If you say you don’t have room for a model railroad layout, its time for a new excuse!

The newest N scale UNITRACK curve is a measly 8″ radius. Eight inches! That means a complete circle of N scale track could fit into a space as small as 20″ square. Can you say N scale railroading in Z scale space requirement?

Primarily intended for use in the Japanese and European markets where hobbyists are regularly faced with limited space for their operations, this new curve size is the eighth in the UNITRACK family of ground-level Curved track. This new curve will be offered in two sizes: 45-degree curvature (#20-170) and 15-degree curvature (#20-171). Each size will be packed four pieces per package.

This curve could prove promising for small desktop layouts, or perhaps on a layout built down inside of a living room coffee table! A simple layout plan, requiring only 36″ X 24″ of space, is presented below. This would be a great, compact layout for one of our RS-2 or RSC-2 locomotives with a couple of our Covered Hopper Cars and a Business Car might also work effectively on this layout. The station stop and short spur track provide two points of interest, while the “passing tracks” would easily allow for two motorized cars to be operated. Build this plan with a scenery block through the middle and you can split the layout into to two halves for added variety (urban on one side and rural on the other, or spring/summer on one side and fall/winter on the other)!

A word of caution … an 8″ radius is a very tight radius. We do not strongly endorse the use of this size curve for most layouts here in North America. Unless you are severely limited for space or resticted in some other way, we recommend you use a wider curve (generally, a minimum of 11″) for most of your modeling. Operating longer length locomotives and/or rolling stock over tight radius curves will always result in unrealistic and unattractive side overhang, will often result in derailments or premature uncoupling, and will sometimes present a conflict with placement of trackside scenery.