# Rack Section



## Leonard (Feb 26, 2008)

Hi, having not run a train for some time having moved home a few times, I am now laying some track  I have a Zugspitzbahn set and intend to clime the railway some 2 feet using a rack section sounds easy!

LGB recommend using short track sections and curve the track at each joint to achieve a transition from level to slope I think this will look somewhat jerky and am thinking of trying to bend a length of track to achieve a smooth and gradual transition BUT the rail section is very strong I've tried brute force and only succeeded in breaking the track.

Has anyone done this successfully before? Or has anyone any ideas how to achieve this?

Thanks in advance


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I used to have a rack spur on my layout in Colorado many years ago. I used LGB 1015 for the transition at the base of the incline. As I recall I had 3 or 4 pieces. This gave me the angle I needed with each joint not being that sharp. I never noticed the any jerky action and visitors never commented. The upper terminal was a gradual change in grade so I used 1000 sections.

What will be jerky is when the engine goes from non cog track to track with the cog. That is an abrupt bump. I solved that problem by beveling the transition. I tapered the first inch or so of the cog strip. I did that at both ends. That gave a smooth transition.

I powered the engine from an overhead wire. I used the LGB trolly poles and wire. Not the more expensive mainline catenary.

I always float my track on ballast, but I had to secure the track on the incline because of the added stresses. It tended to wander more than I liked.

Chuck

I don't have any good pictures of the the transition at the bottom of the incline, but here are some that show it, sort of.

You can see some of the track starting up on the right side of the picture.










You can also see it here. The cog connected to two levels of the layout.










With the rack, the cog locomotive can really plow the snow.


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## Leonard (Feb 26, 2008)

Thanks Chuck, I'll give it a try and post some pictures


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Chuck do you have any video of your cog train. Pete


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Unfortunately, I don't. It was dismantled in 1993 when we moved to Virginia. 

Chuck


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

It was chucks layout that inspired my own rac ventures, especial;lly that pic with the rack plowing the curve-thank you chuck!

Tapering the rack is a great idea. 


Let me add my own comments fwiw
1 use hot water and gloves to snap these tough but brittle sections togethter -dip the open end in hot water.
2 use plenty of center in-tie rack clips on curves. In heat, or with weight, they will otherwise shift 

3 use a long lead in and lead out sections before and after the grade, like the length of the train! -this will also help smoothing transition. Hopefully you wont have as much drag or buff against the cogs in doing so. Slow approach speeds help a lot.

4 graphite powder on the rack rail only helps a lot-never oil or grease.

5 lighter loads OR lesser grades make for fewer problems. Rack axels are , i understand, difficult to obtain. Ie more stress more wear. Drama is great, but will cause more issue.

6 Try to keep curves off grade, and, if on grade, it must be flat side to side.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Steve

I'm glad I was able to get you started on your rack. Any pictures?

With the ends of the rack tapered, I never thought that I needed to use graphite, but it is a good idea.

Chuck

I strongly agree about light loads. From what I have heard the gears are the weak link in the system. I never push more than two LGB coaches up the incline. These were the two axle coaches that came in many different versions.

So much for my memory. The picture I have shows that there were 3 coaches in the consist, They did have plastic wheels.

As you can see I did have the rack and curve on the grade and the engine was getting power from the overhead.










Here is the upper end of the cog point to point. I had European trains on the upper level and Colorado Narrow gauge on the lower. 

The cog train was the Trans-Atlantic express.










I usually pushed the train up the grade, but for this photo-op it pulled the coaches up.


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## Leonard (Feb 26, 2008)

Hi,

Nice pictures there Chuck.

Laid the bottom of the incline on Monday and there seems to be a nice transition form level. Sorry should have taken some pictures will take and post some ASAP.

Just need to sort the transition back to level at the top end.......

Not sure yet weather to power the rack analogue and use a shuttle unit or weather to use DCC from the main line (if that is possible)


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

deleted duplicate post


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I used straight analog DC power. For the reversing control I had a unit that was made in the 1980s by PH hobbies, long out of business. It had an adjustable timing circuit for reversing the polarity to the track, or in this case one rail and the overhead trolley line. LGB made a similar unit and I believe that there are others that are being currently being made. It was simple and straight forward. There was a diode across a gap where I wanted the engine to stop. I also put a 10 ohm resistor across another gap a couple of feet in front of the diode. This reduced the speed of the engine by about half, preventing a sudden stop at the diode.

After about thirty-five years in the hobby I am still using analog DC. I have some engines that are battery powered, but that is mainly for visiting other layouts without any form of track power. On my mainline I have a 24v power supply. Between the power supply and the track is a remote control unit for speed, direction, start and stop. It is a Bridgewerks UR-15. This system is simple and straight forward and I don't have to add anything to the engines.

I used a separate power supply for the rack P to P. I wanted a lower constant voltage, rather that powering it from the mainline on which I varied the speed and direction.

I wanted to set it and forget it. Let it run automatically in the background.

Chuck

I just realized that the last picture is a posed picture. The overhead wire ends between the first and second car.


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

Chuck no pics right now, other than these old temp ones several years back shortly after a major house and kitchen remodel-I had not had trains for a year, garden and layout had been ....fenced, dug up and trampled. so once over, I played like a kid and set up this, just about early December.

As things have it, once again my garden is in transition, this time enlarging the area I use for my trains. My yard is sloped, as I recall was yours, so I am building a stone retaining wall, and 3ft+ of fill, and irrigation and electrical, and eventually trees and some largish rocks ......oy..... for an area about 30x50. 

These old pics seem a rather tame incline on first glance, yet they were not and I well recall how much the cars 'weighed' on the incline...really took a shove to move them up or keep them from rocketing down. This is when I learned to extend the lead in and out racks, as the train will shove the loco a lot if still on the incline even if the loco is not.

I still have the original Garden Railways with your garden set gracing the cover-being a Gemini myself, I loved the half euro half western concept.....I had always thought of a through the looking glass tunnel......from the land of hot dogs to the land of schnitzel while riding in the dark.LOL

*Leonard*, LGB makes a rather nice, but usually pricey DC analog shuttle 10340. what makes it worthwhile to me, is not only being able to time the stop, but most importantly , gradual and adjustable acceleration and deceleration. you might get lucky as did I and find one used, and priced like the earlier version, ie about 70 dollars.

it is, btw, distinguishable from the earlier LGB unit, not only by catalog number but by the presence of two potentiometer dials or wheels on the underside of the stop block-one for time, one for accel/decal. I have used mine from time to time with trolleys and its really nice not to see the sudden 30-0 mph.

As I recall too, I had just found an old stock Madulain (Susch) station at a great price , as well as this little red rack I had just gotten from flea bay-a flood victim I reconditioned. (I had the blue and white version and one coach for years, and suddenly hoarded rack stuff, as this was the time LGB had gone broke, so ......more red boxes on the pile in the dungeons LOL) and felt the need to go swiss for a few days on this folley. 

I painted the walls btw as the originals were a very uninteresting and noncontrasting pale cream and I prefer the ochre.


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

not sure if its ascending or descending. one thing is certain, this train is using double hooks! essential with rack operation.


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

The best LGB rack loco, looks wise, at least, imho. However it is a bit more fussy about track work and transitions. There is no way I think I could ever run on an incline, more than 2 of this size coach, and likely only one. At some point the pressure /weight will shove loop over loop and cars will not track well.


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

Red rack loco, but with lgb flatiron style plow. works moderately well. The LGB Schoema style powered plow is better for shoving snow, but way too heavy to push up any incline without real potential damage imho.


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)




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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Steve

Thanks for the pictures! 

I think that a rack adds to a railroad, it is different and not seen very often. I don't have any relief in the yard, let alone in the layout.

Glad you enjoy the GARDEN RAILWAYS article.

Chuck

After we moved to Virginia, where I worked at the USGS, we had a Christmas train show in the auditorium. The center of the auditorium was a large "G" layout. We had several loops running and a friend built a incline that we placed in the center. By that time I had the steamer rack loco. We ran both, steam and electric, on the incline. I didn't notice any difference between the two engines.

Dr and Mrs Rivet were responsible for our agency having a very well received, by the local community, event. Unfortunately, 9/11 ended it. Building security prevented any further shows. It was great outreach for the agency while it lasted.


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

A used LGB 2046 hooked me on Rack Locos.

As I recall, it did not have much traction on level track (without the rack rail) but I may be mistaken.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I just talked to Dr. Rivet, it looks like there aren't any photos of the rack at the Geological Survey's Christmas show. The rack took tourists up to an overlook that had a great view of an active volcano. The volcano seamed to erupt on a regular basis. It seems like every time someone dropped some dry ice in the throat, we got a big eruption of steam. 

Long live science for fun!

Chuck


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## Leonard (Feb 26, 2008)

Hi

As promised firstly the station area in front of the shed, final ballast will be finer scale.




And the lower end of the incline after wandering under the laurel




Plank for bridge deck is to be replaced. Then the top end will take the line up onto the lawn to link up with (the yet to be laid) mainline

Nice pictures BTW Steve like the snow plough on the box cab, I have a basic shuttle unit and was thinking of using resistors in the track to smooth the starting and stopping. 

Weekend jobs (weather permitting) new bridge deck, lay track up onto lawn and source some ballast. Maybe even get some wiring done!


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Leonard

Nice start. Keep posting pictures of your progress.

Chuck


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

This may help:

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/jerrymccolgan/LGB/Rack Railroading.pdf

These are currently in limited supply:

• 10210 Cog Rack, 300 mm, 12 pack
• 10220 Cog Rack Holder, 24 pack

Jerry


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry

Thanks for the link. That confirms what the rest of us have said.

Chuck


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

chuck n said:


> Jerry
> 
> Thanks for the link. That confirms what the rest of us have said.
> 
> Chuck


Chuck,

Yes it does. I just ran across that as I was looking for some guidelines for myself. I was not suggesting that there was anything wrong with what had been posted. It has been many years since I built anything with rack rails.

Jerry


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