Broadway Limited production schedule NEWS!! - Combined thread

[FrankCampagna]

I confirmed with BLI that the 22" min. radius is a mistake leftover from the HO version.  They said the N scale minimum recommended radius will likely be 9.75".

Doug.

I've built many a very small layout, but watching a centipede navigate a 9.75" curve might be more painful than I can bear.

[eric220]

[nstars]

I've built many a very small layout, but watching a centipede navigate a 9.75" curve might be more painful than I can bear.

I agree that a radius of 9,75" may be possible, but doesn't look great. However, 22"is certainly not necessary. A radius of 15" should be OK.

Marc

[peteski]

I agree that a radius of 9,75" may be possible, but doesn't look great. However, 22"is certainly not necessary. A radius of 15" should be OK.

Marc

I suspected that 22" radius was from the H0 version. After all, even the N scale articulated steam is designed to negotiate much tighter N scale radii. Not many people have N scale layouts with curves as broad as 22".

[glakedylan]

ok. I confess I am just not as informed as I wish I could be.

were there any locomotives, even the centipede, that had that Lionel like front truck which includes the pilot (or whatever body part that is) so that the bottom of the nose turns with the wheel?

I have an old N Scale diesel locomotive that is constructed that way which I inherited somewhere along the way and just always assumed it was only made that way and was not prototypical in design.

would someone kindly inform me on this?

TIA

sincerely,

Gary

[garethashenden]

ok. I confess I am just not as informed as I wish I could be.

were there any locomotives, even the centipede, that had that Lionel like front truck which includes the pilot (or whatever body part that is) so that the bottom of the nose turns with the wheel?

I have an old N Scale diesel locomotive that is constructed that way which I inherited somewhere along the way and just always assumed it was only made that way and was not prototypical in design.

would someone kindly inform me on this?

TIA

sincerely,

Gary

It is prototypically correct.

[peteski]

Yes, this loco had a Lionel-like construction.  Here is a photo of the coupled power trucks, each with the leading/trailing trucks and pilot attached to the front truck frame (not to the locomotive body).



The body was a separate assembly.  Pivot point of each truck is clearly visible.



These images were taken from http://www.trainweb.org/seaboard/CentipedeProject.htm which has lots of very informative photos of both the real loco and its models.

[glakedylan]

wow...how interesting!

thanks for the photos and the answer.

I need to pull out that old locomotive I have in storage and see what kind of unit it is. perhaps it is prototypical as well.

appreciate the responses...

sincerely
Gary

[C855B]

... were there any locomotives, even the centipede, that had that Lionel like front truck which includes the pilot (or whatever body part that is) so that the bottom of the nose turns with the wheel? ...

General Electric U50 (SP and UP): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GE_U50

Alco Century 855 (UP): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALCO_Century_855

General Electric "Little Joe" (MILW & CSS&SB): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Joe_%28electric_locomotive%29

In common with the Centipede, very long and lots of wheels.

[peteski]

wow...how interesting!

thanks for the photos and the answer.

I need to pull out that old locomotive I have in storage and see what kind of unit it is. perhaps it is prototypical as well.

appreciate the responses...

sincerely
Gary

You're welcome Gary!  Now that we have totally strayed OT,   Maybe European-made N scale models of European prototype models were designed with the pilots attached to the swiveling trucks.  While not-prototypical, they were made that way to allow for extra-tight radius N scale track and allow for easy coupling on curves.

There were several older N scale models which had pilots (unprototypically) attached to the front trucks.
http://www.spookshow.net/loco/arnoldfa2.html (and other manufacturers FA-1 and FA-2 models)
http://www.spookshow.net/loco/ccpa.html
http://www.spookshow.net/loco/atlase7.html (and several other E7 and E8 models)
http://www.spookshow.net/concorf3.html
http://www.spookshow.net/yugof40ph.html


All those examples came from Mark's N scale locomotive encyclopedia.  If you want to learn more about N scale locomotives, that is the ideal place to spend some time looking though.

[chicken45]

I feel better about that min radius now.

[garethashenden]

I feel better about that min radius now.

It will look ridiculous on the minimum radius, but it looks ridiculous anyway. 

[Dave V]

I actually don't have any need for Centipedes at the moment.  In 1956 they were mostly running west out of Altoona.  For the Middle Division, any spare cash should go to additional M1s.

If this shizzle is the real drizizzle then I may end up selling my brass I1sa to subsidize an M1 fleet.

[towl1996]

As it stands right now, there are 3 locomotives and 3 freight cars scheduled to be released basically within the same time frame.  This has to be the most ambitious product release schedule in the history of N scale. Not even Atlas, back in the day, pumped out product like this.

So, why the need to dump all this at once? A nice staggered 6 month release schedule would allow for an excitement and buzz to build around the product. Given the history of the prior M1 release, this voluminous release schedule only creates doubt, at least in my mind.  BLI doesn't have a great N scale reputation. In HO they may be a big player, but in N not so much.

I do hope they can get all this product delivered. But there is no excitement to me concerning these announcements, I don't believe it's going to happen. However, if delivered I'd get 1 M1a, 1 M1b, 1 centipede, 1 pack of H32's, and I'll have to ebay a couple of H2a's.

We'll see....

[chicken45]

Everyone always talks about the K4. That's great, but what I really want are J's and I's and M's. Double and triple headed up the slope. I don't care that my layout is on a door. For the one vignette, I will have a 4 track main line with large, gritty, raw, magnificent power.


Josh "probably better off doing a module" Surkosky