The simplest train elevator I've seen was made out of a large scissor jack (like the ones used to jack up trucks) and a power drill. The drill was connected to the jackscrew and had a step down transformer on the power line to keep you from elevating your train at warp speed. The drill direction was simply reversed to raise or lower it. Just drive the train on, hit the button, and drive off.....simple.
I've seen the display case elevators and those are cool, but much more complex.
Hi There;
As Lakeshore 3rd Sub said the article in 2001 MR used an elevator. I built the one pictured. I threaded an oak dowel to raise & lower the platform. I have an old car power window motor that I will probably use to replace the hand crank. I am also thinking of replacing the elevator with a helix. This is in an ajacent room so it doese'nt take away from my RR space.
Tom
I've always been interested in the display elevator at http://www.ro-ro.net/
The same idea as a train lift, but it has more levels. You can set it up so that you have visible display staging, or hide all but the top shef below layout level. I suppose you could use it to transfer trains between levels on a stacked layout as well.
A very cool idea!
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There is a company that makes "kit" helixes...
http://www.easyhelix.com
Smitty,
See if you can find a copy of Model Railroad Planning from 2001. It has a great article on train elevators by Don Smith. I base the design for my half circle elevator on the suggestions that I got from the article. My elevator is also manual and takes up an area about 52" square in HO. The straight line elevators in the article take up very little square footage.
My issue wasn't about the space that I would us, it was about having 72ft of hidden track tied up in the helix. My total main line length is only 120' without the helix so my trains would have spent over 1/3 of their time on hidden track had I put the helix in.
Just remember that a helix or elevator are going to require more maintenance to keep everything running smoothly.
Scott
GraniteRailroader wrote: cwclark wrote: A helix would be nice but they take a lot of room. About 5' x 5' or 25 sq.ft. of railroad room space minimum. The helix has to be large enough so that locomotives can pull all the rolling stock up the grade yet enough space so that the train has enough clearance to go over itself.Sorry, I don't buy into that. It's quite possible to build a helix with 12" curves in N-Scale and keep it to a ~3% grade depending on how it's built. Using threaded rod with cheap laminate as the deck and using caulk to affix the track, you can keep the height down to under a 1/5 inch. Unless you're running double stacked cargo boxes, 2" between the top of the rails and the next level is more then enough for N.
cwclark wrote: A helix would be nice but they take a lot of room. About 5' x 5' or 25 sq.ft. of railroad room space minimum. The helix has to be large enough so that locomotives can pull all the rolling stock up the grade yet enough space so that the train has enough clearance to go over itself.
A helix would be nice but they take a lot of room. About 5' x 5' or 25 sq.ft. of railroad room space minimum. The helix has to be large enough so that locomotives can pull all the rolling stock up the grade yet enough space so that the train has enough clearance to go over itself.
Sorry, I don't buy into that.
It's quite possible to build a helix with 12" curves in N-Scale and keep it to a ~3% grade depending on how it's built. Using threaded rod with cheap laminate as the deck and using caulk to affix the track, you can keep the height down to under a 1/5 inch. Unless you're running double stacked cargo boxes, 2" between the top of the rails and the next level is more then enough for N.
I suspect from the radii Smitty specified, he's in HO. And the space needed would probably be more like 6 feet square (36 sq. ft.) with those radii. In HO, you need a 3.5 inch minimum clearance, from the railhead, and 4" is better, particularly if you're running double-stacks and such.
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Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com
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"Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins
http://fhn.site90.net
Sorry for the confusion guys. I always forget to mention what scale I am in. I should just make a signature that says:
Smitty, HO modeler!!!
Oh, yeah, for HO that does seem right.
I'm stuck with a one track mind and it's in N scale
Sorry, but all of the above answers are pertaining to HO scale.....the responders might not have indicated as such. The original poster is also an HO modeler. Sorry for the confusion. In the case of HO, they are correct.
Don Z.
Research; it's not just for geeks.
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The more I think about it I feel you guys are right about the space. Maybe I will try that train elevator idea. It actually sounds easier and will take up way less space. I'll just have to have a long straightaway that I can elevate in order to get all my rolling stock up and down.
I appreciate the info.
JW, Is your elevator maual or mechanized?
Thanks, Smitty
Here's a link to some info on my own helix:
http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.com/CM%20-%20Behemoth%20Helix.htm
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Try to get in contact with Joe Fugate if you are planning a helix. He knows a lot about building helixs from experience. I wanted a helix at one time for my layout, but once i did all the math, it would have taken up over 1/4 of my layout space so i nixed that idea.
Well, if you insist, here's a helix calculator I dug up.
http://www.trainweb.org/s-trains/helix/percent_grade.htm
Is there any guidance on building a helix? I thought amybe someone could tell me where there are articles or instructions for building a helix.
Thanks