WHAT IS A NOLIX?

[Anonymous]

[?] I have a question for anybody that I hope someone can answer. Last night I was thinking of building a upper level to my layout, I came across a article about a trackplan that instead of a helix it had a "nolix". It was one of the Late great John Armstrong plans. Does anybody know what a nolix is? Would it be just a grade up to the next level?
Thanks TrainsRMe [;)]

[Anonymous]

Yes tou are correct in that it is a constant grade around the room to gain enough elevation to get to the next level. The theory is that you see your train all the time and you don't have to waste space on a helix. Presuming you don't want to run through the same scene twice, It will take 100 feet of run to climb 2 feet at a constant 2% . Most rooms are smaller than this (minimum room size @ 25' X 25'). The other issue is that the whole bottom deck is on a grade....The nolix guys have come up with solutions (less distance between decks etc.)....I believe that Orsonroy is using the concept, maybe he will chime in here...

[pcarrell]

A nolex doesn't necessarily have to go around the walls of a room to gain it's hight. Some of the modeler's on the other side of the pond have used this same concept in much smaller spaces.

The idea here is something like a mouse going in and out of the holes in a piece of swiss cheese. The track has sharp curves and travels in and out of various tunnels all the while gaining altitude, in essence, the trains travel through the same scene several times. The whole thing takes up only a little more room then a helix but it can be far better astetically if sceniced carefully.

The main drawbacks to this, as you've probably already guessed, are the sharp curves and the problem of making it believable from a scenery standpoint. Western mountains would probably be the easiest to do scenically, maybe a city scene also, it all depends.

Hope that helps.

Philip

[Bob Hayes]

Check out the June 2004 MR page 51. Notice how the Priest's got between levels. Is this what one would call a "nolix"?

Bob Hayes

[orsonroy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by [e-mail]

[?] I have a question for anybody that I hope someone can answer. Last night I was thinking of building a upper level to my layout, I came across a article about a trackplan that instead of a helix it had a "nolix". It was one of the Late great John Armstrong plans. Does anybody know what a nolix is? Would it be just a grade up to the next level?
Thanks TrainsRMe [;)]

A "nolix" (I hate that term...) is a specific type of multileve layout, which is designed to eliminate the use of a helix to get from one level to the other, specifically by constantly rising in elevation from the start of one level to the start of the other (where they overlap).

Calling these layouts "nolixes" is a BIG misnomer. In truth, the ENTIRE layout is one big helix. I call them corkscrews, to at least TRY to better describe them to people. My home layout is a three-level corkscrew in a 12x25 space in my basement.

Multilevel layouts without a helix are NOT necessarily all corkscrews. Multilevels that use a short, steep grade to reach a second level are usually not considered corkscrews, nor are layouts that use train elevators (I suppose THOSE layout can be properly called nolixes...). Corkscrew layouts can be constructed either as a traditional shelf-type layout, or as a mushroom (which can also be built with helixes)

[orsonroy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bob Hayes

Check out the June 2004 MR page 51. Notice how the Priest's got between levels. Is this what one would call a "nolix"?

Bob Hayes

Yes. One continuous grade around the walls which forms multiple levels. Notice that they did make one big tradeoff with their Nolix, which is a big turnoff for many modelers: their train length is SHORT. Trains.com had video of their layout in action, and I compared it to the photos from the article. All mainline trains have two diesels and 12 cars.

[Anonymous]

Short train lengths on a layout are only the problem of you fellows running diesel locomotives. Us old farts that still run steam have no problem. It was a common sight to see a single locomotive struggling upgrade with 15-20 loaded cars. UP had an answer to this in Weber Canyon east of Ogden, just assign 3 Big Boys to the east bound freight, one on the point, one in the middle, one hooked in ahead of the caboose. Still, the trains were only 100 cars or so, and the run upgrade to Evanston, WY was a long, slow haul.

Can I, with tongue in cheek, suggest the answer to short trains might be to sell all your diesels and convert to steam?

Tom

[orsonroy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tpaulsen

Short train lengths on a layout are only the problem of you fellows running diesel locomotives. Us old farts that still run steam have no problem. It was a common sight to see a single locomotive struggling upgrade with 15-20 loaded cars. UP had an answer to this in Weber Canyon east of Ogden, just assign 3 Big Boys to the east bound freight, one on the point, one in the middle, one hooked in ahead of the caboose. Still, the trains were only 100 cars or so, and the run upgrade to Evanston, WY was a long, slow haul.

Can I, with tongue in cheek, suggest the answer to short trains might be to sell all your diesels and convert to steam?

Tom

What are diesels? Oh yeah, I think I own three...

MY corkscrew is completely rostered by steam. The NKP portion runs 2-8-0s, 2-8-2s, 2-8-4s, and the occasional 4-6-2. The major belt line which the NKP connects to is populated with 0-8-0s and 0-6-0s. The P&E, the NKP's major competitor and a large part of the layout, runs 0-6-0s, 2-8-2s, 4-8-2s and 4-6-2s. My live interchanges with the Rock Island, ATSF, TP&W, PRR and IC are all steam as well, and run everything from 2-8-0s to 4-8-4s. Oh yeah, the IT has a class B traction freight motor.

That said, almost all my stuff is modern plastic steam, and my uphill freights are limited to 20 cars. My brass and non-prototypic Mantua Mikes will drag up to 60 cars up my 2.25% grades, but that long a train overwhelms my layout.

[Anonymous]

If you model Eastern North America, there are alternatives to high mountains to justify such a long steep grade. One of them is the approach of a water level line to reach a high bridge over a major river with intense navigation but having too deep a bed for piles and a drawbridge in the center. We have such an example here in Québec City. The Saint-Lawrence river is encased between 250 foot high cliffs, with narrow water level grounds on each bank hosting docks and industries; but CN's Québec Bridge has a 175 clear span above high tide. The main line runs on the plateau, almost at brige level. On the north shore, a spur line descends from Sainte-Foy station, (at the bridge north entrance,) all the way down to the harbour, six miles away. It does so by a continuous grade, on almost tangent track, hugging the cliff, interpersed with rock cuts and short bridges, with lost of trees. This spur line was initailly part of the mainline of one of CN's constituent companies and it led to its downtown station. On the South Shore of the Saint-Lawrence, until 1998, CN's eastern transcontinental mainline branched off in two lines between Charny, near the Bridge, and Saint-Charles, about 15 miles to the East; freights kept on the upper line, while passenger trains went down to Lévis Station at water level and up again to Saint-Charles, a distance of almost twenty miles with tough grades, S curves, bridges, and again lots of trees. I've been to New York City a couple of times by the old NYC mainline and it is somewhat the same type of geographical configuration along the Hudson River., although the major railway brige or bridges carry diiferent railway lines than those at water level. I'm councious that a mile long bridge is out of the question on a layout, may it be in Z scale, but I think it mignt be possible to disguise your interlevel grades as though they would be the approach to a high bridge over a major river.

[wccobb]

Have seen Illinois RailNet CF7's #5 & #3 climbing out of the Illinois River Valley, headed for Zearing, with 10 - 12 loaded coil cars. Such short trains are rather common on short lines. Helixes ain't.

[dinwitty]

My plans on a shelf modular layout is something of a Nolix, I don't want hidden trackage, but I will have some track just under shelf layout level and in front of the shelf areas unscenicked to gain altitude and distance. It represents kinda an Unhidden area. "Hidden" trackage will actually be visible so you can watch the train for derailments and so on. Saves room. Since I will model N&W/Virginian, heavy grades work right in with big locos to pull heavy trains up slowly the mountains, perfect. I won't care if trackage doubles over one area to gain altitude.
Many areas will have double mainlines...2 different railroads side by side.
I don't want areas where you can't see the train. Popping in and out of tunnels is OK.