Elevations

[Anonymous]

What formula is used to calculate an elevation? I dont have a lot of space but need to elevate the track about 7 inches.

[Anonymous]

Normal grades on real railroads are limited to 2%, aka 2 feet of rise over 100 feet of run. Toy trains can get away with steeper grades but from a practical standpoint, try to keep it under 4%, aka 4" rise over 100". 100" is about 8 1/3 feet. A 4% gade that would raise the track approximately 8 inches would require about 17 feet of "ramp'. Grades eat up a lot of space. You should also ty to transition in and out of one with decreased grades at beginning and end, this can also chew up additional space.

[FJ and G]

Here's an example. You measure the length of the track on your hill and it comes out to 8 feet, 4 inches long. Then, you measure the elevation and it comes to 4 inches.

The formula for slope is rise/run.

Slope? (we need this expressed as a percentage.
Rise: 4"
Run: 100" (8', 4")

So,

4 divided by 100 equals 4.

Therefore,

Slope equals 4 percent; a good slope for modeling the defunct Tennessee Pass :-)

[FJ and G]

If your tabletop is level, btw, measuring elevation is easy enough. However, if your table is sloped like mine used to be (rather rare among other modelers), you can figure out the level by using one of those 3-foot long carpenter's levels. For longer distances, you can mount the level on a straight long piece of wood or pipe.

[lionelsoni]

Another way is to measure to the ceiling (if any).