Large Scale James Curve Radius

[ShadowMonk]

Hi!

What is the best radius curve for LS James?

Thanks!

[jbray]

Hi!

What is the best radius curve for LS James?

Thanks!

James is built on the same chassis as Thomas with the middle drive wheel having no flange. It'll run on 4' radius curves but my recommendation is 5' in general for all the Thomas models because they run smoother. The starter kits come with 4' curves and I've run a James model on it easily. The tender can be run closer to the engine as prototypical or further so that it can make tighter curves.

So, that all said, it's the same general advise for all of Large Scale: the larger the curve radius, the better it looks. 

[Plow_Bender]

I'm telling you right now, the larger the radius the better it will be for both you and your models.  I've told many people who want to get into Large Scale to steer away from the smaller curves if they can help it.  4' diameter curves are good for very short trains under a Christmas tree during the holidays, but not year round operation.  Regular use tends to shorten the life of your trains and the track overtime. 

The big problem with these curves is they are tight and add a lot of friction to the wheels of your locomotive which in turn causes wear on the motor, gearbox, and the gears.  Not to mention that overtime the wheels on the engine slowly grind down the railhead.  In addition to that you'll also start to notice a lot of black dust that is hard to remove from your carpet (if you run around the house like I do) under the track.  This is a mixture of brass from the metal wheels grinding away the inside of your outside rail and plastic dust from the brass track grinding down the plastic wheels on your rolling stock.  As the rails wear, the gauge of the track will also become larger in time and eventually your rolling stock will start dropping down between the rails.

When I first got into Large Scale I used 4' diameter curves, but these days I won't run anything smaller than 8' diameter curves.  The only time I get out the 4' ones is (like I mentioned earlier) when I set up tracks around the Christmas tree.  A lot of the models I own have long since been discontinued by Bachmann and with some of them costing well over $1k, I'd rather not take my chances and risk destroying them.  Like I said, 4' diameter curves will work on very short trains and for occasional running, but that's it.

What I would recommend is to use the largest diameter curve you can fit into the space where you're running your trains.  About 3-4 years ago I went out and purchased a box of Bachmann 8' diameter curves and it was one of the best choices I've ever made with Large Scale.  As I said before, the best thing is to use the largest diameter curve you can, but I wouldn't recommend using anything smaller than 8'.  Anything smaller than that and you risk damaging your trains and constantly replacing track every 2-3 years.  In this case, bigger is better.

-Rusty

[ShadowMonk]

Thanks for your advice guys.

I live in the UK and I have tried searching for a Bachmann 8' curve, however I have not yet been able to locate any.

https://www.bachmann.co.uk/category/model-railway/bachmann-trains/large-scale/large-scale-accessories-and-track

Looking at the Bachmann UK site, there isn't one listed.

Rusty, do you know or have a product code for the 8' curve? It may help me in my search to find them.

Thanks again.

[Plow_Bender]

The number for the 8' curves is 94655.  Keep in mind that Bachmann's brass track is not compatible with their steel alloy track.  If you have any steel track, I'd recommend just replacing it with brass.  I had what came in the first couple starter sets I bought and it all rusted over the few years I had it.  Yes brass is more expensive, but I can honestly say it was well worth the money for me when I made the change.  I'd recommend shopping around as Bachmann brass track is around $7 per foot and I paid nowhere near that for a lot of what I have.  Look around on eBay and run a Google search.

Another advantage I found with Bachmann's brass track is that it is compatible with USA Trains and LGB track.  I used LGB switches for the first few years, but recently switched over to USA Trains' 8' switches.  Bachmann only makes 4' switches in the brass track.  I believe USA Trains had some input with Bachmann when they designed their brass track, as both companies use the same type of rail joiners and screws.  Really nights when things fit together like that.

-Rusty

[Hilux5972]

Thanks for your advice guys.

I live in the UK and I have tried searching for a Bachmann 8' curve, however I have not yet been able to locate any.

https://www.bachmann.co.uk/category/model-railway/bachmann-trains/large-scale/large-scale-accessories-and-track

Looking at the Bachmann UK site, there isn't one listed.

Rusty, do you know or have a product code for the 8' curve? It may help me in my search to find them.

Thanks again.

It doesn't have to be bachmann track.