Lionel postwar track elevation question

Jerry,

   There was a post in the last few months where one creative guy combined 2 Lionel trestles with extra cross bracing and painted it all a dark color like black or brown. It gave the Lionel trestle a nice realistic look.

   In general, you can try by trial and error to see what looks acceptable. I had a layout a few years ago that I tried to calculate the grade using a scale ruler...using your own judgment comes out just as well in most cases.

Tom 

3% would be 0.36" per foot.  2.5% would be 0.3" per foot. Grade would be a little longer than these numbers indicate due to transition in and out of the of the grade. 

Thanks for your help. What would the maximum grade be for traditional postwar Lionel and some of the larger new Lionel legacy type engines?

This will vary a lot depending on the loco (Magne-traction or not, in particular) and the weight and rolling characteristics of the cars. Postwar Lionel wheels sets are not particularly free-rolling and some of the old cars are quite heavy.

You best bet is to do tests with your own equipment to see what works, before committing to a standard for a permanent layout. With smaller up-and-over layouts it can be tedious to control the speed for upgrade and downgrade.

I've tested my Postwar Lionel #2343  F3 set (dual motor Magnetraction in one unit) with about 10 cars on an 8% grade. It can haul it, but probably not what you want for regular operation. However I did build 30+ feet of 8% grade to connect my floor layout with a table layout. Magne-Traction locos can handle shorter trains on this. Locos with traction tires can potentially burn up motors as mentioned in the recent Christmas tree layout topic. Some Postwar locos with typical spur-gears will run away on an 8% downgrade.

For most layouts, grades in the range of 2% to 4% should be manageable with good motive power. I have grades up to 5% on an HO layout operated successfully for 30+ years.

Much thanks all!!!

Jerry