Incline construction

[richsam]

Need advice on the best way to build my incline. I need to get up to 3 inches in height in 98 inches. Anybody here have experience in this?

[TimberSurf]

Hi
There are many ways. No right or wrong. Simple construction with thick card board or wood. Increasing sizes of vertical supports with thin top to make a box construction. Or use foam, insulation board or even polystyrene (easy to cut). Shape with plaster bandage cloths, or make the sides of "brick" or "stone" like an incline to a viaduct. Woodland scenics sell a concertina preformed foam slope.

[Emettman]

That's going to be fairly steep: about 1:27 for the main gradient, once the very important transitions at the top and bottom of the gradient are allowed for.
Can you use less than 3", or sink even slightly any tracks to be crossed?

Chris

[richsam]

Doing further calculations I reckon i can go up to 2 3/4 inches in height on a 112 inch run.

I have 3mm ply I might use. Just hope the gradient won't be too steep

[Emettman]

Doing further calculations I reckon i can go up to 2 3/4 inches in height on a 112 inch run.

I have 3mm ply I might use. Just hope the gradient won't be too steep

By my "rule of thumb" calculation you should be looking at 1:35, 1:36 there, allowing for transitions.

Allow the first foot at either end to make 1/2 the climb / drop that each foot on the main section will need to.
That give the initial foot a chance to curve gradually from level to full incline.

Then with a set of graduated height blocks (Lego is good for experimenting with) get them spaced evenly and see if things look right, before fixing permanently.

Chris

[TimberSurf]

Also bare in mind that the lead in and out of a gradient has to be "smoothed" so that fixed wheels don't rock over a sharp angle. Just like a transition from a curve to a straight, the same applies to gradients. Thus the real incline, not including the transition beziers that need to be applied is actually steeper than the simple calc height versus distance!

[Emettman]

Thank you, TimberSurf.
The diagram well illustrates what I was trying to cover in words.

[TimberSurf]

Thank you, TimberSurf.
The diagram well illustrates what I was trying to cover in words.

No problem.
I should also mention that a reasonable gradient works on straight track, but if you combine a curve (that causes extra friction on the wheel flanges) with a gradient, then a long train won't make it, wereas, it would on a straight!

[richsam]

Thank you everyone for the excellent replies. I love the lego brick idea!

[Bramshot]

My layout has two inclines, one rising left to right at the back, with the high level returning to baseboard level falling right to left at the front. The two inclines are therefore in parallel planes. I have tilted the entire baseboard by half the incline gradient , with slope downwards from left to right. As the incines are in parallel planes, this halves their gradient. It wouldn’t work of course if the inclines were opposed to each other, one would be reduced, the other increased.
If you think about it, there is no real world reason why the baseboard should be horizontal.
The scenery layout, ie the inclines look like inclines, fools the eye into thinking the baseboard is horizontal, when it isn’t.
The only slight issue is that uncoupled coaches can run away on what is supposed to be a horizontal surface, but most of mine have lighting using axle springs, which add just enough friction to keep them stationary while the loco runs around to the other end. Some problem ones (Dapol, with no axle springs) I have added small pieces of ferrous metal underneath and put short neo magnets between the sleepers which hold the coaches in position (and don’t seem to affect anything else that runs over them).