STG Brute clearance???

Not bad on 084 but better on larger diameter.

Thanks Art. If I have room, I'll get 87 curves. Do you know how much overhang it has?

Thanks,

Bob

Bob,

Eric Siegel (Eric's Trains) did a couple videos on the Brute back in 2009 (here & here).  It's been a while since I watched them so I don't recall if he addressed the overhang.  However, since the Brute is articulated, it doesn't look like there's much overhang at all.  I'm not sure how many OGR members own a Brute but it can't be many.  Check out that second video for a good look at the Brute in action.  I don't know what Eric's curves are but if I had to guess, I think they're STD-72.  If that's true, I think it looks great on STD-72.  Good luck.

@CP BOB posted:

HI,

While I read the forum 4 to 5 times a week, it has been a while since I posted. Finally going to get my layout built again after a major tear down in 2017.  I acquired a Brute  and cars recently. I have  USA 84 inch curves. Is that big enough or do I need 87?  How much overhang does that have on the 84 or 87 curves. Hoping to get input before I lay track. Thanks for the input,

Bob 

Bob,

At Trainfest 2014 in Milwaukee, I ran my black LCCA Brute and matching Showroom cars extensively on the SGMA layout.  We had no contact problems running it on SGMA's outside STD87 mainline loop of track.  However, prior to changing our module construction standards, we did have some contact problems between trains running on our STD72 and STD84 mainlines.  So we changed our standard for the outside loop to STD87.

See for yourself.  Below is a link to the SGMA video of the Trainfest 2014 show.  As you can see the Showroom cars have significant overhang and underhang but since changing our standards we have detected no contact problems between trains running on SGMA's STD72 and STD87 mainline loops of track.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7DIBFLi1zo 

Bob Nelson

Thanks Mike and Bob!!!

Great video Bob, that Brute looks great with the passenger cars and the freight cars, and dwarfs the 400e running on the adjacent track.

Thanks for posting the video.

I was able to run my Brute on a Standard Gargraves 68 track.

Here it is on my 72 track

Height was also an issue for this train. The pantographs caused clearance problems I didn't anticipate. I sold my Brute to please my wife. She wasn't going to go for me buying the 30 inch cars for my little 9 by 9 layout. That's more train than can fit on my tracks. I made about $700.00 profit after running it for a year. Now I have the space for it at the club, but I didn't see that as a possibility at the time. I liked the locomotive, but it was a pain to take on and off the track.

Scott Smith

@CP BOB posted:

Thanks Mike and Bob!!!

I forgot to mention that changing SGMA's module construction standards to require use of STD87 track vice STD84 track produces one additional and significant benefit.   The mainline spacing created using STD87 track greatly facilitates construction of crossovers between the STD87 and STD72 mainlines.  Specifically, existing commercial switches/turnouts can simply be inserted into both mainlines and connected together creating a crossover.  The mainline spacing created using STD84 track doesn't facilitate that.

Bob Nelson 

@scott.smith posted:

I was able to run my Brute on a Standard Gargraves 68 track.

b

Here it is on my 72 track

Height was also an issue for this train. The pantographs caused clearance problems I didn't anticipate. I sold my Brute to please my wife. She wasn't going to go for me buying the 30 inch cars for my little 9 by 9 layout. That's more train than can fit on my tracks. I made about $700.00 profit after running it for a year. Now I have the space for it at the club, but I didn't see that as a possibility at the time. I liked the locomotive, but it was a pain to take on and off the track.

Scott Smith

Scott,

From your comments, I take it that the layout in the above photos is not your home layout but rather your club's?

As evident in the SGMA's Trainfest 2o14 video, placement of trackside accessories must take into account the overhang and underhang of the Brute!

Should you ever own another Brute, I strongly recommend that you join SGMA and have fun running it on SGMA layouts at train shows. 

Bob Nelson

@navy.seal posted:

Scott,

From your comments, I take it that the layout in the above photos is not your home layout but rather your club's?

As evident in the SGMA's Trainfest 2o14 video, placement of trackside accessories must take into account the overhang and underhang of the Brute!

Should you ever own another Brute, I strongly recommend that you join SGMA and have fun running it on SGMA layouts at train shows. 

Bob Nelson

The Brute pictures are from my home layout. My Brute was sold right before MTH announced it would be released in different color, so it has been gone for several years.  My home layout is in a 9 by 9 room and I had to eliminate a train shelf in order for it to clear the upper track.
     The club layout (Roanoke Valley Model Railroad Club), I started building two years ago and the layout is now 19  by  9. I have two tracks on that layout that could run the Brute.
     I signed up for the SGMA years ago when it began and was planning to build a module. Your events are not very close to Roanoke and I never followed through with it. 
Scott Smith

The brute had no overhang on my 84 curves but those VERY long showroom cars had some. 87 or larger would make them look better.