My plans are to construct an incline on my layout using Bemo HOm cog track, however, this got me to wondering how steep a grade or incline you might have used in your Marklin HO layouts and exists for real in non-narrow gauge express routes in Europe.

Right now I have a few grades and they are long and very gradual but I'm tempted to construct one in my Marklin HO layout that while unrealisitic would be much more challenging. It seems to me that Marklin locos could go up fairly steep grades without problems.

While an unusually steep grade for say a Swiss 460 might be totally unrealistic, I just wondered what might be possible based on your experience?

Aside from the narrow gauge like RhB, Glacier Express, etc., what is the steepest grade in Europe for express trains?

A steep grade in a real railwayline in Europe I know is the Lickey Incline, a few miles before Birmingham New Street station. It is situated on the line from Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street. The gradient is of 1:37 3/4 (2.65%), and is 2 miles long. Even today some goods trains needs banking assistence.
The Lickey Incline is the steepest grade in England.

More about the incline —> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lickey_Incline

Hi Larry,

the steepest grade I know in Europe is the Flåmsbana in Norway: 1:18 (5.5 %):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fl%C3%A5msbana

Markus

In germany the steapest grade in the real world is almost 5%.

Hi,

One of the most famous railroad grades in Germany is the "Geislinger Steige". As far as I know it is 2.5 %, and the total height difference is around 200 meters.
This is not the steepest grade, but it is on the main line between Stuttgart and Munich, and all express trains have to pass the "Steige". Usually the IC and ICE trains make not more than 80 kmh here.

Concerning M* models the "champion" of my collection is the PA-1 (37610+49610). It once managed a 23 % grade.



However, I don't think that it can pull many cars over this grade.

Hans Martin

Very good PA-1.

Using spiral tunnels most of the times indicate avoiding as much as possible steep grades. Best on to try, if you are ever in the neighbourhood —>

http://www.wutachtalbahn...lebahn/wutachtalbahn.php

A big thank you to everyone who posted to this question. I have been contemplating the ideal grade on a helix. The best from a space constraint perspective is 3% but I could modify to get down to 2.6%. Based on what I see here it should work at 3% and still pull multiple (20+) cars. I am running newer Marklin locs (Big Boy from starter set, PA-1's (double headed), and a few older F7s. I will post back (probably a year from now!) to let people know how it works in the real world (only in planning stage right now (CADRail v. 8).

Thank you Frostie - at least I am going into it eyes wide open...

In the prototypes, a 2.7% grade like the old Lotschberg ramp are a practical limit for mainline railroading in Europe. Note that the rolling resistance is higher when the wagons are in curves instead of a straight line.

In the USA, mountain grades higher than 2.3% are very rare (classic case Tehachapi), but these are very long and twisting, making necessary lots of locomotives
(typical consist in Tehachapi: 10+ 4000hp+ each diesels in 2-3 groups for 140+ wagons).

For model railroaders, for reliable operation in a helix I would advise against grades higher than 2.5% (note that there is resistance from the curves, and in a helix the resistance is becoming higher and higher as more wagons enter it).
Even better, limit yourself to 2% grades if you plan on pulling long trains without helpers.

Regards,
N.Fotis