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Video: History according to Hediger 9
I’m presently gretting ready to put together a helix and plan on using teh blocks. What is the radius of the one that Jim had done in this segment and did he space each turn a 4" from level to level?
I’m disappointed. NEVER pass up a chance to blame Dick Cecil.
we all have put ourselves in a corner;loved it
Like everything else being done for the first time, one may make a few errors or forget something important. But you made it work. Thanks for the story, Jim.
Pretty funny! If I move and build an expansion on to my layout, I will build two helixes. One to get the track under the layout and one to get it back up. I don’t have much HO scale track. My layout is mainly O Scale with an HO scale shortline. I would like to expand the short line some.
Don’t let Hediger retire. We need another 10 to 15 years out of him.
What a model railroader!
I recall building a helix loop many years back and running into the same problem,also used the same fix and the second time laying track as I went. I also built the helix in another area of the cellar . I did not think about how heavy and bulky 3 and 1/2 loops of helix would be. With help I got it into place.
It is always a treat to have another episode from Jim Hediger. When I receive the Newsletter, the first thing I do is head for Jim’s story.
Oh the happy memories of my first layout with a helix. After I built it I found that I could not run piggy back (TOFC) cars from that lower level to the upper level. On my second layout with helixs I learned my lessons:
- Use an 80’ high-cube boxcar to check clearances
- Plan helix with broad curvature (18" radius in N-Scale) to ease elevation rise.
- Solder rail joints as you build the loops.
- Allow plenty of access in the center for track maintenance and “car fetching”.
My friend has a double track helix with no inside blocks on the totally circular helix. You can not get any better than that for cleaning track. If it’s solid, you don’t need the inside blocks. And, every section of track is wired.
I love the clip. i’m in the process of building my laidout again, after a very long absent from it. i look forward to more from Jim. thanks Henry Jones Gore Springs, MS.
Great lesson, but do not be afraid of building one. A helix can fairly simple to build, and result in a strong and portable piece of benchwork. I followed the the article in Linn Westcott’s How to Build Model Rairoad Benchwork (1990) pp 35-36, with a few differences. The key is that he recommeded notched piers, instead of using blocks of wood, and it worked like a charm.
I used a router to notch the 1" by 2" support piers with a unform four inch space between each level. I also used plywood instead of hardboard, and used the router again to notch each end of a section for a strong overlap. I designed the six level helix (27" by 60"), so it could be moved up the basement stairs through doors without taking it apart. After ten years of use in Illinois, I did move it to Florida without difficulty, and six years later it remains a problem free solution for twice as much railroad in the same space.
Same problem. I got half way through the second level before discovering the blunder. However, I had used glue (and screws) on the spacer blocks. Fortunately, it was not yet dry on the second level blocks!! Quick work and some sandpaper cured the problem and brought me back to reality.
I enjoyed the humor in Jim’s stories. I could easily visualize the look on his face when the “light” came on about the track in the helix. I also could relate to his phone number story too as I had a similiar problem when two new businesses opened near me. One was a drug store and the other was a movie theatre. I tried to work something out with both but was only met with bad attitudes, especially from the drug store chain. Also, after 30+ yrs of having the same number, the phone company urged me to change my number to eliviate the problem. I refused; and instead started taking bogus prescription refill requests for the drug store, and advising false start times for movies. The phone company and the drug store both called to warn me about their suspictions, but I told them they had the wrong number. Both places soon changed their phone numbers though and the problems ended…and I still have my same number after 38 years.
I used Jim’s helix construction method on my double decker (laying the track one loop at a time as construction progressed), to build a double track helix. It has provided flawless operation for 20 years. Just make sure all joiners are soldered, joints are filed very smooth, and there are plenty of power feeders.
what could be described as “a learning curve”
JIM I enjoyed the video. When building the Helix for my son’s layout I remembered reading about your experience in a MR some time back. We layed the track as we built. We also used threaded rods inastead of the wooden blocks to support the road bed. This took up less space and made adjustments much easier.
The 3x helix I built for my circa early 1900’s HO logging layout looks much like the pic of Jim’s and works very well. It’s 24" radius with approx. 3.5 percent grade. My geared steam locos work well in the helix. And yes, I did lay the track as I completed each layer…
Oh, thank you! I’ve just begun my helix planning and it never occurred to me when to lay the track. It’s a pleasure to see Jim’s videos.