Minimum radius for motorised EFE stock.

John Polley does them from brass. I use a simple section of wire for all my train couplings.

Not sure about the radius. Think they will not go around small radius bends.

"You really need to replace all the bogies with Metromodels/John Polley ones along with coupling the bars"

If you do get the train fitted with Metromodels bogies fitted you will not be disappointed

I had a 59 stock train and with 2 power bogies and the original EFE non powered bogies, it was not able to run as a 4 car set (it ran out of steam!)

So I had them all converted by Metro and WOW now 4 cars no worrys it runs like a dream

Metro also supply new couplings for the cars and do they work?...Yes very well

My layout has a scissors x over made with Peco streamline SL-E92 short points and the EFE runs over it fine

You can see it run over the x-over in my video linked in another post here from me at 2m in

Metro is not cheap but Johns stuff really does work

Hope this info helps

Sorry spent too much time watching F1

This is for a club project. The motorised EFE model will be on loan and is the personal property of another club member. It has been decided now to stick to a simple 'out and back' shuttle that due to space restraints may even end up as a diorama. I have two as yet unmotorised EFE four car sets so I will bear your advice in mind. Thank you everyone for your help and advice.

The Japanese Kato company are introducing a locomotive in HO with a small coreless motor fitted in the bogie(s). This looks very promising for motorising EFE and other EMU stock. The prototype is a JNR Bo-Bo-Bo electric locomotive with the two end bogies powered.

The Kato model looks interesting, but isn't the bogie quite high for an EFE car ?

As for the minimum radius, I ran some tests (2-car 1959 stock, motorised and retrofitted with metromodels bogies) on some old, tight points (from a french company called Jouef). I think these are short 22° ones, but the train passes, even though some points make it derail (probably due to the poor quality of the blades, which often stand higher than the rest of the rails).

Whilst the Kato motor bogie looks a nice piece of kit it looks like it will intrude into the body area. I will stick with Black Beetles which are good work horses.

XF

As others have said, it’s well worth getting the bogies from Metromodels they make a big improvement towards free-running.

The coupling bar Metromodels can supply for the the bogies is on the right. If you should need anything longer (you probably won’t) it’s easy to make your own.

The Metromodels ones were out of stock at one time, and in any case I wanted to try nose to nose coupling a couple of units.

The spindly thing on the left is my version. Just a piece of brass rod and two brass washers. No soldering expertise needed, and you can easily build a few of differing lengths if you need to practice stock formations



One thing I did find with Peco Code 100 points (especially electrofrog ones) you need to file down the V a bit. When those tiny little wheels come through the point towards the V they had a tendency to jump on my ones. Only a few thou needs to be filed off – just to make it a bit more like a ramp than a flat end face.

Similar to XF, a couple of pics of mine. Departures from the bay platform traverse a small radius turnout then immediately a medium one, then immediately another small one.

My track is all code 100 - afraid I've never run any of my stock on code 75 so can't answer.

Wicked