Building An Incline

[Anonymous]

Hello everybody, I knew at model railroading and am trying to build my first layout, nothing fancey I do have one question I would like to find an answer to before I start building. My track plan will have a section that need to be elevated to cross over track on the bottom. My question is what degree or angle does the incline need to be? Is there an universal rule on making inclines? If someone could point me in the right direction that would be great.
Thanks.

[ukguy]

[#welcome]welcom to the forum LittleDan[#welcome]

In answer to your question specifically, the general rule is that the incline should be no more than 2%, ie, should rise no more than 2" per 100".

You can never read too much info about this hobby. This forum is a great place to start and will guide you in many right directions. Also on the main page are sections for beginners, go to the LHS(local hobby store) and pick up a few introductory books, you will no doubt receive many suggestions for these here and in previous threads.

Use the advanced search button at the top of the screen and search on "beginner" change the date perameters to search over the past year.

Check out the three threads that titles start "FORUM CLINIC" , use the search function to find them, there will be more than enough info in those 3 threads alone to get you started. One is for scenery, one for DCC and one for realistic operation.

Also check out these two threads:
useful links
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36405
Beginner advice
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=32832

Most of all have fun!! and dont be afraid to ask, we will all help you out if we can, I've never seen an unanswered question here yet.

Have fun & be safe,
Karl.

[selector]

Karl, as always, has a wonderful and warm welcome for new folks. Welcome from me, too.

To get specifically to your question, you could be in for a tough go if your square footage is limited. You not only have to rise, but that same track has to return to the starting level at some point, and doing this on a sheet of plywood will be a challenge. What some people do, if getting the clearance you need over the nether tracks will be near impossible, is to have the nether tracks descending into a dip at the same time that the ascending track rises. That way, no one track has to do all of the rising or descending. Neat, huh? And what's more, that should be easy in a small space.

Having said that, I can't agree more strongly with Karl's suggestion that you do a fair bit of early reading-in to ensure you have enough knowledge to get the very most out of your layout space. The biggest problem is ignorance...honestly. Modelers get carried away and end up frustrated after a few days or weeks when they realize they made some fundamental errors in design or in construction. As I have told other modelers, my Dad's favourite expression is, "Sin in haste, repent at leisure." Please, do as Karl says, and don't be added to the long list of railroad sinners! [(-D]

[Medina1128]

Dan, an easy way to try your hand at layout design can be found at http://www.ismax.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/ismax/start.cgi/hostapps/atlasrr/max_emailer/add_freeware_main.html
The above link will take you to a registration screen with Atlas Railroad. Once you register with them (nothing more than entering your email address), you can download Right Track, a FREE layout design program that is pretty easy to learn to use. I used it to design my incline. All without having to tear out benchwork and start all over again. It designs your incline for you. I just set two sections of track in place that represent the base and top of the incline. You tell the program what elevations you want them to be, and fill in the gap with a section of flex track. Or if you want to be more accurate, put sectional track in the design window, set the elevations at each end, and it calculates the incline for you. It even will show you the elevation of each section of track, so you can adjust your risers (open grid or L-girder benchwork). If you're using plywood, you can print out the section of layout at 1:1 (full size) and using it as a template, cut it with a jigsaw, then build the support for the incline and lay your plywood incline back in place. The only real area of concern is the top of the incline. Make the transition as smooth as possible so you won't have a hump in the track when you lay it. Otherwise, your cars will uncouple when one coupler rises and the other dips.
When I made mine, I used cork roadbed for the track. Using a piece of flextrack held in place with track spikes (placed just deep enough to hold the track in place and not foul the uncoupler "hoses"), I tested the transition and sanded the cork until I had a smooth transition (cork is easier to sand than wood). Once the transition was smoothed out, I ballasted and glued the track, removing all the spikes when I was done. It's a little time consuming, but it's time well spent, as it cuts down on a lot of frustration later on. Imagine ballasting and gluing the track down THEN finding out that your cars won't stay coupled going over that transition.
Whew... Hope that helps!!