I have a couple of general questions for everyone.
- Does % Grade equal the % indicated by a digital level that I use in my machine shop? I have two; one from ‘Enco’, & one from ‘MicroMark’. If I set them on my in-progress layout & read the degrees that it says, does that equate to the ‘grade’ percentage termed in the articles I read? I know that there is a boatload of trigg’n involved in determining grades & angles, but I want to know if I can use & quote my instrument’s readings with accuracy.
B) ha, ha,…2) Can there ever be a level highway crossing over a rail span? I have seen & experienced many “Dukes of Hazzard” crossings & want to make one fairly smooth. If not, what is the minimum draft angles that should be used?
Thanks I sincerely welcome comments & suggestions!
Thank you,
Chad
% grade is rise divided by run. A 1" rise in 100" is a 1% grade (1/100). A 45 degree angle is a 100% grade.
According to the directions for the miniure level (#84519) on the MicroMart site there is a button to switch the reading between degrees and %.
Awesome!! Hey, Thank you!!!
I will use the ‘Percent’ setting from now on to be more accurate, & to design rises & falls on future layouts/test tracks.
Thanks for commenting, you made this a really good experience, Thanks!
Chad
B) or 2) Level crossings are more common in urban areas or with a road that has heavy traffic. The “Dukes of Hazzard” crossings are more common in rural areas where the tracks were there long before the roads and were usually elevated slightly for drainage.
Hey, Thank you!!
That is good to know! I’ll definately keep that in mind.
One thing I have learned is that; ‘if you’re going 135mph, grades & bridges that seem flat, are very much not, an interesting & capable obsticles in the right handling car…’
Yes, I do subscribe to the knowledge of a level mainline, which city & county streets/roads must be engineerd to accommodate’. It also adds visual interest if not over-done. My mini module will soon have an appointment with the belt sander to finesse a degree or 3 up to the mainline.
Thanks again for your reply, I appreciate it!!
Chad
The closest road/rail crossing to me is along the 3-mile trip to the LHS. The two-lane road crosses a railroad spur to a sewage treatment plant. The road and railway are both several feet above the immediate ground level, but the rails are several inches lower than the roadway. Thus, there is a slight dip in the road where it crosses the tracks.
Mark
Wow, that sounds really unique! I don’t recall ever seeing a line below road grade, even-level perhaps, but below, wow! That would be a neat subject for a photo. I should have my friends take a shot of the ‘Dukes’ ramp in South Elgin,IL. It would be one of those pix filed under ‘see, I told you so…’ categories, cuz it is pretty severe. (there were an extreme amount of ‘scars’ from vehicles getting ‘hi-centered’ as they attempted to cross).
I think after talking with everyone here, & my highway observations (*) I will add a very slight grade to my crossing, as it is intended to be a heavy mainline, so I think a highway grade change would be acceptable.
- -I do not live near or have access to any rail traffic. I used to work in suburban IL & we had a double mainline (ex-Milwaukee Rd) commuter & ICE/CP traffic. I like DM&E & IC&E as I would see them staging on the NE IA (my home) side of the Mississippi in my travels. So, they are & were reminders of home to me & I took quite a shine to them.
Hey, thanks for responting & sharing that info, I find it interesting & unique, -thanks!
Chad
To Mark- You don’t drive a train. You " RUN the ENGINE" of the train. John L.
No, John. I was merely operating controls to keep the train moving, mostly using my right hand operating the sanders, with my left hand merely resting on the throttle when the picture was taken. The official engineer (who took the photo) was in charge and thus running (supervising) locomotive operations.
Mark
Chad.
Just about every roadway / railway crossing will have a grade up to the tracks. This is to serve 2 purposes. 1. The grade keeps vehicles from rolling onto the tracks and also lets stalled /disabled vehicles to coast away from the tracks. Especially main line tracks will have more of a grade, where industrial or less used spurs will have little or no grade. There are even crossings where there is a dip put in the roadway if the road was at or above track level. Remember the good old days before there was park on the shifter? Most drivers would just kick it in neutral and wait out the trains. If you were not paying attention your car would not roll to the track due to the grade but instead you would be buying a new grill for the car behind you.
- Drainage for the tracks.
Pete