Hi,
I am thinking about building a train elevator for my HO layout, it will be a double decker, maybe also a hidden staging area but have not figured that part out yet, and am wondering if this scenario is feasible. I am going to build the layout as a big rectangular layout, on all four walls, like a shelf unit on all four walls. Maybe have the layout protrude into the room from all four walls from two to three feet, with about a 32 inch radius in each corner. This would give me anywhere from 8 to 10 feet of open area inside of the layout. I was thinking an elevator would take up less space than a helix, that is, less protrusion into the inside aisle of the layout.
I’d like to build it for long trains, so I am thinking maybe doing it for trains maybe 8 to 10 feet long. First of all is this feasible – doing an elevator that long?
Here is another problem - the area I have to work with for my layout is 13.5’ wide by 24 feet long. I guess the elevator should be located in the center of the long 24’ wall. Since I only have 13.5’ feet of room width to work with, I was thinking about maybe building the section of the layout/elevator and both decks as a a single roll out unit, for access. In other words I would just be able to pull directly out into the aisle this elevator unit which has built in front of it the two decks of the layout – pull the unit away from the wall, for access. The unit would have the elevator hidden behind a scenery panel or painting, and the trains would go into and out of the elevator by some kind of tunnel or small hill, etc.