Our club is building a new portable and will be building a lift bridge to get in and out of the centre. The question is what should the clearances be. At this point 4" from the centre of the track but height is the big question.
The tallest things I have encountered is the USAT double stacks, and the top of the balloon stack on my Bachmann 2 truck shay.
Greg
OK Greg, so what are the numbers?
Dan Pantages said:
OK Greg, so what are the numbers?
On behalf of Greg E. (who had sold me his Intermodal cars) see example measurement in below illustration:
-Ted
Another tall car to consider is the USA Trains Auto Carrier. Its length can be an issue, too, especially on curves and curved approaches to a bridge - measurements illustrated below.
-Ted
Dan Pantages said:
Our club is building a new portable and will be building a lift bridge to get in and out of the centre. The question is what should the clearances be. At this point 4" from the centre of the track but height is the big question.
Dan,
I guess it all depends on what you plan on running and the look you are after. I personally would go 12" on the height as you never know.
i made my trussbridge 9" high from the railhead.
but i’m not planning on running big or modern stuff.
Dan, I no longer have the intermodals (as Ted said) and the Bachmann. I seem to remember 10" from the rail head was good for pretty much everything, but maybe someone with a shay will confirm. I was trying to be helpful, and would have posted the numbers if I had the stuff on hand, of course.
Greg
Nico, Is that a stand-up desk mechanism?
No problem Greg, I just wasn’t sure of your answer. I don’t have numbers but I have been told that 4-4-0’s as in back in 1800’s models are some of the tallest at their stacks. I think we’re going for 11" from the rail head, width of 4" from track centre.
Nico, I love your bridge but for our portable it’s too slow.
My 1:20.3 Pagosa combine, based on a full length AMS J&S car, when finished will top out at 10" in height from road bed to top of the lantern. There is always that freak bit of kit, isn’t there ? There are a number of lines in my 16 mm NGM group in the UK I cannot run my D&RGW stock on as they don’t have the clearances for the caboose and combines’ stove chimneys and the loco’s whistle.
Don’t forget the width clearances with potential users in mind - are the approaches on a straight long enough to accommodate the longest car/loco in a consist or will the loco and stock still be rounding a bend when it meets the bridge’s structure ? So what will the stock’s overhangs at the entrance to the bridge be at the ends and between the bogies if a curved approach ? Add a little bit extra and more, as I said there is always that unexpectedly large item. Nearly tore off the sunblinds on a Bachmann Fn3 K-27 on my then installed LGB girder bridge first time I ran it - forgot the curved approach. I now use bridges with low side rails with the load bearing structures under the road bed.
My widest car is the Aristocraft snowplow. So, width can be as important as height. I use 10 inches from the rail head on my RR.
My tallest units are the LGB bear trap mogul and the LGB pustfix bubble car as the wizard on top is very tall.
PS, I do not run anything larger than 1.22.5.
What clearances would you use for SE (7/8 scale [1:13] ? My club (NEFLSI) is in progress of building a new elevated railroad and we want it compatible with this big stuff.
From what “Limited experience” I’ve had; I would suggest taking all MAXIMUM clearances offered by others, and adding an inch in all directions…just to be safe, and allow visiting equipment, “Clear sailing”, as any good host should.
Fred Mills