Did you bank the curves on your layout?

"Super elevating" my track never occurred to me when I first crawled around on our cement basement floor, playing with my father's old O-27 track, as an adult, to initially decide if I wanted any layout at all, back in 1995. Later, when I had decided to go full-bore with having a layout and built my platforms, even though I remembered my father had done so with his layout back in the post-war years, elevating track never developed as a preference, which it still isn't. I believe he had done so to help the cranky Lionel Scout and the finicky Lionel 1666 not to fly off the tracks on curves, seemingly a preference of theirs, esp. if I had gotten my li'l mitts on the transformer speed control.

However, now, having read the experience-qualified advice of several of the well-regarded voices on this forum along this thread, I still can't say I'd do so if I decided to do it all over again, but they sure made good argument for doing so. I've never heard the reasons for Super Elevation explained so well and thoroughly.

FrankM

With this post in mind, last night I was looking at my layout.  I have so many sidings with turnouts on curves that super-elevating would have been possible in only two curves on my entire layout.   

Boo Man posted:

With this post in mind, last night I was looking at my layout.  I have so many sidings with turnouts on curves that super-elevating would have been possible in only two curves on my entire layout.   

So you can't pull long trains of 10 cars or more and you can't run much other than a steam switcher or a small diesel ??    : )  

Boo Man posted:

With this post in mind, last night I was looking at my layout.  I have so many sidings with turnouts on curves that super-elevating would have been possible in only two curves on my entire layout.   

Be very careful with switches and super elevation they are a real game changer. Not worth the trouble !  

OGR Webmaster posted:

BobbyD posted:

Putting some curved switches in, so how do you super elevate track where there is a crossover? Both tracks are on the same piece of wood.

In the real railroad world crossovers are not superelevated. Running speed through a crossover is rarely more than Medium Speed (30 mph) or Limited speed (45 mph.) At those speeds there is no need for any superelevation.

Thanks Rich, saved us a bunch of re-work work!

Boo Man posted:

With this post in mind, last night I was looking at my layout.  I have so many sidings with turnouts on curves that super-elevating would have been possible in only two curves on my entire layout.   

Same situation, and not sure it is worth the effort on those.

I only had problem with super elevated  curved turnouts when it was used as part of a crossover. When going into a spur or other secondary diverging route not a problem. i'm using the largest Ross switch, 120/90 I think. Could be because my main have higher roadbed so when coming off the main curved switch, the siding is lower and the transition is smoother.  I definitely run looooong trains.

Clem 

Would O60 be wide enough for a superelevated curves. I want to do this on my ceiling layout although the straight sections are no more than 12"

On the two main lines, designed for high speed operation, yes.

On the branch lines, and yards, no.

carsntrains posted:

Boo Man posted:

With this post in mind, last night I was looking at my layout.  I have so many sidings with turnouts on curves that super-elevating would have been possible in only two curves on my entire layout.   

So you can't pull long trains of 10 cars or more and you can't run much other than a steam switcher or a small diesel ??    : )  

Shut-the-f........front door!!!  You're right.  LOL!!!  Looks like I'll be pulling the freight cars around by hand.  

gg1man posted:

Boo Man posted:

With this post in mind, last night I was looking at my layout.  I have so many sidings with turnouts on curves that super-elevating would have been possible in only two curves on my entire layout.   

Be very careful with switches and super elevation they are a real game changer. Not worth the trouble !  

I have Atlas O turnouts and wouldn't want them lying any way but completely flat.  

I came up with a solution and decided that I'll tilt my head a little when my trains are going through curves to give me the perception that the curve is super-elevated.   

My roadbed and track is already glued down so I'm not changing anything.  

The reason for elevating a curve is fast running. I can't imagine elevating around a turnout or crossover unless the turnout is curved as this Ross is. Mine are so slight most people would not notice them. 

Boo Man posted:

carsntrains posted:

Boo Man posted:

With this post in mind, last night I was looking at my layout.  I have so many sidings with turnouts on curves that super-elevating would have been possible in only two curves on my entire layout.   

So you can't pull long trains of 10 cars or more and you can't run much other than a steam switcher or a small diesel ??    : )  

Shut-the-f........front door!!!  You're right.  LOL!!!  Looks like I'll be pulling the freight cars around by hand.  

LOL me TOOOOOOOOOO ..     Even though my UN-SUPERELEVATED track allows me to pull as many as the engine will pull including multiple lash ups. and I can run any of the 4 engines I have full throttle and although it scares me to do it they stay on the track!    

I superelevated a few curves on the outside loop.  We like to run some trains fast and hang on the curves.  But with 27 turnouts, there were not very many opportunities to do more.  Superelevation of turnouts poses problems matching with the straight sections.

Charlie

I use Atlas O track, so elevating the curves would not be too noticeable.

Elevating the curves would be more appropriate for MTH ScaleTrax, if you can buy it.

Andrew

So basically the overall consensus is that they look good and help in fast running.  

I like the cosmetic look of super elevated curves, but, to me, that would be the only appeal of elevating the curves.  

I understand that there is a benefit when fast running, but I think model trains going fast just does not look realistic.  Layouts are just too small to have them going fast.   

BobbyD posted:

Putting some curved switches in, so how do you super elevate track where there is a crossover? Both tracks are on the same piece of wood.

I want to superelevate as well, but one of my curves on the loop has a curved switch in it, and both curves end into a switch, so I couldn't do a lead out.  Oh well, that's part of the design tradeoff I went with to get a track plan to suit my tastes.

sinclair posted:

BobbyD posted:

Putting some curved switches in, so how do you super elevate track where there is a crossover? Both tracks are on the same piece of wood.

I want to superelevate as well, but one of my curves on the loop has a curved switch in it, and both curves end into a switch, so I couldn't do a lead out.  Oh well, that's part of the design tradeoff I went with to get a track plan to suit my tastes.

We super-elevated the turnout along with the rest of the curve, and the tracks leading away from it.  Works great.

I'd love to, and thought of doing that, but like someone else stated, I run Atlas track, and those switches work best when flat.

When I was first building my layout many years ago I considered banking but for many of the reasons posted I thought it was not needed.  But "banking$" certainly came to mind when I realized the cost of atlas curves and flex track when expanding my layout.