I am sure this has been discussed before but here we go again. After making some compromises with the Better Half on the size of my layout I have a slight problem. I am not worried about being prototypical so much but dont want it to look terrible. Just how steep of a grade can an ho engine pull so that I can get enough height to hide about 8’ of main line under itself.
Thanks
Ron
A little more info would help. What is the size of your layout?
What scale are you running?
What type of loco’s are you running and how long trains do you expect to run?
This is an almost unanswerable question. So much depends upon the locomotive and the type and weitht of the cars it will be pulling up the grade. Generally speaking, the maximum grade should be about 4%. While this is prototypically too steep, most HO scale engines can pull at least several cars up such a grade. Maybe even a touch more but not much.
Good luck.
Both previous responders are right on the money. Their answer amounts to, “It depends…”, and they’re right. Each engine, held in your hot widdo hands, is a sample of but one, and each engine tells you what to expect from it. They are assembled by hand, so they are all different. Some will do well on steep grades with quite a hefty trailing ‘tonnage’, while others spin if they are in a shadow.
Let’s try another stab at addressing your concerns: are you intent upon modeling, and being close to credible with the real-world railroads? Or do you just want it to run reliably and don’t really care how odd it looks? Maybe a hefty dose of both realities? Chances are a diesel will do better than a steamer, much like in real life, and chances are that if you have to settle on a grade near 3%, you’ll do okay with somewhat light trailing tonnages. If only 2%, a lot better. Again, depends on the engine, and on the free-wheeling nature of all the axles in all the trucks of the cars the engine is towing.
But you should really try for something less than about 3% if you can manage. That grade is surprisingly tough on both the real engines and the model engines. If you need grades steeper than about 2.5% in order for your track plan to work, you will almost certainly have to live with shorter trains or double-head the engines.
Crandell
My prinicpa experience with HO locos on grades includes building the Iron Mountain lines from an MR plan, and finding out that my Mantua Booster and Big Six locos could handle about 10 cars on level, while going up the 4% 18" radius curves, they were limited to maybe 3 cars. I also had another figure 8 with elevated cross-over, and at something slightly over a 4%, could load an old International 0-8-0 or Mantua 2-8-2 with up to 10 cars. On the 18" curves at that grade, anything over that and the train would tip over. Those two locos could pull over 60 cars on tthe level, with care on the throttle.
I once found a guide on a website for one railroad’s loading table for an SW-12. They wanted a limit of about 90 cars on level, dropping to 70 on a 1/2% grade, to about 25 at the road’s max listed at 2.25% grade. I think that was for starting, and I’d imagine if they started on level, the ycould probably haul something near the full 90 with enough speed up the 2.25.
I have a long grade of 4% to 5% to an upper level. I pull 8 to 9 40ft cars and a caboose by double heading up the grade.
You all are right I should have given a little more info, so hear it is. My bench work is of a moduler design so it can be dis-assembled and stored when the wife and I need to the studio for major art projects. Inittialy it was to be 8’ X 12’ open in the center using 2’ X 4’ modules. The wife wondered up to the studio the other day and was more than just a little concerned about the size of things, so I have thought of cutting down just a little to 10’ X 7’. My railway is not based on any one line and is more in line with a tourist railway with some industry, running a little bit of everything when it comes to motive power from steam to modern diesel and everything in between. I am hoping to keep the mainline with a minimum of 24 inch radius or bigger, and was going for a double loop with the main running under itself down one length of the layout with a staging track to hide a train on giving the apperance of a long round trip run.http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/[
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This was the original track plan for the mainline. I have also changed the two long modules from 2’ X 4’ to one 2’ X 8’ and one 3’ X 8’ to give me some more room for scenery and switching. I am also thinking of foam on top of the plywood that would allow me to drop some heigth as well.
Any input will be gratefully appreciated.
Ron
For the basic plan showed, I feel that you may look to having that lowered/ hidden section of the main set on the “base” of the module(s) and raise the other exposed track. Once clear of grade change and running on the remaining modules, you can just shift the module height to lay that track on the base of them. this way you eliminate trying to penetrate the module framework for the depressed trackage. Other options for running the lowered track , is to have it run off the side of the module (supported shelf like). Remember that lowering the track will need 3" min. clearance plus the benchwork total thickness. This could prove to create some very steep grades.