The most complex N scale layout....ever?

[DKS]

I worry about operators getting bored and cranking the throttle to speed the process on a 4 or 5 turn helix. ;D

4 or 5 turn helix? I'd worry about them passing away while trains are on Helix M (39 turns).

From the sounds of things, on this layout the trains are hidden more than they're visible.

[pnolan48]

A 39-turn helix, assuming a diameter of 48 inches, is (3.14 x 48 x 39) 5881 inches long, or 490 feet, or about fifteen miles long.

Yeah, if a freight is traveling at 30 MPH, that would take 30 minutes to transcend.

That helix, double-tracked, almost equals my entire layout, all but four feet of which is visible.

Man, I hope he has a good source for ballast.

[AlkemScaleModels]

And here I was worrying about my 8 feet of hidden track in O scale!

[sirenwerks]

Um... 20 double-track plus 9 triple-track is 29...

Too many revolutions led to mathematical challenge brought on by dizziness.

[AlkemScaleModels]

Too many revolutions led to mathematical challenge brought on by dizziness.

I counted about 28 or 29 loops in that helix. Maybe there are some that you can't see in that photo.

[CBQ Fan]

That is really cool, thank you for sharing.

[Mark5]

Building it is only 25% of the fun.  Then there is the maintenance..................  Sometimes too much is just too much.

Yeah I agree. I first realized this when I owned too many automobiles ...

[pnolan48]

It's been my position for a long time that helixes are a waste of space, hard to maintain, and require too much of a grade.

I'd much rather run my climbing track against the walls, the so-called nolix.

Most helix designs have been in fairly large rooms. This, to me, means that there is enough space to gain height from deck to deck by running along the wall. I hide my climbing runs in plain view--a grade along the wall--with as few tunnels as I can get away with.

[asarge]

From the sounds of things, on this layout the trains are hidden more than they're visible.

Uuuuhhhhhh NO! In the end very little of it will be hidden. The basement is about 2200 square feet and layout is about 1700 square feet and 3 levels deep. Russell Yard is about 40 feet long and almost all staging. There are two helixes complete and one is actually fully functional and goes somewhere. You have too remember that most of the plans written about and all of the layout that is shown functional in the pictures is on the upper level. There are still 2 levels of shelf layout to construct. Also remember the upper level is 4 feet deep. The way it's designed will leave all switching to be done within arms reach (too bad I'm only5'9"). The scenery is being done as would be expected, back too front. All trackage and yards out of reach are visible staging and transfer yards. There will actually be very little single car switching done. Most will be blocks of cars or whole trains.

The construction is rock solid. The upper level is built on 3/4" Plywood with 3/4" plywood ripped into joists for the becnhwork. During the construction, we ran electrical, painted backdrop built the scenery while walking and crawling on the layout and like many model railroaders most had long ago gotten rid of our boyish figures

Maintenence is definately a headache and alot of time is spent getting ready for the open house. I never get to run trains at the open house as I have to help cover at the shop.

[DKS]

It's been my position for a long time that helixes are a waste of space, hard to maintain, and require too much of a grade.

I'd much rather run my climbing track against the walls, the so-called nolix.

Most helix designs have been in fairly large rooms. This, to me, means that there is enough space to gain height from deck to deck by running along the wall. I hide my climbing runs in plain view--a grade along the wall--with as few tunnels as I can get away with.

One problem with a nolix is that it leads to circumstances that are difficult to justify visually. If you have two levels separated by 16-18 inches, say, then at some point the nolix track must be over a foot above datum for the lower level. If you're modeling relatively flat terrain, how do you accomplish this with visible track? It would have to be hidden somehow, at which point it's not much different than a helix.

[TiVoPrince]

Helixes 
(at least in this case) lead to 'remote' branches.  Nolixes would not represent this any better as the elevation change is still needed for the operation.  The 'mushroom' design would lose much storage space under the top deck by changing the compact helixes for expanded loops of nolixes and the incremental bonus of added 'onstage' time...

[asarge]

The helixes are a necessity in this case, especially in view of the elevation change in a couple of case. Helixes are hell if your trackwork or structure isn't very good. We used to operate on an HO layout down here that had radii of 22 inches and had modern Amtrak equipment on it. Every session cars would derail or uncouple and come running back down the helix lighting up the dispatchers panel and casuing havoc on the lower level.

In Mike's case, he has an expert tracklayer and an excellent carpenter to do the track work and build the b=monster helix. It is rock solid with grooves channels the track lays in. The Atlas Code 55 has turned out to be very reliable except for some of the early switches. It looks great too, especially when weathered with Camouflage Brown spray paint.