Thank you . This was very helpful.  With the space constraints I have, I can only redo the benchwork to accomodate 2% grades and 24 inch radius.  I am hoping this will help smooth the operations.

Regards,
AS

I am thinking of purchasing a bachmann 4-8-4 sp4 post war steam loco.  I think the part# is 50204.  Three questions :

a) Is this a discontinued model because I cannot find it on the "Product Information" section in the Bachmann website ?
b) What is the minimum radius for the track to support regular operation (no derailment) for this loco ?
c) How many regular Bachmann box cars can this loco pull up a 3% gradient slope ?

Appreciate your feedback on the above questions.

Regards,
AS