# Curved track grade equivalent



## gwscheil (Aug 6, 2008)

Does anyone know what, say a 5 ft radius curve is equal compared to a x% uphill grade? I have seen that fact printed many places, but never saw a chart that lets me estimate how hard my engines (mostly live steam) will have work.


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

by trial and error i came to the result, that R1 (2ft radius) curves "equal" more or less 1.5% of grade.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

From a U.S. Army document:

Publication Number: *EM 1110-3-152*
Title: *Engineering and Design - Railroads - Mobilization Construction *
Proponent: *CEMP-ET*
Publication Date: *09 April 1984*
Distribution Restriction Statement: *Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. *


http://140.194.76.129/publications/...52/c-3.pdf

on page 3-2, paragraph 3-3 a. reads in part:

a . Compensating grades for curvature . Maximum grades on access lines will be compensated 0 .04 percent per degree of curvature.

To see the whole document:

http://140.194.76.129/publications/...110-3-152/

What the document means is that you add .04 percent to the measured grade for each degree of curvature. 

e.g.: 3-degree curve on a 1-percent grade equals an equivalent grade of 1.12 percent.


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