LGB 2-6-6-2 Mallet on R1 curves

idlemarvel

idlemarvel

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Having just visited the Black Hills Central Railroad in Wyoming and seeing their 2-6-6-2T Mallet in action, I have fallen in love (in a manly way) with the loco. I am thinking of getting the LGB model 20882 or similar but I wanted to know if anyone has experience of running these on R1 curves?
My outdoor layout has R3 curves and R5 points, but indoors (= majority of use) it is all R1.
I know in theory it should but in practice does it run okay?
I should say many of the curves on the Black Hills Central Railroad are extremely sharp and with grades of 4-6% it is just like a model!
BTW I know there is a Bachmann 2-6-6-2T which is a closer fit to the one I saw but they are very rare and expensive compared to the LGB model.
Thanks for any observations.
 
Yes it will run OK
 
The Bachmann Baldwin is very unlikely to go round R1s - R3 minimum is usually the advice.

There are plenty of people on the forum with the LGB Sumpter Mallet, and I'm fairly confident it'll do R1s OK.
 
All LGB locos have always stuck firmly to their own "R1 Rule", so you can be confident that the LGB Mallet will handle them - the overhangs may look a little extreme, but it will do it.

Jon.
 
Ah just ram it through.....LOL Don't worry about those line-side items.....:mad:.....Show 'em who's boss.....She's in the kitchen.....LOL
 
Even the GG-1 will go around an R1, although it looks awful!

too_sharp.jpg
 
While I quite agree that pretty much anything longer than an 0-6-0 looks daft on R1s, they do serve a purpose - without them, and without LGB's committment that everything they build has be be able to handle them, a lot of folks couldn't have a layout at all due to space considerations - this is especially true of indoor layouts of course, but it applies to a good number of outdoor ones as well.
If you have the room, then go as large as you can on the radii - but if you don't, then I'd say an R1 layout is better than no layout at all! ;)

Jon.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Does anyone have a photo of one on a R1 curve so I can see how the overhangs look?

EDIT
Don't worry, I found a picture and although the loco is splendid it looks a bit silly on R1 curves.
So I think I'll go for a more modest 0-4-4-0T instead.
 
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Zerogee said:
While I quite agree that pretty much anything longer than an 0-6-0 looks daft on R1s, they do serve a purpose - without them, and without LGB's committment that everything they build has be be able to handle them, a lot of folks couldn't have a layout at all due to space considerations - this is especially true of indoor layouts of course, but it applies to a good number of outdoor ones as well.
If you have the room, then go as large as you can on the radii - but if you don't, then I'd say an R1 layout is better than no layout at all! ;)

Jon.
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Yes, Jon you're absolutely right.

I might have said before, that when I was first planning a layout, Sandy Taylor of Scottish Garden Railways advised me to 'go large'.

I don't usually take much notice of advice that I'm given, but on this rare occasion I did, and have been grateful ever since :nod::nod::nod:
 
Although my mainline has wide curves (up to 20ft diameter) I have a 'local' line which was originally a shuttle line but since having the option of DCC it now has a reverse loop at either end and a 'spiral' somewhere in between.

Due to constriction on space when I first 'engineered' the layout, I ended up using R1s at one end of the shuttle where there was a curve. At that end I had placed very large rocks (including one with a water feature hole in it) pretty close to the tracks but placed them using the overhang from Bachmann 'Annie' as my guide.

At first everything was DC and the 'local line was just a shuttle line, but with the addition of DCC, I made each end a reverse loop and then wanted to use my Sumpter Mallet (which was chipped with a decoder).

My first tentative try out with the Sumpter proved that LGB knew what they were doing and it went around the R1 curve a dream with even less overhang at the front than the Annie. But the rear of the cab roof was a close call.
In fact if the loco was run in reverse it would push the cab out just a few millimetres more and it would almost scrape the rocks.
My electric Bachmann three truck shay will just get around the R1 loop (although larger scale than the Sumpter Mallet it does not have the hangover problem) but my Live Steam shay disconnects its drive couplings when they are on the outside curve side.
I would love to 'expand' the loops but it would take an awful lot of re engineering and alterations to the mainline as well, let alone a bit of a shock for the garden.....
The LGB Sumpter Mallet and indeed, the Uintah mallet do just fine.

A shot from a few years back showing the R1 curve at one end of the 'local' line

PICT0753.JPG
 
beavercreek said:
Although my mainline has wide curves (up to 20ft diameter) I have a 'local' line which was originally a shuttle line but since having the option of DCC it now has a reverse loop at either end and a 'spiral' somewhere in between.

Due to constriction on space when I first 'engineered' the layout, I ended up using R1s at one end of the shuttle where there was a curve. At that end I had placed very large rocks (including one with a water feature hole in it) pretty close to the tracks but placed them using the overhang from Bachmann 'Annie' as my guide.

At first everything was DC and the 'local line was just a shuttle line, but with the addition of DCC, I made each end a reverse loop and then wanted to use my Sumpter Mallet (which was chipped with a decoder).

My first tentative try out with the Sumpter proved that LGB knew what they were doing and it went around the R1 curve a dream with even less overhang at the front than the Annie. But the rear of the cab roof was a close call.
In fact if the loco was run in reverse it would push the cab out just a few millimetres more and it would almost scrape the rocks.
My electric Bachmann three truck shay will just get around the R1 loop (although larger scale than the Sumpter Mallet it does not have the hangover problem) but my Live Steam shay disconnects its drive couplings when they are on the outside curve side.
I would love to 'expand' the loops but it would take an awful lot of re engineering and alterations to the mainline as well, let alone a bit of a shock for the garden.....
The LGB Sumpter Mallet and indeed, the Uintah mallet do just fine.

A shot from a few years back showing the R1 curve at one end of the 'local' line

View attachment 212144
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Excellent use of landscaping to disguise the sharp bend. Thanks for the feedback.
 
dunnyrail said:
But of course of you are making a Tramway of Feldbahn then R1's and possibly less work just fine.
JonD
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It is, of course, a very cute marketing ploy by LGB. Once you've bought their R1s, you're obliged to buy their locos and rolling stock :smoke::smoke::smoke:
 
Rhinochugger said:
It is, of course, a very cute marketing ploy by LGB. Once you've bought their R1s, you're obliged to buy their locos and rolling stock :smoke::smoke::smoke:
Click to expand...

Sort of true but, besides the LGB Sumpter/Uintah, I get the Bachmann shay, Bachmann Climax, Annies, USAT NW2 and SW4, Aristo centre cab and of course shorty locos like the Accucraft Plymouth, LGB Caterpillar around the R1 curves....so quite a range of makes and types to keep it interesting.
The locos also do not look bad doing it.
In fact the prototype long locos, Sumpter and Uintah, were originally built to work on tortuous track curves and gradients, as were the Shay and Climax so even if the geared locos (shay and climax) are 1:20.3 scale they look pretty happy negotiating R1s......
'Tis a shame that the live steam shay has got slightly shorter truck coupling rods and these disconnect when on the outside of R1s... :(:cry:
 
Rhinochugger said:
It is, of course, a very cute marketing ploy by LGB. Once you've bought their R1s, you're obliged to buy their locos and rolling stock :smoke::smoke::smoke:
Click to expand...

Actually, I've always thought of LGB's R1 Rule as exactly the opposite.... more like saying that even if you've already built your layout with our R1 curves (which, of course, was all that was available back in the very early days of LGB) we will never force you to change by making a loco that won't handle them...... it would be much more of a marketing ploy if they brought out something that lots of people wanted, but that DIDN'T handle R1s - thus saying "if you want one of these really desirable locos, then you're going to have to buy some of our lovely R3 curves....."

I don't think that LGB were ever in the game of marketing tricks - at least not back in the days of the Richters, who seemed to genuinely love their product and respect their customers, from all I've read and heard - but then again, maybe that is part of the reason they went under.... :cry:

With Marklin, of course, I feel that all bets are off..... ;)

Jon.
 
beavercreek said:
'Tis a shame that the live steam shay has got slightly shorter truck coupling rods and these disconnect when on the outside of R1s... :(:cry:
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The live steam shay also has finer wheel flanges, and sometimes needs a bit of encouragement to stay on R3s. I could also get the drive shafts to disconnect on the outside of an LGB R3 turnout.

I has got rid of said turnout :fubar::fubar::fubar:
 
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