grades and inclines

[mf5117]

I have a HO 5x9ft layout , and use EZ TRACK . I am  thinking of doing away with my upper 18" rad oval 36"x60" . I'm just not satisfied with the way it looks , and the way i constructed it . And also due to scenery problems . I don't want just the 18" and 22" inner and outter half dog bone loop flat track layout . have good industry started etc.

I know on grades the max at the least is 2 to 4 % . How can you make the transition of a piece of flex track , "somebody told me to use code 100" . from the EZ track at the start of the incline and then at the top  look good. I heard use cork road bed and paint it grey . but , does it look the same .      I was thinking of attempting to heat a 9" straight in the middle to what equals 2 or 3 % . I tried just using the ez track ,but at the rail joiners  , the start of the incline is a somewhat angle .and a 6 wheel truck ,as on the sd40-2  loses pickup from the rails and stops .  any suggestions will help. I have just been experimenting

[mf5117]

also would it be possible to pull the rails from the grey roadbed on a 9" ez track straight and replace them with the flex track rails . without damaging the rail tie holder spikes on the grey road bed . I was going to make a jig for the deflection . I have access to a small  autoclave so i could get even heat on the plastic to hold the deflection. after it cools .to maintain the % of the start of the grade incline . If it works reverce it for the top of the incline "peak". And then try to install the flex track rail onto the ez track road bed.

[mf5117]

I didn't mean to make the second part of this thread sound crazy . I bought the HO graduated trestle set awhile back . And was toying around with it .But at the begginning of the incline the EZ track is not to friendly , where it starts the incline . No way to get a gradual bend of the track and rails into the rise .

but I'd like some suggestions on laying a proper grade

[Joe Satnik]

Dear mf5117,

Measure the height of your shortest trestle.  Make 2 smaller shims,  one half the height, the other 1/4 of the height of the shortest trestle.  Place them under the 2 track joints ahead of the smallest trestle.  Repeat for the other end of the trestle set.

If you wanted a gentler grade, buy a second set of trestles and shim it with a thickness half the difference between graduations.   

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

[jward]

there is another way, if you didn't want to use the trestles. using this method you can get a nice gradual transition  at the foor and summit of your grade. it is called cookie cutter construction.

what you do is to cut alongside where your track will be elevated, cut through the plywood. you raise the section that your track will be laid on, you then use blocks of wood under this raised section, fastened to the table joists, to set your grade. you can use 1x2 pine for these risers, and cut their length to fit.

an easy way to measure your grade is to buy some 1/4" thick flat moulding, and cut off pieces 1" 2" 3" and 4", then stack them to form a "staircase" and glue them together. to use this device to set a grade, you set one end of a 24" level on the appropriate step, then raise the plywood at the other end until level. the 4 steps work out to. from the bottom step to the top, 1% 2% 3% and 4%. once you have the first section set, clamp and fasten your risers under that section to maintain that grade, then move forward 2 feet and repeat until you get to the top of the grade.

the natural stiffness of the plywood will form a nice transition to any changes in grade. and the beauty of this system is that you can change the grade anywhere on the incline to create steep parts and less steep parts. for example, you can do like the real railroads and use 2% on your curves, and 3 or 4% on the straights, to compensate for the increased friction on the curves....

once the grade is in and the track laid, you can easily scenic it to look like the side of a mountain, or an embankment, and only ise the trestles where you'd want a bridge.

[mabloodhound]

I think, to answer your question, you will have to use flex track for the transition areas.   There's no way the E-Z track will allow you to bend it.
EDIT:  You will have to join the two different tracks back a ways from the transition start in order to get a smooth uphill curve otherwise you will still encounter the same problem.
But if you use a cork or Homabed roadbed under the flex track, it should mate pretty well with the E-Z track.   Then you can follow the suggestions above to get your transitions done.

[Terry Toenges]

Woodland Scenics incline starters are a good choice. Start with a 2% piece to a 3% piece to a 4% piece and vice versa if you have the room. Get the comparable WS risers to go with it.

[renniks]

The Woodlands Scenics items are very useful for a certain number of set grades but if you want to rise 'x' inches in 'x' feet you are on your own. Also they make incline starters for the bottom transition but not an incline finisher for transition to level at the top, which to me is a job half done. Since a finisher 'curve' is what is left if you cut a starter from a block, I find this strange.

Eric UK

[Terry Toenges]

Eric,
You can make just about whatever grade you want. Stack a 2% on a 3% and you get 5%. Stack two 3% and you get 6% and on up.
If you want a 4% to gradually level out on top, use a 3% then a 2%, then flat on top. Then going down, use the reverse.
2-3-4-3-2-flat on top.
If you don't want a full 2' section worth of rise, you can cut them off so you can use the risers.
If you only want to use 1' of a 4% one, cut it in half and then use a 2" riser next to it. If you want 1' of a 3%, cut in half and then stack a 1/2" and 1" riser next to it.

[renniks]

Terry

Very true. You can add risers together for other grades. You can make 'semi' transitions by combining risers or parts of but they are not true smooth transitions. The question still remains---they make starters so why no finishers.
BTW on my layout is a grade down to the harbour which worked out at about 2.6% and no WS foam in sight.

Eric UK