I am planning to build the Granite Gorge and Northern HO railroad from an old copy of Six HO Railroads You Can Build, but I am a bit concerend about one of the grades in particular, seems like it would be fairly steep.
My question is what an acceptable grade percentage is in HO for reliable operation with a variety of rolling stock, and also what clearance is reuired under a bridge to insure just about ant rolling stock or locomotives will clear a bridge.
Thanks for any help.
Wally
According to my NMRA gage, you want three inches of clearance from railhead of underside of bridge. That will pass ordinary cars. I'd want to check again for double stacks, bi level passenger cars or those humungous 80' Athearn box cars. I have a 4% grade and it's so steep that only my best diesels can hack it with a very short consist. My steamers all develop terminal wheelspin trying this grade with much more than a caboose. I'd try to keep the grades under 3%. And, for good running you have to have an easement into and out of the grade. You need a bit of .5% followed by a bit of 1% followed by a bit of 1.5% and so on until you reach your final grade. You can't go from flat to a 3% grade all in one spot. And you need the same thing in reverse to ease off at the top of the grade.
David Starr
Wally wrote:
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