Curved track
I’m in the process of planning and building a layout for live steam and dcc. I am aware that tight radius curves do not suit live steam. Would 24 inch radius curves work? It would be tricky to have 36 inch radius curves in the room I have spare.
(using Peco code 100)
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24" is close to Radius 4 which is what I started with. Yes it works but, just as in real life, tight radius grips at loco and carriage wheels and causes drag so when the LS train is going slowly the tight curve will have a braking effect. You therefore need to have the valve further open to get round it. That just makes it that bit more difficult to close the valve slowly (and slow the train slowly) when back on the straight if that's where your station is.
And starting from a station on the straight track you have to have opened the valve enough to avoid being stopped by the curve so you cannot accelerate slowly.
As we have said several times OO Live Steam operates uncannily like the real thing and so is at its best on a big circuit....
... but needs must. Use the biggest radius you can get in the space available and ease into the curves using flexible track rather than straight into full radius setrack.