Climb Helical

[korm kormsen]

Beaver,

th cars were just short (1ft) four wheel cars with plastic wheels as they come out of the starter packs.
on my 6% grades with two motors (stainzes and tenders) i run 5 foot of cars. either five of the shorties (= 10 aixles), or four bogied cars (=16 aixles) or combinations. all plastic.
as my passing sidings are only 8ft long, i did not test longer trains.
all my engines get additional weight, untill they have roughly two and a half pound per driver aixle (1.300 grams)
i use additional weight during the last 15 years, more or less. got only one loco with gear problems: an unweighted big hauler.

 

[beavercreek]

Yes the 1:29 streamliner cars are long and heavy.
On my mainline gradient (max 10%) I use two, three or four USA trains F3 units (ABB or ABBA or maybe even a PB1 thrown in instead of a F3 unit) to pull up to six of the USAT streamline cars or five/six Aristocraft versions.
The diesels are also good at keeping the passenger cars on a slow orderly descent as well. Steam locos, with their free running gearing, do not hold them back.

The only trouble I ever had was a USAT observation car 'breaking away' on the incline. Luckily there is a nice little 'softening' bush strategically placed at the bottom of the incline on the approach curve.

Needlessly to say these long passenger cars would not go around my 'local line' helix/spiral!

These are old picture of the layout (2006)
The first one shows the ' Rio Grande Prospector' beginning the descent on the mainline. As the passenger cars are made from aluminium and pretty well built there is a lot of force on the rear of the two (in this case) F3 units.
The bushes over the track and behind the 'dome-car' are now gone and the spiral is in place there for the local line which comes out of the tunnel just by the red roof of the little loco by the pickling plant (which also had a makeover a few years back).



The ' Rio Grande California Zephyr' approaches the steep part of the incline


The 'California Zephyr' F3 units breast the summit (at Arbour Summit) and begin the descent while the passenger cars are still climbing

 

[Greg Elmassian]

My max grade going up is 3.1%, downgrade 5.5%, this is the consist I pull.

Don't let the perspective fool you, those are E8 locos, not F3!

 

[beavercreek]

I don't think that even the E8s would pull that many USAT streamliner cars up my gradient!
But it would be fun testing it....... the down grade might be the trouble though with all the force of that weight of aluminium bearing down on couplers and possible derails on the curve at bottom of the gradient.

If I put the full four F3 units ABBA then the max is 8 streamliners (6 USAT and 2 Aristo) before wheel slippage (I use traction tyres).
Usually I have two F3 hauling 5 passenger cars. I will put on three F3 units for appearances, adding another car and also to give less strain on the motor blocks.

Even though way back I was told that, due to my 'stupid' gradient, I would be going through the motor block gears like a beaver through wood, I have only had one split collar in nine years.......

Judicious use of multi heading and/or custom motorised freight and passenger cars have kept the trains rolling on my challenging layout!

 

[Bruno99]

Dear morionds
I have several portions of my railway with a 5% to 6% slope. No problem to climb with a LGB Stainz with 3 wagons. It's easier with a straight tracks.
In a former version of my layout, I've also built a helix with combined R1, R2 and R3 tracks. No problem at all as mentioned by other members on this post.