Does anyone know the size each support should go up by and what distance apart they should be from one another?
Thanks.
Thanks.
How to make my own supports for Raised Track (N Gauge)?
- Thread starter Lord Raffles
- Start date
Are you trying to simply change the elevation (i.e. create a grade) or make a trestle-like structure?
Andrew
Andrew
The height if you are making a brdige over another track would depend on how tall your tallest piece of rolling stock or engine is so it will run under the bridge without hitting the bottom of the bridge? You follow?
Not quite sure what you are asking, just thought I would throw that out there :thumb:
Not quite sure what you are asking, just thought I would throw that out there :thumb:
I basically want my track to go up a hill, but would like to know what size the starting support should be, and how much it goes up by for each corresponding level. Plus, what distance do each of these supports have to be from one another.
I think I know what your saying now, are you going to be using something like this:
These are made by Atlas and they start out at ground level and work there way up and then back down again to ground level. Is this the kinda thing you are talking about doing?
These are made by Atlas and they start out at ground level and work there way up and then back down again to ground level. Is this the kinda thing you are talking about doing?
I think I know what your saying now, are you going to be using something like this:
These are made by Atlas and they start out at ground level and work there way up and then back down again to ground level. Is this the kinda thing you are talking about doing?
Exactly, but I want to make my own - so does anyone have the sizes (and the distance each one has to be from one another?
okay I gotcha now, well I cant help you with that part lol. I havn't the slightest idea for the height and the distance each pier should be spaced, sorry. The hight is going to depend on how high you want to go in the planned distance you have/want (member you have to go up and then back down in that distance).
Do you know how long you want this to be? like how many inches or feet will this span, this might help someone in answering your question about the hight and distances.
Do you know how long you want this to be? like how many inches or feet will this span, this might help someone in answering your question about the hight and distances.
15cm high, nothing too big. I'm on a 4x4 layout, just want a little variation. It's going to be a hilly welsh type enviroment.
15 cm (6") high at a 2% grade will require 300" of track to climb that high. Even if you push it to 5%, you still need 120" or 10 feet of track.
But I think that you can get desired look (i.e. hilly welsh country) another way. Unless it is an absolute must that the track cross itself (difficult on a 4x4, even in Nscale), you can vary the height of the terrain dramatically, while only slightly changing the elevation of the track. This is what the prototype would have done anyway - railways like to keep things fairly level if at all possible.
Hope that helps.
Andrew
But I think that you can get desired look (i.e. hilly welsh country) another way. Unless it is an absolute must that the track cross itself (difficult on a 4x4, even in Nscale), you can vary the height of the terrain dramatically, while only slightly changing the elevation of the track. This is what the prototype would have done anyway - railways like to keep things fairly level if at all possible.
Hope that helps.
Andrew
The size will vary with how steep a grade you are willing to climb. Basically a 1% grade would go up 1 inch in 100 inches of linear distance, 2% would go up 2 inches, 3% 3 inches, etc. If you are working in metric measurements, it would be the same ratio. Generally 4% - 4.5% is the maximum grade that is workable on a model railroad, and then you will be making compromizes of train length to # of engines needed to pul the train up the grades. As far as the distance between supports, that is entirely dependent on what you are using for subroadbed. The stronger the subroadbed, the farther the distance it will span. If the subroadbed starts sagging under the load of the trains, you need more support closer together. I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but I would need to know how steep a grade you want to make and what material you are using for your subroadbed. One test you can make is to take a piece of the material you are going to use for subroadbed, put a block under one end and see how far apart the block can be from the end before it starts sagging.
Just a suggestion, but you can search the Internet for some prototypical pictures of different spans and get an idea from that. You will probably want to get a few scale measurements, but I would think you'd want to be closer to the prototypes than what you would think you needed to support your track. Long spans might work, but might also look strange.
I've got a crossover on my layout, and what I did was to go up 2% on the cross-over and go down about 2% on the cross-under. That was on a 7' run of N scale. The actual clearance from the top of the track to the bottom of the bridge measures 1 3/4". I can't say how prototypical that is, that was one of the first things I ever did on my layout.
I've got a crossover on my layout, and what I did was to go up 2% on the cross-over and go down about 2% on the cross-under. That was on a 7' run of N scale. The actual clearance from the top of the track to the bottom of the bridge measures 1 3/4". I can't say how prototypical that is, that was one of the first things I ever did on my layout.
lord raffles, for a normal clearance for a train to pass under another track, in n gauge you only need 2 inches of clearance (about 5 cm) . why do you want 15 cm for clearance? Thanks
Roger is correct, and even then, about 3 cm will be enough clearance for a N-scale mid-size North American steam engine. If you're modelling Welsh steam, I think the locos would generally be even smaller, so we're talking about 1 1/4" clearance if you need to be able to run a loco beneath the elevated section of the track.
As Russ says, the thickness of your roadbed will determine the distance between supports. Block up the highest point of the elevated track with something suitable, then work your way back to the main level: the support at the mid-point of the grade should be one-half the height of the support at the top of the grade, then fill in with suitable height blocks to keep the grade constant - no sags or humps.
Wayne
As Russ says, the thickness of your roadbed will determine the distance between supports. Block up the highest point of the elevated track with something suitable, then work your way back to the main level: the support at the mid-point of the grade should be one-half the height of the support at the top of the grade, then fill in with suitable height blocks to keep the grade constant - no sags or humps.
Wayne