I have built a very successful 2 helix railroad. For detailed drawings check out Great Model Railroads 2006. My layout is the Atlantic Coast & Eastern and shows how it is built.
Ace
It’s been interesting reading your collective comments re multi-level layouts. Personally, I’ve never been comfortable with them, but I can understand why many of you prefer them(additional trackage in the same space,etc.). If it fills your glass, great! Do it and enjoy! My personal feeling against a multi-level setup is that you lose something in the visual effect; that is, you’re not looking at one scene, rather two, or three, at once, unless you get very close to one level. Also, as one of you said, one must be very careful, when working on an upper level, so as not to damage scenery, etc., on the level below, especially if wiring the underside of the level above. Then, what about access due to the height, as you go to each additional level? A raised floor, step boxes?
Obviously, I’m sticking to a one-level affair, but the railroad I’m modelling is on a constant grade throughout it’s entire length, with return loops at each end, both of which are in the same section of my basement. It’s here that I make my only concession to a multi-level setup; one loop is 20 inches above the other, out of necessity, due to room size constraints.
In any event, Gents, I wanted to put my two cents in, so enjoy, and good luck.
Hey Ace,
I know your layout very well from that article… it has a lot of the design elements I am looking to reproduce…that and it is the neck of the woods I want to model. To date, yours is the only layout I have seen that incorporates both Frankenstein Trestle and Crawford Notch. I enjoy studying your layout, both for its mainline runs and switching capabilities! Kudos to you!
Multi Level, Multi Deck and Mushroom are three different concepts. You can combine the concepts in various ways but they are three distinct concepts. The Multi Level concept has tracks at different elevations on the same deck to visually separate them. The V & O was a multi level layout. The Multi Deck concept has two completely separate decks to provide visual separation. The Maumee is a Multi Deck layout
The Mushroom concept is technically neither multi deck or multi level. The mushroom concept allows the deck from both sides of a peninsula to occupy the same space by using different elevations on each side of the peninsula.
Keep in mind you don’t have to connect the two decks. In my case, in planning my new layout I realized that I really wanted two different layouts: one primarily a switching layout concerning a large iron ore yard serving an ore dock, and one with a long mainline run to handle good-length passenger trains, preferably with a good sized terminal of some kind.
I ended up going with 16" wide shelving for both decks. The upper level is the iron ore line, trains basically run point-to-point to and from staging to the ore yard with an emphasis on making up and breaking up trains, and moving loads to the dock and empties back. The lower level is the passenger / non-ore freight area, and should be able to have two trains running on their own when I feel like watching trains.
The lower level benchwork will widen out at two points from 16" to about 65-70" to allow for dogbone “blobs” for the continuous running. Right above one of them on the upper level will be a similar blob to allow for a roundhouse and turntable.
Our club layout is technically both a multi-deck and a mushroom. We sometimes call it a “super-mushroom”
Each aisle has two levels, and then there are other aisles at different levels that have more levels of railroad above the levels of the lower aisles.
The in-progress photo below probably shows the idea best, you can see two levels (you can see exits from the helix, the actual visible levels are on the other side), and the stairs up to the next walking level. The helix shown is actually two helices one on top of another. When helices share real estate you can save a lot of space. We also do some tricks with hidden ramps to further avoid putting in more helices and using more space. The layout is located in a quonset hut building, and we’re using the vertical space as well as we can in addition to the already decent floor footprint of the building.
I’m designing a three level layout in a 15X30 area of my basement. In deciding which level does what I’ve come up with the idea of using the lower level 32" for staging to be worked via swivel chair. Second level will be all industrial at 46" and will not be a part of level 1 and 3. Level three will be at 61".
Level two will be accessed from one end of level one via the outside track on the helix and out the other end to level three via the second helix and again, the outside track of the two track helix with interchanges at each end. The interchanges will create the access to the other levels and Level two will act as a bridge line between the two points, and it will be totally industrial with industry owned engines and crews. The reason for using level two at 46" is that all the industrial switching can be done by most people of average height and level three at eye level will be mostly for running and meeting trains and only a little switching work as access to everything will be high for most people. Scenery can be seen but would be awkward to work at that level. The trains will be visable all the way on level three.
Level one (staging) will connect directly with level three via inside loop of both helix’s and on level three will be two passing sidings and scenery. There will be a couple towns on level three so some switching there. Levels one and three are a continuious loop run as point to point. Staging for both end terminals will be on level one.
It’s hard to explain the connections and entry to level two within the same helix as levels one and three but it works with no switches inside the helix. Level two commands the outside track on the helix and the express between level one and three the inside track.
I think multi level whether 2 3 4 or more is a great way to get more running length in a smaller area and a great chance to stage your l
Hi everyone:
This thread has been most interesting for me since I have been pondering adding a second level for months. Considered a helix and nolix and didn’t like the compromises. I have now decided to add a second level and a second staging area but to just not have them connected. You can still run lots of trains on the 2 levels but you just don’t rum from one to the other. The pros of this for me are:
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No visual contamination by having a sufficiently large separation between the levels or hiding parts in tunnels and behind buildings.
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The levels can be visually integrated in parts of the layout by incorporating tall viaducts, tresles, hills or rock faces.
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I can have 2 different themes for the 2 levels - I have an interest in a British theme so can have this on one of the levels.
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I can change themes by having much of my structures removable so that I can change up to another theme - also gives me more scope to build structures, which I enjoy doing.
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Separate controls for the 2 levels of course.
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The lower level is essentially a run around the wall type of layout with towns and wild rocky scenary.
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The upper level [still to be built] will probably be a line with a reverse loop on one end and maybe a stop with an auto reverse light sensor [not enough room for another reverse loop].
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I have the option for joining the upper level into a complete loop like the lower level at a later time.
Alan
What in the world is a Nolix?
From earlier in the thread:
Basically, rather than have a helix, the track and benchwork shelf / deck climbs a grade as it goes around the room such that by the time a complete trip is made, the track and deck is sufficiently higher than the track below. The nice part is you don’t have to hide approximately 60 feet of track (assuming a 2% grade in the helix and 14 inches of climb). The draw back is you need a larger layout were you can have more than 60 feet of mainline track on each deck. You need more because any switching areas should be flat.
I am in the process of building the benchwork for a large nolix style layout. It is slightly more challenging to construct than a standard multiple deck layout as each shelf bracket for the deck is at a different height around the layout. To keep each deck’s structure as thin as possible to maximize the vertical space between the track and the underside of the deck above, I have the brackets all at approximately 2 inches below the track as it climbs around the room. (I’m modeling relatively flat terrain, so two inches is enough to allow realistic below grade scenery.) Of course that is offset by not having to build a helix.
" What in the world is a Nolix?"
no helix!
Yes, I asked the same question to myself when I read this term in an earlier posting on this thread. This is explained in some other posts. I borrowed the term without really being familiar with it. I have now seen the light.
Alan
I explain it as a form of a ‘glorified ramp’ but with scenic possibilities—unlike helises( oh dang–helixii?).
Anyway one possibility is what we have near Hamilton ON. In Dundas ON, you see has a good view of the CN main as it crawls up the Niagara Escarpment----