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Reply to "Curve Size Survey- please respond!"

I currently have one shelf layout and ten (!) portable table layouts. The shelf layout features an O36 FasTrack  kidney. The largest table layout is 45" x 55" and hosts an MTH O42 oval. Others include postwar Lionel O27 tubular, O31 FasTrack, and O31 MTH solid rail.

Three of the table layouts are dedicated holiday layouts, but the others each feature a particular theme and era. Only one of the others (32" x 64") features traditional equipment; others run scale. I had to modify the pilot of a Sunset ATSF 2-8-0 to handle O36; otherwise I usually stick with Lionel motive power since it is usually engineered for toy-train radii. The O42 layout is dictated by Lionel's Reading T-1 (6-18006). The shelf layout can mechanically handle Lionel's Frisco Mikado (6-18030) and ATSF PA (6-18952), but the latter looks especially bad coming out of a curve towards the viewer. I mostly run a Lionel FT set (6-24568 and 6-24570).

I run no passenger cars, but I do have a dozen brass cabooses that I've modified for small-radius three-rail where necessary.

If manufacturers wanted to sell more equipment to those of us without expansive basements or spare barns, they would do well to follow the example of Lionel's 2-6-0 (6-38019 etc.): small radius, great sound, and fidelity to several surviving museum prototypes. Unless the hobby is irreparably atrophying, I would think that offering a thousand scale moguls would be better for us all than offering a hundred Yellowstones or soulless modern diesel behemoths.

Of course, if you model the Pennsy (three of my table layouts) you have your choice of whatever you want and if you're modest (the switchers, 4-4-2, 4-6-0) they'll run on O42 or less even in brass. Prolific cabin choices, too. But we don't NEED more Pennsy: we do need classic small locomotives especially for western roads with waycars to match.

My two cents.

Bob M.

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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