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Grade question

Started by SteamGene, February 18, 2007, 07:04:38 PM

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SteamGene

I want no more than a 2% grade.  How much elevation is needed every foot for a 1% grade and a 2% grade? 
I know there are math whizes out there who can do this and keep their shoes on.  I'd have to go out with a very large protractor and do it physically.  ;D
Thanks.  :-[
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

Jim Banner

Measuring grades in 1/8's of an inch per foot is close enough to percent for most practical purposes.  So a 1% grade would be 1/8" per foot of run, a 2% grade would be 2/8" or 1/4" per foot, a 3% grade would be 3/8" per foot and so on.
Growing older is mandatory but growing up is optional.

SteamGene

Thanks, Jim.  That's about what I thought, but I wanted to be sure.  The club helix humps bother me as I work on mine.  ::)
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

pdlethbridge

1% 1 in 100, 2% 2 in 100, 3% 3 in 100, and so forth. The measurements of 1/8 per foot would actually be 1 in 96 or 1.04% ;D

SteamGene

I know that it's one in one hundred.  But my risers are a foot apart, so I need the X in one foot equation.  I can live with 1.04 or 2.08.  I can even compensate a bit, I think.
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

Seasaltchap

Sounds like an outdoor layout.

Stop the messing-about mixing your units!

Get outside the box![/]

Go Metric !

When you know your level:-

1% =  1cm/metre

2% =  1cm/2 metres

etc.

Regards
Phoenix AZ: OO enthusiast modelling GWR 1895-1939, Box Station Wiltshire; S&DJR Writhington Colliery, Nr. Radstock.

Interested in making friends on the site with similar interests.

Seasaltchap

Phoenix AZ: OO enthusiast modelling GWR 1895-1939, Box Station Wiltshire; S&DJR Writhington Colliery, Nr. Radstock.

Interested in making friends on the site with similar interests.

SteamGene

If I had metric rules I would.  If I could find a surplus aiming circle, I'd use mils and metric.   ;D
(1 mil = 1 meter at 1000 meters)
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

Atlantic Central

Anyone who needs more acuracy than Jim's formula for this job, needs way more theapy than model trains can provide.

My Sears digital level is very nice for this job, but it seams no more acurate than than a level and a tape measure properly used.

Sheldon

Seasaltchap


Some of you obviously haven't tried to buy a yard-stick recently!

There's rough n' ready, and there's rough n' ready!

Regards
Phoenix AZ: OO enthusiast modelling GWR 1895-1939, Box Station Wiltshire; S&DJR Writhington Colliery, Nr. Radstock.

Interested in making friends on the site with similar interests.

SteamGene

This was probably used a hundred years ago, but I put in the first three risers the hard way.  Then I took a four foot metal rule, laid it over the fixed risers and clamped the next riser so it touched the rule.  After making sure the riser was level along its long axis I screwed the riser in.  The grade should be uniform.
Gene
Chief Brass Hat
Virginia Tidewater and Piedmont Railroad
"Only coal fired steam locomotives"

pacifier

About 10 years ago I downloaded a program named APSCU off the internet. It has been one of the handiest modeling programs I've used. At the time the writer asked $5.00 for it, so it was cheap. The pogram calculates grades, it also calculates proto to just about any scale you could name. Their is only one problem with it, he has since stopped selling it. I don't know what the legality is to copy it for others to use. Maybe somebody with legal knowledge could help out here.