Hi, I am coming back to model railroads after many years with my young son. We are building a new layout, but we want to run Shinkansen trains, but lots of them say the minimum radius for the track is 315mm or R315 and stuff like that. I was hoping someone could give me a quick rundown of which Atlas Code 80 or Code 55 track is over that radius? I don't quite get where they get the 315mm measured from, or where I can see that detail on the track designations etc. If someone has a few minutes to explain to me, or an easy to understand link, that would be great. Much appreciated and I apologise for such a nooby foolish question, don't want to end up ordering the wrong track though, my little chap would be very upset!
Hello, If you convert a radius of 315 mm to English units you get 12.4 inches. So, any track with a radii greater will work. Note that trains typically operate better on radii that are larger than the minimum, so if you have the room for broader curves you might consider them. As for how this is measured see this site. http://www.layoutvision.com/id62.html Does this answer your question? Here is a link to the list of Atlas sectional track products. Please note that there have been production problems that have only recently been cleared up, so all of these products may not currently be in stock. http://www.atlasrr.com/trackmisc/ncode55.htm Kato Unitrack is another option for you, and might be better if you are just starting over. It is more expensive, but easier to use and has good availability. http://www.katousa.com/N/unitrack.html Kato N and HO Track Reference Best wishes, Dave
