I am going to build a two level o27 layout using 042 and 054 curves. I want the levels to be between 20 and 24 inches apart connected by a helix however i am not sure how to do this.Any advice I could recieve would be very needed. thanks all!
You want the upper loop to be 20 to 24 inches above the lower loop?
How much space do you have?
What track system do you want to use?
I am building it in a two car garage. The layout will measure about 20x12 feet. I want to put the helix in the back corner in a mountain about 6x6 feet. I am using lionel o27 track with 042 and 054 radius turns. Also using 042 switches and 2 MTH Z4000 transformers with the hand held remotes, not the dsc, the older type.
Here’s what I came up with:
3D side view:
Plan:
Each level is 5 inches apart, resulting in a 2.5% grade…
You need:
1 O27 O-42 lefthand turnout
1 O27 O-42 righthand turnout
10 O27 O-42 half curve
8 O27 O-42 curve
60 O27 O-54 curve
the plan shows straight sections coming into and out of the helix (this was done to get the selection correct for creating the grade).
Coming in from the left on the bottom: straight, lefthand turnout, 1/2 O42, 14 O54, 1/2 O42, O42, straight, O42, 1/2 O42, 14 O54… this repeats till you get to 20 inches, then you stop with the full O42 before the straight and replace it with the righthand turnout, then continue with straights…
Hope this helps.
Great thank you…now all i need is advice on how to build it…ie, how to support the wood cut outs for it.
I am also wodering if anyone esle has tris this and how it worked. I use a mix of postwar and modern locos from MTH Lionel K-Line and Williams. I want to pull six to eight car frieghts and four to six car passenger trains up grade and use mainly modern cars from MTH,K-Line, Lionel and others with a few post war cars thrown in for fun…any other comments out there?
I would place support columns inside and outside at regular intervals, then cut 1/2 plywood 2 inches wider than the track, then screw the columns to the plywood. You should be able to determine where the plywood should be secured because you need to maintain the 5 inch clearance…
1x2s should be more than enough to support everything (I would go with at least 5 or 6 sets of columns).
Most engines should be able to pull the 2.5% grade with 6 cars. The modern engines with cruise will be much more suited for this than conventional engines (IMHO).
I was considering something like for an under the table storage system, but decided against it due to cost and space requirements.
If you do do it, take lots of pictures and post here… we love stuff like this! [:)][tup]
AND WHERE ARE MY MANNERS!!! [#welcome] to the board!
thanks for all the help. Right now I have a layou in the garage that will be torn down after christmas to make way for the new layout. I will post pics if they are wanted and also am more then willing to have visitors if anyone is in the Palm Bay area of Florida! thanks for the warm welcome too!
I have never tried this; but I will suggest that threaded rod would make very good columns. Just put it through holes in the plywood helix, with a washer and nut on each side of the plywood. The connection should be robust and adjustable.
You might want to reconsider the 5-inch spacing. The plywood and the track itself will eat up about an inch of that. That leaves you with only 1/2-inch clearance above a 6457 caboose. If you ever want to run anything bigger, you’ll need more room.
Thanks for the input. I will put it to the test when I begin construction! I will post my results!
Any other suggestions out there?
asch —>[#welcome].
Sounds like you have all the space, track, power and trains you need to get things rolling. My #1 suggestion is to build your two-tiered layout with separate loops first. If your dead-set on a helix to connect the tiers, simply leave that space available (benchwork wise). Get the trains up and running. Two feet in elevation is a lofty goal, and if it’s just to interchange some cars between levels…#2 suggestion would be to do like the real railroads and build a switch-back to scale your heights. Even a modest pulling engine can drag and push a couple freight cars up and down, and it would be a unique feature, requiring a bit more operational sequence.