How steep of grades do you have on your layout?

Also if the higher level crosses over bottom level track how high do you keep the track to allow high level cars such as auto racks and double level passenger cars under?

A simple figure eight has about a 5% grade. Way above what anybody recommends but it was necessary to clear the train going under the crossover. Most people will tell you 2% is a good goal. As to how far above the track below, that's a matter of how tall your tallest equipment will be. Too many variables to give you a solid answer, but about 5.5" is probably a good starting point, which takes about 275" of track to accomplish at a 2% grade. Most of us don't have that to work with on small layouts.

Grade is defined as rise over run.  If you need track to cross over other track, the height differential (rise) will have to be 6" MINIMUM, and you should probably plan on 6 1/2" or 7" to accommodate the thickness of the supporting roadbed, the occasional Giraffe car, etc.

The old Lionel 110 graduated trestle set created a 5% grade.  That made for a lot of "zoom-zoom" action on a 4x8 board.  Today's locos with their $^@#$%$ rubber tires and speed control could handle that 5% better than Magne-Traction ever did.  But... for the sake of appearance AND reliability, my preference would be to keep grades to 3% or less.  Anything more and you may encounter operational problems.  Besides, it just looks forced.

If you want a 6" rise, divide by three percent (0.03) and you get 200".  So your ramp track has to climb for a minimum of 16'8" before you cross over another track.  The grade isn't constant either, because the track should gradually transition from flat to sloped, and then gradually back to level at the top.  A lot of people try to cut corners by leaving out these transitions and then they have problems.  But that's part of the reason you have to allow so much space. 

One popular place to put a ramp track like this is along the outer edges of the layout.  Most people don't have that kind of space to invest, but are unwilling to admit to the compromise.  So there are a lot of "roller coaster" layouts in the world with operating problems just for the sake of having a second level.  It's your layout, but my advice is, if you can't do it right then don't do it at all!

If you feel like you want to "go for it" and try a 5% grade, then that is 1/2 inch of rise for every 10 inches of horizontal length.

Or, for a 2.5% grade, that would be 1/4  inch for every 10 inches of length.

1.5% on the main; 2% on the mountain branch; 3% on the On30.

Our layout has about a 4% grade to the upper level. It works for us. 

If you can split the diff by lowering the main, ex. 3" top 3" bottom.

My layout is a two lap over and under with 054 curves.  The grade both directions is 4%.  That was necessary to provide ample space for level passing sidings and spurs at the top and bottom on an 11'x8' layout.  Of course on a rather small layout short trains are the norm.  It works fine with all my engines.  I would have gone with 3% or 2% if I had more space for the layout.

I have 3% grades with 6" elevation. I won't be running any double stacks or other high cars.

8 to 10 percent  grade going down to the car float. 2 &1/2 inch drop over a 24 inch run. Locomotives with coil couplers have no problem, same with most 40 foot cars, although sometimes a thumbtack will hit the center rail.

These are pics of my old layout.  It was 12' wide at the point the pics were taken.  The grade was about 6.5% and went from 0 to 6.75"  (top of the rails) and my railking steamers had no problem pulling up to 10 cars up it (that was the limit of the reverse loop on the top level) even at 10 scale mph.  Personally, I think a lot of the criticisms regarding steep grades, especially on small layouts, are unfounded:

-Greg

My current grade is all 0% and the only way to expand is to go up.

Charlie

@Greg Houser Very nice track plan!!

It's hard to tell from your photos but here's my take...  your climb starts at the switch on the near side.  It continues around a half-circle of what I'm guessing is O54.  That's 85".  Then it continues for about seven feet along the back straightaway, another 84".  The climb might even continue around the curve at the top, but by this time you're high enough to cross over the surface track.  Either way you're climbing 6.75" in 169" or more, that works out to a little less than 4%.  I'm not sure how you calculated 6.5%.  With 6.5% you would definitely get into trouble.  Besides, it just wouldn't look very train-like.

I also noticed that your locos are all RailKing PS2s or PS3s.  With low gear ratios and highly functional speed control these are pretty much among the best-running traditionally sized steam locos ever made.  With 10 cars you're still straining the motors and at risk of shedding rubber tires.  That layout would be a real challenge or impossible to run with postwar steam, or pretty much any locos not equipped with speed control.

Sometimes you can "split the difference" by lowering the mainline, but the relationships are all relative.  This doesn't change the length or steepness of the grade.  Usually the limiting factor is finding a long track that's free of switches, that also doesn't interfere with your reach to other parts of the layout.  Greg's layout is a good example, the climb begins gradually right after the switch and goes along the back wall.  Unless your trackwork is absolutely perfect, you NEVER want to put a switch on the grade!

I eased by grade: 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 6%, 4%, 2%. over 12 curved feet.

Mine is 1.6% with easements into and out of each rise.

My mainline is 1% max, short mining line is maybe 3% or a little less. If you do more it starts looking like a toy train. Nothing wrong with a toy train layout but it's not my goal. Don

2.25% with max elevation difference of 11 inches.

4% on mine.  I could not go lower because of limited layout space. Transitioning the grade, even if only for a short distance, is important. When I started, i tested a 0% to 4% sudden rise and found that longer engines would hit that grade, would begin the rise, and a set of traction tires were lifted slightly off the track, resulting in a stall.

@scale rail posted:

My mainline is 1% max, short mining line is maybe 3% or a little less. If you do more it starts looking like a toy train. Nothing wrong with a toy train layout but it's not my goal. Don

Don, I've seen bits and pieces of this layout. Have you done a video or have images of the larger layout? I've looked but not found.  I assume this is the one in the islands. Jeff

Regarding elevation - like most I started with a layout on a flat board and kept changing the layout to make it do what I wanted. I found I had to stop thinking 2D space (flat) and think 3D (planes). How do you get a 6 inch vertical with a 3% grade when you don't have the needed 200 inches? If one track goes down and the other up, you can get the needed vertical in half the distance 100 which is what I did on my 9 x 13. Only my Ross crossover is "flat" or "level" all of my other switches are on some sort of grade, but they are on a "plane".  The tracks either rise or decline exiting the switch.  The thing that is important is that for a switch the straight section and the turnout section is on the same plane. So if you were to take any "flat" layout and elevate one end, its "plane" angle has changed, then raise the end (legs) by enough over a 6% grade and bad things would probably happen. Hmm layout is still flat but its not level.     Jeff

Note: the bridge at the left side is actually positioned 18 inches "down" from the drawing. I needed distance to make the green/blue switch work properly. It also does not have the 6 inch clearance I was looking for - none of my MTH premier stacks would clear. Scale Lionels need about 5 1/4" and the scale K-lines need 5" - those work great. 

Scale Rail,

Your layout scenery is incredible,  original, startling and even disturbing.  What is the theme please? Is this an old abandoned West Virginia coal mining town?  In places, I originally thought it was intended as a post WWII bombed out French or Italian city.

Can't imagine how long your runs are to get the trains up that high on just a 1% grade.

2% maximum, current draw at this grade for a Williams GP-9 with two DC Motors is 2.0 - 2.4 Amps for an 18 car train. 

This hump is 16' long and rises to 7 1/2" in the middle. Visionline big boy has no issues climbing it but wont hold a constant speed going down. picks up a lot of speed. It appears the cruise shuts off when going downhill. Cruise control picks up again at the bottom of the hill. MTH locos hold constant speed both up and down.

@jini5 posted:

This hump is 16' long and rises to 7 1/2" in the middle. Visionline big boy has no issues climbing it but wont hold a constant speed going down. picks up a lot of speed. It appears the cruise shuts off when going downhill. Cruise control picks up again at the bottom of the hill. MTH locos hold constant speed both up and down.

So basically your track climbs 7.5" in eight feet (96"), or an 8% grade.

The larger Legacy steam locos have back-drivable gears.  That's a good thing, because most of the time they operate and coast with a sense of mass like a real train, and less like a robot that's being controlled by software.  The circuitry COULD be programmed to provide resistance braking from the motor on downhills; apparently it's not.  Or perhaps the 8% that you have is much steeper than what the designers envisioned. 

I've experienced "bucking" (lurching) from MTH steam locos, and especially their dual-motored diesels on a shallow (<1%) downgrade, because the PS2 kept trying to reduce speed just as the worm gear was engaging the next tooth of the worm wheel.  I don't think there's anything wrong with your Big Boy.  IMO you would get the smoothest, most realistic operation from a Legacy loco on a more modest grade of less than 4%.

I am running roughly 2% grade. Woodland Scenics has a posting on their website a chart on grades. I climbed 5 inches in 16 feet using green installation foam. I cut the foam length wise 0 - 2.5 inches and 2.5 - 5 inches.