will it hert if i put a turn out on a 1% grad or would it derail (N scale)
I don't think that should be a problem. However, you should avoid putting a turnout on a transition from a flat to a slope. You should have at least a full engine-length between the start of the grade and the turnout.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hi!
As Mr. B says, as long as the turnout and adjoining foot or so of trackage are on the same grade, there should be no problem at all.
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
okay. ill have to go uot and get some more cork
For commercial turnouts, if you can lay a steel straightedge (machinist's ruler or similar) along the straight stock rail and not see any humps or hollows, the grade is immaterial. One past layout had a turnout on an 8% operated downgrade only.
If you lay your own turnouts in place with raw rail on wood ties, all you need to do is keep the track geometry consistent. I have one turnout that is on a 2% grade, superelevated curve that transitions to two concentric tracks, both superelevated, one of which transitions to level while the other keeps climbing. Needless to say, I was VERY careful about maintaining track gauge and a consistent angle of superelevation. That track has been in service for two years now, and the only derailment was the result of backing a freight into a closed trailing point when the stupid operator (me) manually overrode an auto-stop circuit without checking point position.
Consistency is the key. As long as there are no transitions or grade changes within the turnout itself or for a half-carlength (longest car) on any leg, operation should be trouble-free.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - flex track and hand-laid turnouts)