9fs we’re designed to be able to run on any type of line, they’re praised for there versatility. It’s good that the hornby counterparts channel that. Awesome video as always 🎉

This is just a loco collection video in disguise XD. I’d love to see more of these experiment videos in future. Hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Well the 9F amused me greatly. Interesting video - happy new year to all :)

Very interesting video, it's good to see and know what goes around 1st radius, the biggest shocker was the 9f, that went round no problem, happy new year 😀

Nice to see a photo of the layout published in the new edition of Railway Modeller

Interesting video and some surprises too! Happy New Year!

Great little experiment mate. Even I was surprised that the 9F was running around the 1st radius curves with no issues! It just shows that models that are made today are capable of things like that. Happy new year. - Nicholas.

Interesting experiment! I have some “off scene” first radius curves and some the stuff that goes round them is very interesting. Never had any problem with any Bo-Bo diesels or EMU/DMU’s. The 9F was a surprise although clearly the driver was struggling as he was nearly falling out the window!

This reminds me of when Sams trains did a test similar to this. But he was pushing them to the limits. Like how small can a curve be for a train to stay? Or how high can you make a "bump" in the tracks without the train derailing. Along with many different other tests for tracks and trains. He try them with many different locomotives and its worth a watch. I think he gots a video and a live stream segment for the tests. Again this just reminded me of it and so i thought i tell you since you seem to want to look more into track testing. Oh that would be a awesome collab sams trains and you doing track tests together. Lol. Time will only tell.

I was pretty amazed that my Bachmann WD 2-8-0 and the Hornby O1 ran on R1 curves and they didn't seem to have any problems!

Very good vid, and great information. Some things may look very unrealistic but if you’re planning on having your radius 1 curves hidden anyway that’s not an issue. Thanks for sharing this!

Great video 👍 I have a few R1 on my layout, no problem at all, at moderate speed at least. Happy New Year 🎉🍾🎄🚂👍

happy new year thanks for the content

Going back forty years and EVERYTHING went around radius 1, whether it was The Flying Scotsman or a 9F - and the rear pony trucks sat on the tracks with flanges. Of course the models were not so detailed back then, but you can't have everything!! (lol)

Great experiment. I thought I was destined to only old tender drive engines due to a few 1st radius curves on my layout. But there is hope for some modern loco's. Now I just need to figure out how to pay for one!

Nice little experiment. I had a feeling the 0-4-0 would make it round with no trouble and it seems 0-6-0s with shorter and long wheelbases work very well too. After watching this, I think tank engines, particularly the smaller ones like 0-4-0s and short based 0-6-0s are best suited for layouts with 1st radius curves.

That was fun experament. Some of the engines diffently suprised us. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL🎊🎉 GOD BLESS 🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖

Very good 👍

Interesting experiment with some surprising results as far as the 9F. I have eliminated even R2 curves on my layout so this shouldn't be a worry for me but I can see that some will still consider R1 due to space constraints, think I'd rather go a smaller scale in that case.

The 9F was honestly a shock. I would not expect such a large engine would fare so well on a small branch line set like this

Interesting video well done Have a safe New Year Nick Australia

Very gorgeous layout and video. Cheered me up.

A fun video and a lovely little Winter Layout. Charming. I have an Oxford Rail J27 and it would derail on a turn out onto a radius one siding. Investigating it I found the turn out was not lying perfectly flat. Adding an extra track pin to hold it down perfectly flat solved the problem. The J27 seems to have very fine wheel flanges and therefore is a real stickler for flat level track, more so than any of my other locos. It now runs on the radius 1 curves though absolutely fine.

i also have found many locos will manage a 1st radius curve, i am currently building my grandson a 7x4 layout which requires half a circle of 1st radius to enter a station due to space restrictions. to my surprise every loco i tried navigated with no issues. coaches (stating 2nd radius minimum) also work fine, both pulled and pushed!

nice experiment! it's surprising how many locos can actually go round 1st radius track. quick question, how would i go about making a curve on a 4 track mainline using setrack?

What I've noticed about you is you've kept the same intro from the start! That's commitment.

Excellent!

The Hornby Eurostar will go around a 1st radius curve. But it will not clear lineside objects. Sometimes when it says 2nd radius, what it means is that there is insufficient clearance, rather than the loco cannot take the curve! You can make a loco go through a 1st radius by widening the gauge slightly. Thanks for uploading.

Interesting to see the 4-4-0 didn't like it. I wonder how the 0-4-4Ts would fare. (Hornby H Class, Bachmann Johnson).

Great vid. I have half a loop first radius - more kinda semi storage/decorative than to be regular use track inside my two main loops - second and third radius ones. I did run my Bachmann class 37 on the first radius semi loop to see what happens, and it was fine. However, when I put a carriage on it, it derailed. Not a surprise! Thanks for sharing 👍 😊

My god! How on earth did that 9F make it around those curves?!? Great video!

Because I have a small layout, EVERYTHING has to be able to negotiate 1st radius curves and not look silly. Your video just goes to show that you can't rule anything out. 😊

Really liking the 0-6-0 outside cylinder tank engines. :)

I dont run the same gauge as you, being N and Z, but I have to say I really enjoyed this video, what a great practical demo, also I really enjoyed your modelling and locos. I have some N gauge trains that just will not run on tight gauge turns !

Its logical that the 9f will handle the curve as its flangeless centre wheel effectively converts it into two smaller wheelbase locos a 2-4-0 and an 0-4-0 with sufficient space between them to follow the curve, while the Pacific's have a rigid and shorter wheel base. The hush hush seems to have a long wheelbase that allows it to stay on the track. Fun video!

Carriages and certain wagons can cause more issues than the locomotives with track radius. MK3 coaches can be difficult to gauge on a layout with curves less than radius 3 which is why you see more modern image layouts with stations only tending to do straight platforms rather than curved. I would dread to see a Oxford Rail railgun attempt a radius 1 layout.

Very surprised to see that a 9F can make it but the Pacific can't, I thought the smaller wheel sets of the Pacific would allow it to sneak through. but seeing that I realise I may have bought the wrong model for my layout... Suppose that's just another reason for me to get a 9F then haha. Lovely video!

The Hornby 9F's loco & tender chassis dates back to 1971 and was designed to run on 1st radius curves.

While besides a Bachmann 37 I don't have the largest of locos, I've only encountered 1 so far that can't handle 1st radius curves: The Hornby B12 - and only anticlockwise. The brake stand on the left side of the tender conflicts with the loco footplate when turning to the left. Not a problem when running clockwise I'd be interested to see 1st-radius curve tests in reviews - if only as a 'how does it fare' rather than a proper assessment. Being a review it's always good to see the extremities of performance as a baseline that people will only see better than on their own layouts

Thanks for that. Could be useful for a hidden, speed restricted loop if you space issues.

I think all pre-1990 Triang and Triang/Hornby engines should run on 1st radius curves. One of the reasons that the 9F ran so well is that the chassis is still basically the same dimensions as the one from the 1970s. And that engine was designed to run on 1st radius curves.

I have a variant of the Hornby 9F that won't run on R3 curves! Looks like the drivers had too much joy.

most large locos dont mind R1 curves, except the like of the A4 were the bogie is resticted, i have not alot of space so have used R1 for years no problems, luckly i have managed to fit R2 on my layout now so much better all round, great video anyway 🙂

Heyy this is a helpful video as recently I had to downsize my layout to 1st radius unfortunately but I still have large locomotives so why don't u recommend it will it cause problems?

That’s the good thing about small tank engines they will run anywhere 😊

1st Radius Curves. 1st Rate in space, 1st Rate in not being prototypical, And, 1st rate in surprises apparently.

Seems the biggest factor is the amount of horizontal slack in the wheel set

Back in the day Hornby Dublo came in one radius, and that was 15"... or 381mm for those that have embraced the metric system. Blind centre drivers were the order of the day on any 6 coupled wheel set or larger. That and lots or side play in the chassis. So it's amazing to see more modern larger locos running on tight radius. They look shit doing it but it's interesting information for behind the scenes work to get engines turned in tighter space.

You opens me some interesting perspectives gentleman... For an industrial/branchline/light railway with nothing larger than a 0-6-0, R1 can be used as you see. For the big four, that put us in action engines like the LNER J15, the LMS 3F, the GWR Pannier tanks outside the 94xx (maybe not for this one, I have to try...) and the SR Terrier (maybe the E4 0-6-2, this one had to be tested...). As diesels, anything outside a shunter like a class 03 or a Gronk is out, but maybe a class 20 or 24 can be used, I will test this. I have to rule out DMUs, too long except the 4 wheels BR type. Also, it is important to match the wagons and coaches.I think anything with bogies is out, except if very short. For passenger trains, you have to rule out the BR Mk 1 and coaches like the 63ft Thompson. The new range of 4 and 6 wheel coaches from Hattons and Hornby is potentially what can be used. Everything is a question of compromises in model trains. R1 has limitations, but for specific settings, it's good to know you can get away with it. I have an idea for a light railway layout, and the engines I want to run on it are all R1 compatible. I just need to rethink all the plans for it, thanks for the test !

Non of my Hornby locos have a problem on 1st Radius curves but my Bachmann A4 just falls off it still has problems with 2nd Radius curves

Where did you get the platforms and bridges from?

How did you find the power on the 9F? Did it vary its own speed or was it fairly consistent? The Bachmann 9fs are shocking for this

The oxford rail J27 jumps on the point, does it do this on all settrack points?

Though I am no fan of the Hornby Schools, I wonder whether its poor performance was due to its having traction tyres? Or was it, even worse, a tender drive loco? Happy New Year!

Fun experiment. I think modern locos is the key here that’s why the W1 and the 9F work and not the flying Scotsman. I have Atlas track who’s second radius is slightly tighter than Hornby. My older x-6-x models can have problems specifically the Tornado and A1 Great Northern

Do you have a diesel engine with a Cobo wheel arrangement

That 9f crew member looks ready to jump for his life! 😂

Really interesting video. I'm resigned to the fact that, unless I can get more space, I'm sticking with smaller loco's like Hornby Pecketts, Terriers (thankfully they are fantastic) and some smaller tender engines. I've been selling off my longer coach rolling stock so I could buy some Hatton's Genesis ones...they're not as prototypical but they look far better to me than a rake of 61ft coaches does going around a tight curve...seeing long coaches on tight curves has always looked ridiculous to me.

is it me or does the J36 and class 812 look the same with some differences

You want to try the new Bachmann 37. Total rubbish the bogies hardly swing at all. Had to remove PECO set track curved points which are supposed to be radius 2. Bachmann told me themselves they know of the problem and offered money back.

lner j27 1010 may benefit from a wheel back to back check!

Did you skip 2-6-0s? They’re very popular here in North America. And some models have floating middle drivers.

The old bachmann 37 will cringe about it but will go round the odd bit of 1st The new one will only round 2nd and above but only if its perfectly laid I have some older peco and hornby 2nd radius and it whont run I found that it was a few degrees out of tolerances And the bachmann 9f hahahah forget it that thing needs 4th radius or above lol But u have completely sold me on the new hornby 9f thank you I have Been on the fence about it for so long

Virtually anything will negotiate first radius curves, but will they pull large pieces of rolling stock with significant overhang without causing derailment - that it far more pertinent.

I wonder if it would be the same in N scale?

Just here before anyone from Internet Historian's video finds this, might be a while

Hmmm...well the 9F did very well, I think the class47 had a tougher time with the platform and tunnel clearances. I wonder how Mk1 coaches would do. The virtual 9F would be right off the rails!

It blows my mind that the 9F and Hush Hush were able to do it lol

Are they DCC?

You should have tried some multiple units

Maybe some locos need a guage tester beforehand?

If you use sl100 or sl102 you can get it down to minus one radius

So that’s why tender engines don’t shunt

These "radius 1, radius2, etc. designations tell me nothing. I don't know why the actual radius' can't be given. It seems silly to me Especially since a designation like "R1" can men almost anything.

Yes but they don’t look very realistic do they

The Trying Scotsman lol.