Superelevated Headache

[SMMDigital]

I'm having problems with banking curves. I use the easement tool, get a nice curve, and check the superelevation box in the pullout, and the curve banks. I get a good transition on the "exit" end of the curve, but can't get a transition without visible breaks in the rails on the "lead" end of the curve. The first SE curve I made came out perfect, so im not understanding what has changes. Ive seen all the vids and read most of the posts pertaining to this subject.

Anyone have any tips or special techniques that you use to get superelevation?

[krellnut]

I made a test track with lots of curves using the easement tool, then using the select tool dragged it almost around the whole track, and then clicked the elevation box. It made perfect entry and exit curves. I didn't know how the super elevation worked, so I tried this method, and it worked great.

[Kali]

Yeah, I would apply SE all the way to ( and down a bit of ) the preceding track. It won't add cant to straight track anyway.

[SMMDigital]

Your assumption is wrong. Superelevation does affect the previous straight section -it's a slight warping, and if you are at the track joint between the straight and the curve when you click the SE checkbox, you can see it happen.

The solution was simple. I was trying to lay double-track with the easement tool, and noticed on the lead end that one of the tracks made a smooth transition between the straight and the curve, while the other had a red triangle between the straight and curve. This is where the problem was. The track with the triangle would have a broken transition with SE checked, while the other would not superelevate at all. I deleted all this, laid a single track with easements, then laid second track using the offset tool. After joining and welding everything up on the second track, the superelevation worked fine for both tracks.

What I still don't get is why this worked on the first double-track curve that I made without having to use the above procedure, but not on the second... Add one more to the ever growing quirk list.

[Kali]

I have no idea how you ran into that problem - I laid an entire double track test route with various curves and joins to see what worked and didn't when it arrived, and had joins all over the place ( especially trying to connect two curves made with easements coming from opposite directions... ). Smooth transitions all round, except when I messed with the SE transition settings. ( ie, not an assumption ). What is an assumption is that I assume that is how easements are easing, by blending the cant into the previous segment.

If I can ever get home today I'll go poke at the test track again.