Measuring the photo, I make it about 2/27, or 1 in 13 ish rounding it off. Bit steep I reckon.

1 in 13 does sound too steep. You could try some haulage tests with the actual locos and stock to make sure they can cope.

What you also need to consider is the transition from level track to the incline - especially with six coupled and tender locos. I presume your locos do not have working suspension, so you'll have to make sure you don't end up with a see-saw effect at the top transition or the case where the upper part of the tender hits the cab at the bottom. Either of these is likely to reduce adhesion and cause derailments.

Dave.

Unfortunately the loco for the job is wrapped up and under the tree leaving only my black five available for a job which it will never do, along with the viaduct that sets the height from which I have to decend to the wharf.

Guess I'll just have to wait for chistmas afternoon to do some haulage tests.

The transition from top to bottom is going to be done with a single piece of track to keep it smooth

the reason for the steep slope is to keep my viaduct and tunnel mouth a reasonable distance away from each other, although I'm sure there are places, such as settle and carlisle where a tunnel ends and a moment later the train is on a viaduct or bridge.

I'm also trying to figure out if there was any coal mining in the Yorkshire Dales (wanting to call the layout 'Milliedale')

I'm just trying to blag the fact that i have a coal wharf to transfer from canal to rail but could claim it the other way round, that a canal only accessible industry is taking on coal via the canal.

Certainly 1 in 13 is far too steep. Most locos will think twice about anything steeper than 1 on 30.

Personally I try to get my gradiemts to 1 in 50 or less.

I agree, so progress is on hold until I have the viaduct built so that I have reference of how high it is.

The plan is to put the viaduct actually at water level on the layout, the wharf siding will be about platform height above the waterline (possibly more so, as I have to do something about modeling water) which will reduce the vertical distance needed to descend.

I can also look into making the main line climb slightly, but not much as there is only a short stretch between the station and the viaduct.

It'll all be figured out tomorrow when I have the viaduct built

the back up plan is, instead of having the canal come round the end of the wharf siding and the boats coming along the front of the wharf to load / unload I could make the canal turn alongside the back of the wharf siding allowing it to be longer without moving the viaduct.

Ok, the viaduct is built and going to be set slightly lower into the layout than first planned (basically, sit the legs of the viaduct under water instead of on the tow path) and have curved the canal the other way making a longer siding giving both a longer distance to set the gradient on but also slightly less vertical distance to cope with.