could a lcomotive like a SD40 make it up a 4%grade? the track im doing uses a 4% grade and i was wondering wut locos can make it up a 4%grade. thanks
–Anders
We have 5% grades here, and all 50 of our locos will pull them.
The smallest steam engines will only pull one car up them, and the most powerful diesels will pull 9 or 10 cars up them.
Sure it can. Depending on how long the grade is, its ability to pull a good sized train can be seriously affected. And don’t make the vertical curve to sharp or the locomotive will hang up on its pilot steps. Such grades, however, were very atypical for railroads using such locomotives.
nevermind, im going to modify so it only uses 2 or 3% grades. sorry for the inconvienince![:I]
nevermind, im going to modify so it only uses 2 or 3% grades. sorry for the inconvienince![:I]
Good decision. Anything much more than 2 percent is problematic.
Yep, reckon you made a smart move ditching the 5% grades. That is 1 in 20. I always find it easier to visualise a 1 in 20 grade rather than 5%.
At that sort of slope in the real world they would be starting to think about rack railways - you know the ones with a toothed third rail and the loco has a gear that engages that?
Oh sorry, just read again. You were thinking of “only” 4%. Still 1 in 25 is still pretty steep.
If those are the locos you’re using then anything that steep would be challenging and atypical - for the prototype. Depends on what you want to do and what you’re modeling.
For example on logging operations, or even some mountainous short line applications grades in excess of 5% are not the least bit that unusual. Walking old logging branches and even sections of mainlines in the Sierras and you will find examples. While the prototype tried to minimize grades, extra sharp curves and things like switchbacks they also used them all when they had to - in achieveing their objective.
The limits that such construction place on train lengths, operations (doubling the hill or double headed trains), speeds etc. are part of the “benefits” of modeling such lines. If you research a bit you can find prototypes that dealt with such grades on a regular basis and using the right equipment a model can do the same.
Don’t let steep, sharp and short begin to equal “bad” conditions. They are quite enjoyable if that is the type of operation you want to model!
John