RR guys.....Spiral Curves.....

[mrvette]

My son is still studying for his surveyors license out in Ca.....and so I was talking to him just now....and one of the math parts he dunno much on has to do with RailRoad curves and how they are designed....

seems to me it would be similar to a NASCAR track....NO???

same theory, anyway.....

not that I know shit about Trig/Calc etc.....E=IR P=IsqR is far as I got....

interesting part of the conversation, anyway.....


My grandson is in pre-screwal, and knows some math and spelling alphabet already.....

[Stevedore]

A railway transition curve "eases" you into a turn, rather than going immediately into the final radius of a bend. If you go from straight track into a fixed radius track (like with most model railroad track) you feel a "jerk" to one side. With a railway transition curve, which can be mathematically described as causing linearly increasing centripetal acceleration, you feel more of a gradual increase in sideways force. Makes it easier to avoid spilling your drink.

[mrvette]

Some 30 years ago, I had a model RR Lionel setup in the garage, and so used to fiddle with trackage to get the speeds up.....even laid Gargraves/Flex track so to incline the curves....had that GG1 scale loco hauling serious ass round that table......

BUT I had no clue about how the real guys did it.....

[DAB]

laying out a curve/circle is easy if you can stand at the center. the trick is to lay it our standing on the circle itself.

start here, go X feet forward, turn Y degrees, go X feet forward....wash, rinse, repeat.

[Mike Mercury]

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Mike Mercury

OK, what that about.....???

[DAB]

Originally Posted by mrvette

OK, what that about.....???

that's so the train will jump over the fire hose and not cut the hose in half while the fire fighters put out the fire on the other side of the track.

[Milton Fox]

modern day real railroad super elevated transitional spirals are not the same as model rail roading curved track pieces (or flex track)

http://trn.trains.com/railroads/abcs...des-and-curves

[Loco Vette]

Originally Posted by Stevedore

A railway transition curve "eases" you into a turn, rather than going immediately into the final radius of a bend. If you go from straight track into a fixed radius track (like with most model railroad track) you feel a "jerk" to one side. With a railway transition curve, which can be mathematically described as causing linearly increasing centripetal acceleration, you feel more of a gradual increase in sideways force. Makes it easier to avoid spilling your drink.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by DAB

that's so the train will jump over the fire hose and not cut the hose in half while the fire fighters put out the fire on the other side of the track.

Get a mile long freight like passes through here, and that stuff is cut up but good, I can't see it surviving a couple of Locos'......the damn flanges alone cut it to bits, much less the surfaces crush it.....

[DAB]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Get a mile long freight like passes through here, and that stuff is cut up but good, I can't see it surviving a couple of Locos'......the damn flanges alone cut it to bits, much less the surfaces crush it.....

c'mon Gene, those are "heavy duty" hose guards, they'll work just great.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by DAB

c'mon Gene, those are "heavy duty" hose guards, they'll work just great.

WATT they made of.......??? Polycan'tpronounceit???? 50+ mph and 100 billion pounds with razor sharp flanges, that that red plastic shit don't cut???

yeh, right......

[DAB]

Originally Posted by mrvette

WATT they made of.......??? Polycan'tpronounceit???? 50+ mph and 100 billion pounds with razor sharp flanges, that that red plastic shit don't cut???

yeh, right......

modern trains have highly advanced suspensions, they are designed to go over small obstacles such as hose ramps like this. it keeps the train moving on schedule and keeps derailments to a minimum. really.

just ask Val ( #Locovette )

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by DAB

modern trains have highly advanced suspensions, they are designed to go over small obstacles such as hose ramps like this. it keeps the train moving on schedule and keeps derailments to a minimum. really.

just ask Val ( #Locovette )

YEH, rite, 50 billion pounds on the loco, even a GG1 at 4-6-6-4 much less them new diesel set ups.....right, suspension....soft ride.....uhhhh hugghhhhh


designed to cut through anything in the way, including Florida OAK trees.....

[markids77]

Apparently a lot of highway engineers used to work for the railroad. I never understood why on ramps turn slowly where the car will be moving slowly and decrease in radius just when you should be accelerating hardest to merge with traffic. Fun in a performance car, downright dangerous if you are stuck behind a dump truck or 18 wheeler.

[erickpl]

[Loco Vette]

Originally Posted by DAB

modern trains have highly advanced suspensions, they are designed to go over small obstacles such as hose ramps like this. it keeps the train moving on schedule and keeps derailments to a minimum. really.

just ask Val ( #Locovette )

This, however, did just come out of our paint booth this week. Good looking locomotive if you ask me!

More info available for the curious at www.goklw.com

[snide]

Originally Posted by Loco Vette

This, however, did just come out of our paint booth this week. Good looking locomotive if you ask me!

More info available for the curious at www.goklw.com

Sooooo, how you going to drive that back to Komifornia?

[Milton Fox]

....Brusio, Switzerland

[mrvette]

Gotta LOVE the engineering on those round abouts there above......much less the construction crews.....

then the balls of the drivers following what HAS to look like a certain death track to the lead loco.....