Mate i did nearly have this same problem, but the block of land i owned was just too expensive to build on and i sold it at a profit running into 6 figures and bought the house we now have.
But i did a lot of research and I know a bit about it and first thing, forget all about long trains goods or otherwise. 7 cars at the most all with ball bearing axles
Look at 4 % gradient on the straights and less on the widest curve you can handle and build yourelf a switchback railway.
Get yourself some powerful articulated locos similar to the LGB DR Mallet.
Go to LGB MTS, which wil control your speed both uphill and down hill. you do not want a runaway and having 100 % AC voltage available at all times will improve your hill climbing and traction no end. As well MTS will remember the track and control your locos speed to whatever steady speed you require.
I have heard of a layout in Colorado (I think) that has a series of cataracts and it won an award, it is really beautiful with locos and trains running through under and over it. Lots of work and a bit of money though.
I also would consider if applicable, putting in viaducts or if you want to be like just about every other American layout get into trestles.
I don't know if i am on the right track here but i think there is a layout in USA owned by Geof Mellen and his wife called Mellen Patch which may inspire you.
Rgds Ian
Well, the numbers don't lie. If you've got 7 feet of vertical distance to get over, and you want to restrict your grade to 3-4%, you're going to need about 200 linear feet of track to cover it. You have about seventy to eighty feet, so you have another hundred feet plus to find somewhere. Some ideas:
+ You already mentioned helixes. A single eight foot diameter loop gets you fifty feet or so of length.
+ Consider starting your connecting track in a nonobvious place, not at the closest point of connection. Do you have room for an elevated loop circling around your existing layouts on either side?
Also, are you going to have single or double track connecting the layouts? Single track would be easier, especially with helixes, but especially if you're using track power it could raise some wiring or operating problems.
I've got the photos taken but need to upload them to my MLS account. Once I do that I'll post them (should be only a couple of days tops). I've had some trouble posting here since the new forums but just read a "how to" on how to do it, so i'll give it a try. Otherwise I'll just link over to the forum question I posed at MLS.
Mark
Those helix' arent as wonderful as you would think, the Germans have some interesting units that look very fake and look to me to be trouble in the making.
Have a look under Google at the Abrussio loop and i will get you a few more names such as Engadin and another. I am so impressed with this set up i am going to build one myself in my planned area 4. Quite incredible.
As i have said before, if you want to look like all the other American layouts, go to trestles but this one is done with a viaduct and looks outstanding but you could do it with trestles.
But irrespective, as some one else has said you have a mathematical and geographical fact to overcome.
As promised, here are the pictures. (I HOPE)
This is the front layout as seen from the driveway
A look from the other side of the trestle, which needs a lot of TLC. Spring project, I guess. Anyway, here is the grade in question. I would be coming off the back of this layout, down through these beds, either above or in front of.
This is where the train would appear/disappear from beneath the deck. It would go in right where the tall grass grows. I would have to create some sort of tunnel at this point so as not to interfere with my wife's grasses. They're zebra grasses. Very pretty when full grown. If you look to the right side of the picture, you can see a line that curves along the base of the swimming pool at ground level. That's where the track currently exits from beneath the deck.
Here's another angle looking from below. This shows the grade much better. I was actually thinking about incorporating the helix into the bed where the tree is and changing that small pass between the tree and the house into a town. Maybe even create some mountains there and have the train pass through several tunnels along it's climb.
And this is the track that I told you about from the second pic where it exits from beneath the deck.
A wider look from bottom to top. Notice how the track goes around the bottom of the pool.
In the last pic, I was standing right next to the tree that's in front of the kiddy slide in this pic. The track follows the edge of the pool and then breaks away along the side of the deck.
On the bottom left edge of the deck in this picture is where the track breaks away from the pool edge. It travels from left to right beneath the deck to the mountain below the decks right side. You'll notice a double tunnel portal and the track coming out of it then looping over itself and going back under the deck. It is from under the deck that I would actually break out and start the climb toward the front. At this point, I am in the exact opposit corner of the house from where I started with the upper layout. Someday (someday), my wife and I will enter into some type of agreement about fencing in the back yard. This will open up a whole new bag of opportunities for running long trains on level ground.
Get the Garden Railways newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month