This is an issue that I puzzled over a few months back during my first iteration of building this layout. Now that I'm on KISS oval 2.0, I'm to the point of making the decision again. Here goes...... The back stretch of my oval is mostly bridge...2 spans of thru-truss over the river, with a thru-girder span over "main street". In order to get clearance over main street, after removing as much foam as practical under the thru-girder, I'm having to use Woodland Scenics 2% grade Incline Starters to gain a minimum of a 1/4" additional clearance.. If I use a full two foot section of incline starter it gives 1/2" additional elevation. Now for the question...do I go for the minimum needed 1/4" and only have about a foot of incline grade...or do I go for the whole 1/2" and have 2 feet of incline grade? Every thing looks better at 1/2" additional height, but am I going to regret not keeping the length of graded track to the minimum possible?
Zandoz, It's easier to shim the track up than lower the subgrade. I recommend using the longer run of 2% slope to give the greater vertical clearance. This will allow you to make smoother vertical transitions in and out of the 2% grade. Todd
