Ivatt 2MT Haulage

"Spyke" wrote

No gradients on my layout, but my Ivatt 2MT has just easily started three Bachmann Mk1s + three Hornby Gresley coaches on a curve without so much as a hint of slipping.

What sort of gradient are you talking about. A 1 in 50 gradient is considered steep on a real railway. Anything more than 1 in 30 on a model railway is ridiculously steep.

John.

I have only tried mine at shunting, but it quite happily moved long rakes of freight wagons which have been stored for years and without pre-oiling prior to use.

Gradients on a model railway are to be avoided at all costs in my opinion.

Regards, John Isherwood.

I've not measured the gradient in question, but it probably isn't more than about 1 in 50/1 in 60.

Measure it. A 1/50 grade needs 12 to 13ft of run to bring the track up to an overbridge above the lower level.

A gradient on a curve is also worse than a straight one because it adds extra resistance.

Unfortunately, being a friend's layout, I'm not going to be in a position to measure it for a while, I'm fairly sure it's not as steep as

1 in 40 though. Also, it's a gradient that most of my other locos seem fine on even with a 7/8-coach train, which is why I was concerned that my Ivatt might be under powered.

"Spyke" wrote

Don't forget that the Ivatts are only small locos and would not in reality be expected to haul particularly long trains.

John.

One of the more surprising performers on Thorpe Thewles was the Hornby B12, which managed pretty well with ten old-style Hornby Gresley coaches. I don't think anyone noticed that it shouldn't really have been on a layout set in Teeside or that the bottom of the firebox was twice actual length. ;-)

This weekend I was at Locomotion in Shildon admiring a beautiful Bachmann V2, Green Arrow no less, in LNER green. I was very tempted until I noticed the little yellow triangles on the boiler...

Surely gradients add interest, it makes driving more of a challenge. I like to have a few gradients that push the limits then I need to double head the heaviest trains just like on the S&D :)

"Gerald H" wrote

The prototype had gradients only when absolutely essential, and whilst gentle gradients can be an interesting feature on a model the ski slopes that Hornby have included in some of their past layout designs are pretty much impractical.

John.

"Graham Thurlwell" wrote

The prototype B12 (in its day) was a top-link express passenger loco, and whilst it was superceded by the B17s and later Britannias, it was still a much larger loco than the Ivatt 2MT.

And quite correct too - I assume it represents a locomotive in preservation and displaying the 'over head electrification flashes' is obligatory for main line running, as per this image of 4472 'Flying Scotsman' at York in

2005.

John.

New Zealand railways are almost all ski slopes - they are also practical! If the designers had attempted to make the track near level then we'd have second radius curves everywhere.

Regards, Greg.P. NZ

"Greg Procter" wrote

Aye but the Hornby ones were about 1 in 10 - ok with rack systems with not with gravity adhesion.

John.

1 in 10 is getting to the point where the loco needs to be on the downhill end of the train, or you need 5+ braking systems like the RhB in Switzerland. Here in NZ 1:30 would be considered steep, 1:100 near level.

Regards, Greg.P. NZ

Get yourself a decent DCC system then you can have banking assistence - Hornby do a good DCC set.

Cheers, Simon

I do fine with DC and bankers! Geislinger Steige with up to 5 locos on a train and 20"/22" inch radius curves on a 3 turn helix with curved crossovers.

Regards, Greg.P.

Think will have to read that slowly many times before light will dawn.

Cheers, Simon

The Hopton Incline on the Cromford and High Peak line was 1 in 14.

Well, the "Geislinger Steige" is South German equivalent of the Lickey Bank. It's a heavily trafficked double track route. Between 1920 and 1933 it was steam worked (electrified 1932/33) Through trains gained a pilot loco for the easy bit and then a banker for the steep bit in the middle. The bankers were initially 0-6-0ts, then

0-8-0ts and finally 2-10-2ts but there were never enough to match the traffic so 3x 0-6-0t bankers equalled 2x 0-8-0t bankers equalled one 2-10-2t banker.

My layout is a big staging yard on the bottom level, double track mainline across the front, 3 1/2 turn helix, through mainline station with loco depot for taking off the bankers at the top ... and back down again with the tracks rejoining the helix one turn down. The junction is within the helix with crossovers. The L&YR (pre 1923) has running rights on alternate sundays. (which is a slight bending of prototype reality)

Greg.P.