What's the deal on 4% risers?

[Hutch]

They sell them so I'm inclined, yuck, to believe 4% will work. I was just looking at them and the 2% require 16" each way. That's a lot of layout just to get to the top of the hill. 4% only 8 feet. I know it isn't prototypical but I don't care about that. Will my HO locomotives with a few passenger cars have any trouble? I'm not into the long line of freight cars though I like seeing them on other layouts.

 

[migalyto]

About the only thing at your going to know is to set up a test. Get an 8’ board and prop it up to the height of 4”. Mount some track to it temporarily and test, test, test. Some would consider 4% to be too steep. You could also add helpers to your consist. It would add some operational interest to it.

 

[migalyto]

You also don’t need the Woodland Scenics risers. You can make your own inclines. Use the saved money to buy more trains.

 

[Hutch]

I really enjoyed using Woodland Scenics inclines on my last layout. Maybe I should give DIY a shot. I really like foam though and I love how WS snakes into place and allows me to change my mind. I have see someone make foam ones using a foam cutter. That appeals to me but not wood.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Heck, don't let the looks stop ya. I'm sure your loco can do 6% grade with an occasional hand assist.

 

[migalyto]

I really enjoyed using Woodland Scenics inclines on my last layout. Maybe I should give DIY a shot. I really like foam though and I love how WS snakes into place and allows me to change my mind. I have see someone make foam ones using a foam cutter. That appeals to me but not wood.

Yep, there's lots of ways to achieve the same result. Use the one you feel most comfortable with.

 

[regme]

Hi

I just did my own using XPS foam, a table saw to cut the kerf's so I can bend the foam and to get the width of the formation and batter and a hotwire cutter for the grades. You can check it out here.

Grades it starts at post #30

Cheers

 

[CambriaArea51]

Sounds like a good excuse to run pushers to get up the grade.

 

[Rico]

I was on one of the steepest grades on the CPR at 4.1 percent! (Trail, British Columbia)
There’s some interesting rules involved but it certainly is doable.
My previous layout had 3 percent in spots and I had no problem with twenty four car trains. (Two locos)
As was suggested try a stretch of track…

 

[boatwrench]

Southern Railroad had a 4% and greater grade. You tube Saluda Grade in HO to see how a modeler built a nice layout of this grade. His operation triples the hill with helpers. A previous layout I ran a string of eight 100T hoppers plus a caboose up 5% to a quarry with a single Athearn Blue Box GP38-2 so it is doable.

For my grandson's folded oval we built used the Woodland Scenics risers 3% up and 4% down. He also runs it reverse and his father's old AHM Alco (424?) pulls 12 army painted cars up the hill. What slows the engine is the drag pulling cars around the tight radius curve as both the up and down grades contain curves.

 

[logandsawman]

It is gonna depend on your loco and how hard your cars pull.

My old superpower athearn could easily pull 15 cars up a 4% grade. My old Varney will pull 6 or 7 even with a curve involved. Some of my other locomotives will not.

 

[glenng6]

Hutch,
My layout, the older section, has more than one 4% grade. As some have mentioned it is a great excuse to run multiple locos. I have to say watching multiple engines climb those inclines gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Go for it! You won't be disappointed. Glenn

 

[Hutch]

I'm convinced. I'll do a test section as suggested and run 4 or 5 cars behind my 0-6-0. If that can handle it than my bigger locos will do even better. I plan to get a few diesels down the road and I'm looking forward to running some consists.

 

[wombat457]

@Hutch remind me - your doing N Scale right? I ask, because it does make a difference when it comes to grades.

Regardless of which scale I would still do as Mike said, set up an 8' piece of track at 4% and see what engines will negotiate it, and how many cars it will be able to negotiate it with.

I can tell you, in so far as N Scale goes, a single diesel engine and larger steam will negotiate a 4% grade. You will be limited as to the number of cars that could be pulled though. For N Scale - 3% is considered doable for most engines with a "reasonable" number of cars behind them.

 

[wombat457]

As for the "inclines" I agree with Mike - forget woodlands stuff and make your own. Think about your bench work as well - perhaps you could build it using an open grid and cookie cutter method where the ply (or whatever you use for the benchwork base) forms your sub road bed and the grades, kinda like this:

A bit more time consuming when it comes to the construction BUT it has a heap of advantages over, what I call, desk top bench work.

 

[Hutch]

HO. As soon as the benchwork is done I'll do some incline tests.

 

[Hutch]

As for the "inclines" I agree with Mike - forget woodlands stuff and make your own. Think about your bench work as well - perhaps you could build it using an open grid and cookie cutter method where the ply (or whatever you use for the benchwork base) forms your sub road bed and the grades, kinda like this:

A bit more time consuming when it comes to the construction BUT it has a heap of advantages over, what I call, desk top bench work.

All that plywood is at least as expensive and more time consuming.

 

[wombat457]

All that plywood is at least as expensive and more time consuming.

How are you building your benchwork then? You have to have a base to sit everything on. Essentially, that is what you use to create your grades - no extra anything so therefore your not spending extra on risers. Yes, it is a little time consuming, but the end result is well worth it when the advantages of it are considered.

Anyway, it was just a suggestion to save you money and allow you to create your own grades, which was the issue you were asking about.

 

[Hutch]

The layout I bought had no plywood and used only 1 inch foam in some places. Since I have all of that foam, I'm going to try to use as much it as I can. Most of it is 2 inch and the cookie cutter technique can be used with foam.

 

[wombat457]

The layout I bought had no plywood and used only 1 inch foam in some places. Since I have all of that foam, I'm going to try to use as much it as I can. Most of it is 2 inch and the cookie cutter technique can be used with foam.

You probably couldn't/wouldn't use the cookie cutter method with foam. As your using foam as your base, then foam risers will probably work best for you.