NOVAHILL ...... U.S.A

[upnick]

If you make the outside spur adjacent to the arrow with # 1 into the main line and end the existing main near where the #1 is and then make the outside spur on the opposite side into the mainline on that side, you would then be able to keep an 18 inch minimum radius. Short 6 axle locomotives will work like Sd9's Sd35, etc. Put the switch labeled "Atlas code 83 Snap Switch" that ends in a spur 6 inches in over to the outside. Make the inside track in that corner that is now the main into a spur with a crossing. You are still going to need to bring the main lines out to within 2-3 inches of the edge of the table with an 18 inch radius. If you use an easement into the curves you might be able to put a short section of 15" radius in the center of each curve in the ends to tighten things up a bit, but I don't know how well 6 axle power will handle that tight a radius. I used to have a couple of Athearn blue box Sdp40 units and a layout that had one industrial siding with a 15 inch radius curve leading into it. I worked that siding with Gp7's, but for an experiment I tried pushing a 40 foot boxcar with the Sdp40 through the 15 inch radius curve. As the locomotive started into the curve pushing the boxcar, the inside wheels of the boxcar lifted off the track and the boxcar tilted up. As it came out the other side of the curve, the boxcar dropped back onto the track. When I pulled the boxcar out of the spur with the same locomotive the boxcar again lifted the inside wheels. If you only have a 40 inch width to work with, I think you will need to choose between a switching layout without a continuous running option or get rid of the 6 axle units in favor of 4 axle units.

Hi Russ,

Many thanks for the input the movement of the track ends makes sense and will smooth out the curves better allowing me to shuffle the track until its settled correctly .