I need info on how to build a helix which would get me from one shelf to the lower. Is their a formula for the height ? I would have one on each side with a double main line.
Welcome to the forums.
you can down load this and put diferent parameters in it and it will ytell you the grade % and the height between levels.
http://www.fortunecity.com/westwood/beautiful/819/HeliCal.htm#
Cannot get the info off your response because of older windows 95 or 98.Thanks for trying
Our club layout has a rather large one. Minimum 36 inch radius, 4 tracks wide, 5-1/2 tiers, constant 2 percent grade. The easiest way to start is decide how much space you can devote to the helix. The one described is a little over 8 feet square. If you know how to figure grade percentage (one inch rise in 100 inches forward is one percent), how wide your maximum radius can be, and you can figure how high you have to climb, the figures can be put together to find out how it needs to be laid out. Assuming HO scale, you need 3 inch vertical clearance between levels, plus the thickness of your roadbed material, so this is how much climb you need to calculate for each turn of the helix. I can go into better detail if you have some more specific figures. Once this is calculated, we can get into construction techniques.
Here is a link to a page where they build a helix. You can learn a lot by searching on the net.
http://www.siliconvalleylines.org/benchwork/helix.html
I have never built a helix myself but I have learned some importent things from others mistakes.
Don’t use radius that are too small. And if you have the possibility, try to build your layout so you don’t have to use so many laps in the helix. For example: You can begin the incline long before you reach the helix.
Haven’t takled helixes yet, but you must be pretty far into the hobby if your doing a double decker. Good luck!