Helix Plan

[phil euper]

I am searching for a plan of a helix that doesn't waste alot of material building it
A friend of mine indicated that there was plan in a MRR mag but didn't know the month and year it was published.
Does anyone know of such a plan?[?]

Thanks

Phil Euper

[Medina1128]

You can download Right Track free from atlasrr.com. Insert a section of 'track' using the radius of curve that you need. Set the zoom to 1 (1:1), print out the section of track to use as a template. You should be able to get enough curved sections of subroadbed from a single sheet of 4' x 8' plywood for multiple levels. If you're using a curve radius greater than 24", email me. I can scan one of the templates I have (up to 30"), you can print it out on a couple of sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 paper, cut them out, and, voila.. templates. There are a few companies that make templates out of styrene sheet. The company that I bought mine from is out of business.

[NZRMac]

A friend has built one recently, he used MDF about 20mm thick and had it machined on a cnc machine to excactly the same size as the ties on code 100 HO track, the track just sits in and can't move out of alignment. Then he just used threaded rod with penny washers and nuts to adjust the height.

Ken.

[cuyama]

Using the Index of magazines link on this very website, I'm guessing that the reference is the December 2004 issue of Railmodel Craftsman. Mike Broashear's article "Octangonal Helix" describes building a helix from linear stock cut and assembled into an octagon shape.

I remember the article and it seems like one good way to build a helix without a lot of wasted materials and while making simple (if somewhat precise) repetitive cuts.

Regards,

Byron

[Anonymous]

I recently built a six turn 32" radius helix from two sheets of 1/2 ply with material left over. The RMC method does not actually save material, rather it saves time and easy to construct because one doesn't have to make curved cuts. The drawback is that there are eight instead of four pieces to put together for each circle. The pieces for a tradional quarter turn helix are easy to lay out on the plywood using a trammel. (stick or string from the fulcrum point). Helixes are a pain to build, but not as hard as everyone makes them out to be....

[tjerrard]

N Scale
I used 1/2in 4x8 ply cut to 39in by 70in. This produced 2 half circles of 18in radius with straight sections inbetween. I cut an inner oval out of each sheet that allowed a 1 in from centreline to the inner oval cut for side clearence, outer clereance on the side straight sections was also 1in from centerline. Split each sheet (39in by 70in with oval cut out) at a convient point. 7 sections joined once per section produced a grade of less than 2% with 3in top of ply to top of ply clearance.

Tom