How steep an incline can be

[BakerJohn]

Post 9 says 2.2 degrees, not percent.
2.2 degrees is 3.8%, pretty hefty.

Yeah, It's steeper than what I wanted, but that's all the space I was allowed. I probably should have just raised the whole thing off the ground and kept it level, but I didn't think it through well enough.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I posted not to criticize, but to correct what seemed to be a misconception in posts 10 and 12 where 2.2 percent was used as the "input" to the conversion, not 2.2 degrees.

I have a 5.5% downgrade on the mainline, and only short trains with lots of locos make it up that on a regular basis!

Greg

 

[BakerJohn]

No no, it's not a problem!
Really?! Wow! That's quite a grade! My Forney will only pull 3 cars at a time anyway, so it's not really an issue. And, for now it's my biggest loco. Next I think i'll be buying a hand car. That'll run very easily!

 

[Gavin Sowry]

I posted not to criticize, but to correct what seemed to be a misconception in posts 10 NS 12 where 2.2 percent was used as the "input", not 2.2 degrees.

I have a 5.5% downgrade on the mainline, and only short trains with lots of locos make it up that on a regular basis!

Greg

My foot per chain comments would be unfamiliar with North American railroaders.
It is/was a rather quaint English inflection foistered on us Colonials.

 

[dunnyrail]

My foot per chain comments would be unfamiliar with North American railroaders.
It is/was a rather quaint English inflection foistered on us Colonials.

Trouble for us colonialists is that for some pf us it is the only thing that makes any sence. Though even chains have no gone out of my memory since leaving the real railway! Know what they say use it or loose it.

 

[Paradise]

Nice to see an old spirit level like that still in use.... have you ever had to buy a replacement bubble for it?

Jon.

You can get them thrown in free when you ask for a long weight at the engineering supplies.

 

[JimmyB]

We Brits (well us old gits) have never done gradients in percentage, and struggle to understand the concept

Oh so true, for me anyway.

 

[JimmyB]

1 in 20 will be ok for your track powered locos with fairly short trains but may be a bit steep for live steam. Even if they get up the grade successfully most will run away alarmingly going down the other side. Locos vary greatly on this with some much tamer than others. I would suggest reducing the severity of the incline by going for less clearance. 8 inches should be sufficient for all but the very tallest stock.

Philip many thanks, I will bear this in mind.

 

[JimmyB]

You can get them thrown in free when you ask for a long weight at the engineering supplies.

Is that the long weight for the bubble for your level

 

[Rhinochugger]

My foot per chain comments would be unfamiliar with North American railroaders.
It is/was a rather quaint English inflection foistered on us Colonials.

There was also a third type of chain used by surveyors, but that won't trouble us much as it was a metric chain

 

[Paradise]

Uintah Railway: From Atchee, six miles of 7.5 percent grade were required to climb the Book Cliffs to Baxter Pass at an elevation of 8,437 feet (2,572 m). From the summit of Baxter Pass, there were seven miles of 5 percent downhill grade to Wendella, Colorado, followed by twelve miles of 3 percent or shallower grades down Evacuation Creek to the Black Dragon Mine just west of the Utah border.

There was also a third type of chain used by surveyors, but that won't trouble us much as it was a metric chain

When my grandfather worked on the construction of a road cut along an ocean cliff they didn't use chains, they just did it on the shovel and flicked it over the edge.

 

[PhilP]

There was also a third type of chain used by surveyors, but that won't trouble us much as it was a metric chain

?? ten-links to the .. errr .. foot ??

 

[Rhinochugger]

?? ten-links to the .. errr .. foot ??

Don't ask me about the details - I covered this in my ONC in 1971

But you raise an important point it was the Romans that got it all wrong. If they had included another two symbols between 9 & 10, then 10 would have been divisible by 2, 3, 4 & 6 and altogether a much more useful basis for the metric concept.

 

[G-force1]

Don't ask me about the details - I covered this in my ONC in 1971

But you raise an important point it was the Romans that got it all wrong. If they had included another two symbols between 9 & 10, then 10 would have been divisible by 2, 3, 4 & 6 and altogether a much more useful basis for the metric concept.

Yes, but then you couldn't count on your fingers!

 

[Paradise]

My toes go up to eleven.

 

[3Valve]

You can get them thrown in free when you ask for a long weight at the engineering supplies.

I believe that they also come free with a long stand.

 

[PhilP]

Yes, but then you couldn't count on your fingers!

NFN, I believe!?

 

[PhilP]

Yes, but then you couldn't count on your fingers!

Fingers??

1023

 

[Greg Elmassian]

9% Allentown, Pittsburgh, USA

11% Cass Scenic Railway, Virginia (former logging railroad)

16.7%, a tramway in Romania.

Sure, we can find examples of way too steep, and that is literally what the question asked was.

For not destroying locomotives, non-geared locos, I would keep it to max of 4% and even that will show accelerated wear.

Greg

Uintah Railway: From Atchee, six miles of 7.5 percent grade were required to climb the Book Cliffs to Baxter Pass at an elevation of 8,437 feet (2,572 m). From the summit of Baxter Pass, there were seven miles of 5 percent downhill grade to Wendella, Colorado, followed by twelve miles of 3 percent or shallower grades down Evacuation Creek to the Black Dragon Mine just west of the Utah border.

 

[Zerogee]

NFN, I believe!?

Hey, high six!

Jon.