by MOVERB
Can someone give me the rule of thumb for building elevated track. How many feet per inch etc. If i want to get 4 inches to the next level how far back to I need to start elevating track...
Try a grade of no more than 1/2 inch of elevation in 12 inches. You will also need some track space for transition from level to ramped. This is where you would gently inverse arc the track a couple of feet before the ramped portion and arc it to level for a few sections after the ramp. You will have some 8 ft for your 4-inch elevation, plus two ft at the bottom and two ft at the top, for a total of 12 feet.
Also, for the climbing (upward) track, avoid "super elevation," which is where the ramped portion is on curved track. Otherwise the engine will (and did!) pull the cars right off the rails.
This worked years ago for my Lionel 2243 dual-motored AA engine set hauling three Santa Fe “Indian Falls” type O-Gauge passenger cars. The train ran in one direction only. Straight track was used for the climbing track, and U-shaped track was used for the return (downward) track. The climbing track was electrically sectioned off from the rest at a fixed 20V, and the return track was electrically sectioned at a fixed value of 8 volts or so, cut down from 20V by a slide variable resistor from Lionel (haven’t seen one in a long time though). The power supply was a Lionel KW transformer, which had a 20V fixed lead built in. The layout fit on two 4 by 8 sheets of plywood, arranged in an L shape.