So........run your Mikado on radius that is over 12 inches, 24 inch diameter or larger. 12 inch radius? That's an R300mm ... largest radius sectional track is Rokuhan's R015 at 270mm. Is this a mis-type, Don? I test Mikados on R220mm curves and they seem to work ok. I have troubles on the R195s, though.
Ditto, my AZL Mikado has trouble on 195, runs good on 220 but slight wobbles around corners. That’s pulling 20 cars. But I have to back it through turnouts, it derails going forward. R245 is smooth as silk. Don’t have anything larger.
Who's Mike is that? I never run that fast, for fear of catastrophic failure. I was watching anxiously, to see if gears would fly out or something!
So, are the weights you make available for purchase? I just received a tin of tungsten putty, so I could/should do it myself, but if you have made something special I’d like one...
That was mine! She was stuttering a bit after her DCC install, so I turned up the speed a little. Then a string of freight behind me started to catch up and I decided to see what the little bumblebee was capable of instead of getting rear ended! Ran her for two laps like this! Layout was big that year too... But yes, they should be run slower than that!
I've no curve tighter than 14" / 35 cm radius on my layout but grades are 3%, and my own AZL Mike isn't at ease on these. It growls hard and its tractive effort is reduced towards close to nothing.. But's it's true, in the 1:1 world steamers other than geared locos don't give much on such grades.. Dom