Short grades and flyovers question

[ChrisBARailfan]

I live in Kansas City and BNSF / UP and others have built two massive fly-overs and bypasses. I have been over one of the flyovers and its approach is short, but very steep. It looks almost like a highway on ramp. I am not sure of the angle, but seems steep for a railroad. My question is if the length is short does incline rate not really matter?

I ask this because I saw a BNSF transcon stack train stopped on the approach awaiting a signal. He had 4 C9-44Ws and when he got the green it was almost impossible to get going, the engines were definitly in run 8 and the ground was almost shaking underneath. Is this bad design to put a signal on the approach or is it just an annoyance to the engineer?

Thanks,

Chris

[gabe]

Chris,

Interesting post. I know this happens on more than one occassion in Chicago as well. There is an interesting article in Trains, I think, concerning RS-3s and how they were great with handling that kind of pull.

It would be interesting to know the grades on some of those flyovers. Wish I could be of more help.

Gabe

[Modelcar]

...A short steep flyover being in position where a train must stop for a signal sounds out of place to me, just a fan but I understand what must happen to start something like that under the loaded circumstance....Perhaps it fools the eye in how steep it really is and then, perhaps someone created a monster.

[ChrisBARailfan]

I went to the newest flyover in KC last night, it has a road that parallels half of it, in 1 1/3 miles the track raises from street level to high enough to let 2 double stack trains pass underneath, what would the height of the flyover be then?

[Modelcar]

...Using say...05% grade {for the 1.3 miles in length for the flyover approach....that would produce 30 plus ft. of clearance for double stacks to run under.....and I imagaine less than 25 ft. would be required for clearance....

[spbed]

Well if you did some math you could come to a pretty good idea of the grade

Estimate the height of the flyover
Estimate the amount of feet from the beginning of the flyover to the summit & you would then be able to determine the grade % [8D]

Originally posted by ChrisBARailfan

Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR  Austin TX Sub

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