Kinda like a receiving track. I will have the ability to hold about 20-25 cars. When the trains are ready to leave the yard, they will be doubling or tripling up out of the yard tracks - just like we do at work (but not in a steel mill setting ) I never did think about trying to use a test track (GREAT IDEA BY THE WAY!) I do have a few #6 turnouts that I'll have to try (not sure if I have any #8 turnouts, but cmon, as a modeler... do I really need to have a reason to go to the hobby shop and buy stuff ) I couldn't agree with you more, that space does unfortunetly dictate what can and can't be done, but fortunetly, if needed, I can always move the swing bridge back further. Once again, thanks for all the advice. I'll try to see if I can't get a few pictures posted. Granted the steel mill isn't up and fully functional yet, but I can always send updates!