Cutting the grade

phantom Mar 14, 2010

  1. phantom

    phantom TrainBoard Member

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    Cutting the grade.

    When I started planning my G scale layout back in 2005, I went over the plans time and time again. The one part of the whole plan that I gave the most thought to was the helix. After numerous calculations I came up with a vary short and steep helix, well maybe not quite a helix. It went one time around and then continued straight down the wall. All in all I managed to get to the second level just 22” above the first level in 20 feet of travel. The grade was steep and required 2 locomotives to pull the 4 car passenger trains up the hill. Where as freight trains where broken into 2 or 3 sections at a time. At first this was called “ operation challenges “. Latter it became to be know as a pain in the but. This worked relatively well ( The part about being a pain in my but ) for several years. But over time the need to use a helper for every train and then still not making the grade in one shot became well… a big pain in the but. In short it got in the way of running trains. So when the tax money came this year and the wife ( The Moore Federal government ) rendered a decision that we would share the tax money this year, well I had several ideas for my share, HHmmm… Headers for the 4x4, or maybe a lift kit, the ideas went on and on. But then I got to thinking about the trains and that darn grade. So it was decide that I would rebuild the helix. I broke out the cal-k-u –lator ( Thinking machine ) and went to work. I came to the conclusion that I could widen the radius from 4 foot to 5 foot and use 3 levels on the helix to gain 22 Inc. in elevation. O the thought of running trains up the grade with one engine…. ( Ya I know dream on …. ). Soon the old helix was gone and the bar walls where all that was left. Then after a trip to Home Depot. I spent the rest of the day cutting out helix section from 4 sheets of plywood. Construction went fairly fast and before the end of that Saturday I had the first level in place and track laid down. Then It was time to test it. With my favorite steam locomotive and 4 passenger cars in tow I assaulted the grade. ( Well to be more exact, the grade assaulted me! ). The train made it ½ way and stalled. So I backed down the hill and made another temped but this time at full throttle. I think I gained 6 inches of travel this time. This was a real let down. So I tore down the helix and started over. This time I kept the grade even lower by eliminating some of the extra clearance from rail head to the bottom of the next level. I had added extra clearance just to be safe, and now I needed to get the graded down. So I made to more attempts with no luck, it seemed failure was an option! So how could this happen? My radius was wider then the previous one. The graded was almost ½ of the previous helix. Yet the trains climbed the previous helix and not this one. So I began to focus on the track, Maybe its slippery. Nope its not, its quite clean and not slippery. So I cleaned the locomotive wheels. Still no luck. The it hit me. Back when I first built the first helix. I used a lot of scrap track. Many short sections and the track work its self was not all that great. We never had any derailments but the joints did not meet flush and this looked crude and was one of things that made me want to redo the helix in the first place. It turned out that the gaps and joints that weren’t perfect, where giving the locomotives the traction they needed to get a grip on the rails. It seemed one of the things I wanted to get red of was the one thing that made it all work! So now what do I do? I could put the old helix back in, Yea and explain to the wife that I just spent $300 on new track and I was going to go back to the old tighter radius. So I began to think. Ok do I have room for a set of switch backs? Nope no room. So I spent the next week thinking about it. During this time my wife noticed the lack of progress in the basement and she confronted me about this. After I explained my dilemma to her she said, “ well you will figure something out “. So while many ideas came out and the tape measure always ruling out the ideas as fast as they seemed to come in. I went out to the shed for something, When I spide an old electric block and tackle ( Wench ). HHHmmmmm…… HHHmmmm….. The idea came from out of the blue, could I use the old electric block and tackle to build a elevator for my trains? So off to the planning table I did go. It looked great on paper. From that I made a shopping list. Now all I had to do was to apply to the Moore Federal government ( The Wife ) for grants for the project. With the thoughts of my recent failure in the helix world I did not expect this to go well.

    Ok I’m going to stop here for a short time. I want to give some of the members here a chance to chime in with there Ideas and let us know what they think will happen next.

    PS. Here are some pictures of the first helix and grade.
     

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  2. Jack28

    Jack28 TrainBoard Member

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    Umm did you ever consider something for traction on the loco wheels? Like that bullfrog snot stuff? It does work quite well.

    Ummm, not sure on this, as I am purty new, but what about deliberately roughening the track to increase grip but reduce contact?

    I am not completely sure I understand the block and tackle stuff and what you mean.
     
  3. crclass

    crclass TrainBoard Member

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    I am with Jack28, not sure what you are thinking with the block and tackle. I would go back to the prototype and think of traction. As I was reading I was thinking too smooth of track. What we really need to know is, is it stalling or slipping?
     
  4. Capdiamont

    Capdiamont TrainBoard Member

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    If I may, a curve on a grade, more so on a helix, increases the effective grade. The tighter the curve, the more the grade is increased. Ways to combat it, are ball bearing trucks, expanding the curve as much as possible, reducing the grade, breaking up the curve with straight track, rack rail locomotive pusher, cable to pull the trains up, switch back, making it a triple or quad level layout with loops on each end. A lift is also possible, Though I wonder about train direction. Maybe a loop on that end, that goes in to a lift so trains are going the right direction.
     
  5. phantom

    phantom TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for the ideas. A electric block and tackle ( Powered by electricity ) can be used to lift heavy things, Ie: truck motor and so on. I'm almost done using it to build an elevator to get trains up to the next level. I will post a video shortly.
     
  6. phantom

    phantom TrainBoard Member

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    Ok Here are some images of the shelf elevator. Its hard to see it all because its in the shape of the letter L and its tucked into a corner. In a day or so I will post a video of it in action. J . This is quite the project and I think it may have been one of my greater coble jobs. One of my friends calls me the cobbler, even though I’m pretty good at planning things out in advance. J

    Ok here image No. 1 shows the right hand side of the elevator in the up poison or at the second level. Image 2 shows it at the lower or down poison. No. 3 shows the Electric block and tackle ( motor or wench ) . No. 4 shows the center of the elevator shelf. No. 5 Shows one of the pulleys and turnbuckle used for adjusting cable length, for leveling.
     

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