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Post by Jim O'Connor on Nov 19, 2004 20:27:52 GMT -5
Here is a track plan for by pal Burce's house. It offers some interesting running and more interest than a simple loop.  |
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Post by locodan5416 on Nov 23, 2004 8:08:16 GMT -5
When I went to germany, I went up the Harz mountain on a Narrow-Gauge 2-10-2T with probalby 4 passenger cars. At one point on the single track way up, there was a switch. I believe it is called a cutback(?). The spur was long enough so that an engine and a full train could be backed into it. This clears the main for the next train. I recommend you have something like that as well, I believe it could go parallel to the river and would at least lead to some better running with more operational possiblities.
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Post by boxcab01dcr on Dec 9, 2004 16:57:40 GMT -5
What if any grades will be delt with. Main form of locomotion used. Any scale besides lineal footage.
Type of rail you will use. Have you measured the
height of the rail to ground at trestles yet. Boy,
new kids are just full of questions!!!!!!
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Post by Jim O'Connor on Dec 12, 2004 19:27:20 GMT -5
Since Bruce's layout is an example, lets turn the questions back at you boxcab01dcr!!!! You want to keep your grades to a minimum, what grades are you going to end up with?
How to figure grade: If elevation goes up 1 foot in a 100 foot distance, the grade is 1%, 2 feet in 100' is a 2% grade, etc. Up to 2% grades are pretty easy to deal with. 2.5% is getting tough. 3% even for short periods might limit the length of your train. I suggest not to go over 4%.
It would be interesting to do a study on rail. As a guess, 75% of the railroads use only aluminum. Some use a mix of steel and alu. Some use "Groovy" track which uses steel bar stock.
Who knows which has better grip, Alu or steel?
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Post by andy pullen on Dec 21, 2004 15:09:37 GMT -5
In answer to the steel vs aluminum question; I would say steel rail is better for traction. Iron wheels by nature are slippery due to the graphite that's in it. I've seen many a locomotive with iron drivers spin on aluminum rail but they do grab a bit better on steel. The New Jersey Live steamers has steel rail on their elevated line and I ran an Atlantic there one weekend many years ago. Atlantics are notoriously slippery and this locomotive just would dig in and walk up the hill there like there was no load on it.
On a personal note, my locomotive has steel tires on the drivers. It's only slipped wildly once or twice due to oily wet rails. And only when leaving the servicing tracks. I've never had any trouble when hauling any kind of load. It just seems to dig in and walk off with the train.
Andy Pullen
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Post by GoldenSpike53 on Dec 21, 2004 17:48:28 GMT -5
A note for railroad layout and building that pertains to the type of material used for the road, steel or aluminum:
At our local club, the layout was aluminum for a long time. Then we had vandals breaking in at night and stealing long sections of aluminum rail, presumably to sell it as "scrap". Consequently, we have been replacing the old aluminum rail with steel.
BTW, that's "aluminium" for those of British (and possibly Australian?) residence.
Dale Dennis
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Post by locodan5416 on Mar 8, 2005 12:31:19 GMT -5
locomotive traction...
that can always be related to the locomotive and the builder. Is the engine sprung correctly?
(i.e. on a steaming bay all axleboxes are right in the middle)
i've even seen a pacific at our club track with the delta truck rocker on its side, no support for the firebox, cost of the rail is more important, esp since even the LE 0-4-0 can pull ten people.
~dan
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Post by CurtisHustace on May 16, 2005 17:46:53 GMT -5
Hi guys:
I am new to the forum, but thought I would que in on the rail vs. traction, or the "Adhesion" of the rail to wheel. There are three factors that contribute. 1 Weight on drivers, 2 Driver or Driver Material, 3 Rail Material & Head Contour, 4 Rail Condition. Steel will always have better adhesion with Iron wheels than if you use aluminum. If you have steel Tires on your wheels, you will still have even better adhesion with steel rail. West Coast Steel rail is, in my opinion, the optimal choice, although expensive. I know of only one company that has west coast Steel rail, and that is RMI Railworks and it currently runs around $1.30/foot. I think Aluminium can run as low as .85cents/foot.
Take Care.
Curtis Hustace
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