^I must say Wow! again on that pic .....where can we view more of your layout Selector?
Has anyone done the maths to determine what effective radius gains are provided by increments of super elevation? For example, if you super elevate an 18" radius by 0.01" does it become 18.5" effective radius?
In North America it is measured in inches, the difference in elevation of one rail with respect to the other rail. So 4" of superelevation means the outside rail on the curve will be 4 inches higher than the inside rail. On a real railroad that is a vey simple measurement to make (just need a track level and a ruler) and understand. For model railroad you just put the equivalent of a couple inches (a couple hundredths of an inch in HO) of something under the outside ends of the ties or the outside rail and you can simulate superelevation. Its purely for looks. If you go too far with it you will shift the center of gravity away from the center of the track and increase the probability of tipping over.Also, how is super elevation typically measured? Seems to me it would make sense to measure it in % of grade so that it can be transitioned between scales and gauges. But maybe that makes it too difficult.
It has no effect on radius whatsoever. The purpose of superelevation is, just like banking a race car track, to counter centripidal/centrifical forces of an object traveling a curved path, to reduce the tipping forces.
On a model railroad the speeds are normally so slow that it makes no practical difference. It is purely done because it looks good, it looks like the prototype.
In North America it is measured in inches, the difference in elevation of one rail with respect to the other rail. So 4" of superelevation means the outside rail on the curve will be 4 inches higher than the inside rail. On a real railroad that is a vey simple measurement to make (just need a track level and a ruler) and understand. For model railroad you just put the equivalent of a couple inches (a couple hundredths of an inch in HO) of something under the outside ends of the ties or the outside rail and you can simulate superelevation. Its purely for looks. If you go too far with it you will shift the center of gravity away from the center of the track and increase the probability of tipping over.
Technically, by banking the track, aren't you taking the horizontal curve of the track and changing some small component of it to what would be perceived as vertical by the train?
This is difficult to explain, so let me use the extreme. If you had a train that wouldn't fall off the rails and banked the track 90 degrees, the train would not perceive any radius at all, just an increasing grade.
So wouldn't a small amount of bank have a very small (and probably insignificant) similar effect?
Please note that I'm acknowleding the effect would probably not be significant enough to make a difference. I just want to know if it is in fact happening, even at a very small level.
Technically, by banking the track, aren't you taking the horizontal curve of the track and changing some small component of it to what would be perceived as vertical by the train?
This is difficult to explain, so let me use the extreme. If you had a train that wouldn't fall off the rails and banked the track 90 degrees, the train would not perceive any radius at all, just an increasing grade.
And that would be the ONLY change in radius if you maintained the radius of the inside rail while rotating the outside rail up.Also, when tracks are super-elevated, they don't also rise in unison. The difference in elevation is imparted only to the outer rail.