Hi Janne,

I have a spiral of R1 curves in a mountain section that has a incline of about 4.5% All my loco's can climb this with out wheel spin.
I have a BR50, BR41 & 85's that do this with ease. Even my BR 86 that only has one axle powered climbs this easily.
All my V160 & V200 loco's have no trouble either. All are able to pull a good rake of wagons up this incline.
Any wheel slip has been atributed to worn/loose tyres.
I think I am close to the limit, but it is really what you can get away with, and some loco's just have better traction than others.
May be 5% incline could be the max.

Cheers,
Brian.

Hi!
I think the answer depends a lot on how we define "most Märklin locomotives".
Some coaches are more demanding than other coaches (e.g. tin-plate vs. plastic) and it depends on the configuration (I remember a club meeting when someone brought Märklin IC coaches - each with light, each with centre rail slider, resulting in a very demanding train).

In real life, the maximum a loco can haul depends on the incline. Same for model trains.
You cannot have prototypical trains with 12+ four-axle coaches if you have an incline of 7 % (even though 2 or 3 coaches will work with many locos).

A new Märklin DHG 500 with only one powered axle may give little fun on a layout with 7 % inclines, an older DHG 500 with three powered axles and two traction tires should be able to handle one or two freight cars.

Knowing loco weight and tractive effort, it is possible to calculate how many axles it can haul at which incline.

I like long trains. I'm afraid 5 % will be way too steep for the trains I would like to run.

"The grade is 5%"

This quote is from the Marklin catalogue from 1987/88. At page 156 and 157 there are diagrams for M track for steam and diesel locomotives, M track for electric locomotives with catenary, K track for steam and diesel, and K track for electric locomotives with catenary.

For M track they suggest a minimum clearance of 104.5 mm. To allow for the masts I went to 115 mm clearance. To reach the 104.5 clearance they suggest using 15 of the 18 cm long track sections. Please do not ask me to do the maths to see if this amounts to a 5% grade. (For good reason I am not an accountant).

The Italian Marklin Club on their M track display at the treff have a brilliant solution to lowering the bridge clearance. They mount the first mast on about 1 cm of wood. The pantograph is lower and picks up the catenary. The next mast is attached to the track, normal fashion. There is no snagging by the pantograph.

Some additional factors. The catalogue suggests you start with 2.5 mm for the first section of track, 5.5 mm for the second, 11.5 for the third, and 20.5 mm for the fourth. The grade must be decreased at the beginning and end of the climb. The first pillar should be on a strait section of track. Starting a climb on a curve apparently is too much of a challenge. (No, I did not check the maths, see above for reason)

I found most locomotives have no trouble. The old analogues slow down going up, and race going down. New digital locomotives have a constant speed.

I usually pull five to six passenger coaches, one old tin plate consist has four pick up shoes for lighting. That does not present a problem.

The problem locomotives are the Kittle, and the new 24 class. They tend to slip. The 24 needs a good run, and sometimes a helping hand with four coaches.

Hope this helps.