The question is this:
On your multi deck layout at what heights did you place each level?
If you built another layout would you use the same deck spacing?
If you could what would you change or do differently?
Any major unforeseen issues arise?
Thanks for your input.
LION built three decks. Best seen here:
Top level is about 60" up, 12" wide and flush against the rear wall
Middle level is about 50" up, 16" wide and set out 5" from the wall.
Lower level is about 42" up, 16" wide and set out 5" from the wall.
Loops and the helix are on the “blobs” in the middle of the room.
When designed the grades were great, but so were my locomotives, and so I paid them no heed.
When subway operations began, the trains could no longer make the grade and the loops and helix were added:
First Helix:
I just cut the track, added a full loop and spliced it in.
Now that has been remove and a new helix was installed:
This was done because I eliminated the two track main line and lower staging areas in favor of a four track main line.
The other blob table was also reworked, but that “helix” is rather a “long loop”, actually two of them, one up and one down.
In the operations department a train leaving 242nd street on the upper level would run all walls on the upper level, enter the upper level on the “West Blob” which after two turns end up on the middle level and running along the south and east walls. From there it enters the “East Blob” and runs down to the lower level where there is a loop at South Ferry, from whence it runs the railroad back to the top in the same way that it came down.
There are two express loops. They run the middle level the same as the local, but from the lower level it diverts at Chambers street and follows two separate long loops to return it to the middle lev
My new layout is 30 inches high level 1 and 42 inches high for level 2. It is a pain at times to get to areas but I really like it so far. If I would do it again i would make sure certain things are done in a better order.
RMax
Decks are 32" (staging level only) 40" and 60". I like em just fine that way and would use that spacing again. The biggest issues that I have encountered so far in building a multiple deck layout are the complexity of construction (more than twice as complicated) and the need to do things an a specific order to move ahead efficiently. Having to do things in a specific order can drain the fun out of things at times…
If I had a do over, I would build a single deck layout if I had the room, If not, I would build this design again.
While multi - decks are not hard to build, they do take a lot of patience and perseverance. I don’t recommend one as a first layout without lots of experienced help. In my case, I got what I wanted from the double deck - a long mainline run and an OPs based track plan in a smaller space (13’ X 22’).
Good luck with your project,
Guy
My two decks are at 52" and 34" above the floor. The upper deck height is just below my armpit which allows me to reach over the top deck without the need for a step stool or ladder. Both decks are 24" deep so I needed a generous 18" deck spacing to facilitate reaching in between the two decks during construction and scenery. The lower deck is only a few inches higher than a standard desk so it can be accessed from a wheeled secretary chair. I have a helix at each end of the layout to facilitate continuous loop operation. Each helix requires 4.5 turns to achieve the 18" rise. Point to point operations simply eliminates one helix. My actual operations scheme uses an unattended mixed train traveling slowly around the coninuous loop while the remainder of the trains operate point to point. This adds the challenge of train operators needing to dodge the mixed train on the single track main while completing their own tasks. Each helix represents an off layout area between towns so the time trains spend in the one helix isn’t all that upsetting to operators.
Top deck = 60-62"
Middle Deck = 42-44"
Lower Deck = 28-30"
Currently working on my second triple deck layout so yes, I would do it again. Biggest “pain” is that trains duck into the helix for several minutes which requires a “wait”. While I don’t mind this and it give a sense of the train “going somewhere else” or “traveling some distance” before popping back into sight, it does get a little nerve racking if you have a derailment.
Derailments do not happen on the helix. And if they do, I send one of my stuffed lions in to pull them out again. My trains are all six cars long, and all connected with draw bars so I can not recover the cars one at a time, but must manipulate the whole train out at once. This entails gentle pushing and tugging until the train is back out in the open. I do have easy access all around my helix, and indeed, as a subway layout, the insides of the helix are decorated to look like subway tunnels, albeit with the elimination of the vertical pillars which would only get in the way of the 0-5-0 switcher/salvage train.
Actually, I have very little trouble with the operation of the helix, and virtually no derailments in there. The entire layout is built so that I can access albeit with a long reach, any track on the railroad. It was easy to build the lower level the first time around, since the tracks were installed before the west blob was added to the layout. But when I pulled those tracks out in favor of a four track main line, putting the new ones in was indeed a problem. I soldered several lengths together, threaded them in, shaped them as well as possible, and nailed them where I could. Ach… It works, what more can be asked of it.
ROAR
Lower staging - 33"
Main Level - 44"
Upper Level - 60"
I think these are workable, and I would use them again, if need be, to create a layout that meets my wants.
Construction can be challenging, however.