well I keep pushing on my first layout, but I’m learning a lot and deciding how I want my next one.
Im thinking i need a second level. I don’t think I have the space for a mushroom, it might be a traditional double deck layout. My basement is unfinished, so the entire layout needs to be freestanding.
Id like to model a modern Chicago suburban commuter run into the city. With the suburban terminal, a Class 1 interchange yard, a few commuter stops and control points, some industry, and the downtown station.
So... some questions:
what radius for a helix? What layout separation? My current layout is 50” tall and 22/24” radius
aisle widths?
Hi Outsailing86,
There is a helix calculator on this page that might be of use to you:
http://michiana-nmra.org/resources.html
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I don't run any modern double stack rolling stock so my vertical clearance can be less than if you run modern double stacks.
My first HO helix was 24" radius with 3.5" rail-to-rail separation built using 2 layers of glued 1/4" luann plywood. It was basically functional but not optimal by any stretch. I would not build less than 30" radius in HO scale.
My current helix is a double track with 40" and 37.5" radii and 4 1/8" rail-to-rail separation built using two layers of glued 7/16" plywood. It is 1000% reliable.
Aisle width should be as wide as possible. :)
My layout aisles are mostly 48"-50" with one 'choke' point of 30" wide on the steps going up into the center platform.
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
If I did the numbers right, your inner track grade is a mellow 1.75%
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Regarding the helix, here's a chart showing various radii and resultant grades for a 4" railhead-to-railhead separation and 20" deck separation:
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Others may disagree, but I personally wouldn’t suggest an HO multi-turn helix of less than 28” radius for long passenger cars and contemporary locos and rolling stock – maybe an inch or two less in an absolute pinch. And my experience suggests that’s at the edge of reliability, unless one is very experienced and can build to exacting tolerances.
A 28” helix plus clearance and support is probably at least 60-62” in diameter. So depending on your actual space, that’s a big percentage of your layout area. (I’m probably just dense, but it’s never been clear to me from your various threads what is the actual overall area you have available.)
In a mid-sized space, often a better approach is two tiers of tracks in a twice-around rather than full separate decks, as has been suggested in earlier threads.
Good luck with your layout,
Byron
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Byron,
my current layout is 8’x9’. I built it to Scott Perry’s Heart of Georgia. I added an L shape extension for a staging yard. I’m Conrail5086 on YouTube, I've got some update videos of my current layout. The big miss from my layout is the 12” layout doesn’t give me much for scenery.
My space is 12’x17’, and would need to access the layout somewhere on the 12’ size. My basement isn’t finished, so something like a 10’x15’ would also work.
Dan