Does any have the new Clinchfield that released this week? I know the catalog lists O72 but will the engine its self make it around O60 loop? I have a O72 loop and a O60 loop.
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I seriously doubt it. The centipede tender looks very similar to the one on the Big Boy, and it does NOT do O60 curves. The locomotive actually will struggle around the O60 curves, but you can't bring the tender. 
I have a big boy that easily goes around 0-60 curves with that tender. There is a lot of overhang , but it can negotiate the turns. My guess is it would work on a challenger as well.
I can say for sure the Vision Line Big Boy won't do O60 Fastrack curves, the tender jumps the track every time.
gunrunnerjohn posted:I can say for sure the Vision Line Big Boy won't do O60 Fastrack curves, the tender jumps the track every time.
Wasn't the tender used on the JLC Big Boys the same because that's what I have
gunrunnerjohn posted:I seriously doubt it. The centipede tender looks very similar to the one on the Big Boy, and it does NOT do O60 curves. The locomotive actually will struggle around the O60 curves, but you can't bring the tender.
Thanks gunrunnerjohn. I thank you for all the posts you reply to. You are a valuable asset to these forums!
Sid's Trains posted:gunrunnerjohn posted:I can say for sure the Vision Line Big Boy won't do O60 Fastrack curves, the tender jumps the track every time.
Wasn't the tender used on the JLC Big Boys the same because that's what I have
I can't say, never looked close at the JLC model. I only know that I had a loop of O60 and my VL-BB wouldn't make it. I took the tender by itself and just pushed it around, trying to coax it around, but it always climbed out of the curve.
J Martin posted:gunrunnerjohn posted:I seriously doubt it. The centipede tender looks very similar to the one on the Big Boy, and it does NOT do O60 curves. The locomotive actually will struggle around the O60 curves, but you can't bring the tender.
Thanks gunrunnerjohn. I thank you for all the posts you reply to. You are a valuable asset to these forums!
Thanks, nice to hear.
As for the Challenger, even if it makes it, it's going to look painful going around those curves. My VL-BB looks a bit strained doing O72 curves, my upcoming layout in process will have O96 and O86 loops. Wider curves are almost always better.
gunrunnerjohn posted:Sid's Trains posted:gunrunnerjohn posted:I can say for sure the Vision Line Big Boy won't do O60 Fastrack curves, the tender jumps the track every time.
Wasn't the tender used on the JLC Big Boys the same because that's what I have
I can't say, never looked close at the JLC model. I only know that I had a loop of O60 and my VL-BB wouldn't make it. I took the tender by itself and just pushed it around, trying to coax it around, but it always climbed out of the curve.
J Martin posted:gunrunnerjohn posted:I seriously doubt it. The centipede tender looks very similar to the one on the Big Boy, and it does NOT do O60 curves. The locomotive actually will struggle around the O60 curves, but you can't bring the tender.
Thanks gunrunnerjohn. I thank you for all the posts you reply to. You are a valuable asset to these forums!
Thanks, nice to hear.
As for the Challenger, even if it makes it, it's going to look painful going around those curves. My VL-BB looks a bit strained doing O72 curves, my upcoming layout in process will have O96 and O86 loops. Wider curves are almost always better.
Yeah, I used to run both my JLC a d 1999 big boys on 0-60 and the overhang was just horrible. Later reid my layout to include 0-72 and 0-84 curves.
Thanks all. I have a great feeling this engine might make me change for O-72 and O-60 to 0-84 and O-72. (:-)
It would be a good move.
J Martin posted:Thanks all. I have a great feeling this engine might make me change for O-72 and O-60 to 0-84 and O-72. (:-)
Yeah....but a Scale Berk and anything bigger will look better running on the wider curves. Promise!
Apples to oranges but I successfully run this MTH Premier 2-10-4 on 054 curves with no problem: https://mthtrains.com/20-3161-1
The middle 3 drivers overhang the curve and it looks kinda silly but it works. The locomotive and tender will actually go around 042 curves if nothing is coupled to them. I usually confine the 2-10-4 to my 072 main but have run it for hours on my 054 main as well with no issue.
The biggest problem I see for a Big Boy or Challenger on anything less than 072 is the tender. The locomotive will probably make it fine but the centipede wheelset on the tender isn't going to like anything less. You could possibly make it work with several blind wheels on the tender, if you can find them or machine the flanges off the wheels.
As I stated, the tender was the issue on the O60 curves. The locomotive by itself made it fine.
The new Vision line challenger will make it around 0-60 but looks crazy on the swing out of the boiler. It binds up some and you have to go slow. It swings pretty far on O-72 also but ok.
