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Need 10 minutes of someone's time?

Hi, I've got problems which require studying the 4 x 7 Gorre and Daphetid track plan, and a question.

Looking at the Gorre and Daphetid track plan, at the bottom-right, (the top left is the mine at Daphetid). The bottom right shows a turnout where one track goes down and the other goes up. OK so far?

When I follow the elevations on the plans, the one that goes down goes down much too much to steeply, perhaps OK for a good Atlas diesel, but esthetically, would it look too far off? The one that goes up seems to be fine and it continues on to Daphetid. If I raise the one that goes down, it reduces the overhead clearance. I could probably get by with

3" clearance but it just doesn't look good, another esthetic situation, especially since most track plans leave 5" +, clearance between two elevations.

I am considering the distance between the top of the cork to the bottom of the above roadbed. Adding the track would give me even less.

QUESTION: Do you note a dramatic drop in the plans of the left side of the turnout? Would it be acceptable? It simply scares me.

Also, if I don't follow the plan elevation, would 3" be adequate clearance for a train, even though it may not look good?

What is the height of the tunnel portals, maybe I can use that as a barometer!

Thanks so much for taking your precious time!! Mike Picture Rocks, AZ

Reply to
axipolti
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John did things sometimes just for the fun of it. Steep grades (10% or so) are often done just to get somewhere in the space available. It does mean that going up the grade is going to be difficult with many cars but going down isn't going to be a problem unless you want to stop quickly on the grade. I'll also note that John was a photographer and an artistic type and as such, he took liberties with mechanical things that others wouldn't do.

-- Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

Reply to
Bob May

Firrtly, lets make sure we're on the same page. The G&D plan I'm utilizing is #17 in "101 Track Plans" (Kalmbach). Its dimensions are 7' x 44" which is somewhat narrower than you stipulate.

I do not agree that the difference between the two grades is really that great. I estimate the radius for the outer (ascending) route to be

21". This leads to a grade of app 3.1%. The inner (descending) path is given a radius of 18" which leads to a grade of 3.5%. Admittedly both grades are larger than would found for a class I system, but are not unreasonable for the type of railroad found in the original G&D.

One way to improve both operational and scenic aspects of this system would be to expand the plan to 8' x 4' (a standard sheet of plywood). This could lead to an increase of 1.5" for each radius and (if the additional length is kept right (east) of your defining turnout) added lengths of 24" for each route. The new grades are now approximately

2.1% and 2.4% respectively.

With respect to your other concern, I have found that a 3.5" separation between track levels presents no operational problems.

I hope I have interpreted your questions correctly and that my answers prove helpful. Good luck. Jerry

Reply to
trainjer

Because our environmental wackos were afraid to go too far north to check it out!

Thanks for the great insight. I'll follow your ideas, and J.A's as well!

Reply to
axipolti

Thanks Jerry....I guess I needed some comforting, for that's just what I did...I stretched it out to a 4 x 8 !

Mike

Reply to
axipolti

I saw a warning last night that children should not worry about the Polar Express going to the north pole because the train went to the geograhic north pole and not the magnetic north pole. If it went to the latter, some five hundred miles away, the electrical currents and radiation would've destroyed them. So if the greenies have gone there they will have not returned.:-)

Bob

Reply to
Robert Dietz

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