Grade

[fsm1000]

I am using On30 and at 8 or 9 % I can only pull 5 ounces with my porter and 11 ounces up the hill with my shay. At 17% even the locos wouldnot make it. Try making a funicular [did I spell that right?] RR. It uses gears on the track. to get up a hill.

 

[MasonJar]

If you are set on the 5 foot separation, and your grade is going to be "off-scene" (out of sight?) then I agree with Jeffery that your best bet is a helix.

If it is visible, remember that the prototype would have been using similar trackage to your calculated 17 switchbacks (maybe not quite so many, since logging lines would use up to 10%). After all, you are trying to climb about 450 vertical feet.

For comparison, a "regular" line might allow 130 feet rise per mile (~2.5%), so would need about 3.5 miles to make the climb. That's over 200 feet of scale track in HO.

Andrew

 

[Triplex]

If you are set on the 5 foot separation, and your grade is going to be "off-scene" (out of sight?) then I agree with Jeffery that your best bet is a helix.

Except it would take trains forever to traverse that helix. With the short trains typical of steam logging lines, a train elevator sounds like it might be a good option here.

 

[1GUNRUNNER]

Guys I am jumping ship to a bigger guage. I have a 3 1/4" railbed to lay my ties on. For my application HO is just too small. What guage fits that criteria?

 

[Triplex]

Ties are typically 9' long. That means Gauge 1 (1/32) has ties 3-3/8" long - too big. O (1/48 ) will have ties 2-1/4" long.