kanonfodda Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Hi All, thought it was time to start posting about our layout. I briefly mentioned this in my introduction thread, but I thought I would post some more detail and some photos of construction: The layout started life in around 2003 when we began construction in the loft of my parents house (this being mostly dads model railway ). The loft space was a generous 20' by 10' (ish). we began boarding out and insulating the loft and construction began, with various additions over time. the inital layout was a double track main with fiddle yard at the back. This then grew to include a 3rd (raised) loop for the branch line and a raised set of storage sidings above the fiddle yard. Early last year it was decied that the layout would benefit from a move out of the roof (which still suffered in the summer, dispite insulation) and into a custom built shed. This would also remove the obstructive roof truses from the layout, giving us more space to access the boards etc. So in May of last year the shed went up and work began to get it ready for the layout, we insulated the inside, added power and then put in place the supports for our new U shaped layout. The first part of the board support going in: The u shape was settled upto to prevent the need for a lift out section over the doorway, making access far simpler and meaning operation is not interupted should we need to leave (for that all important cup of tea and Bacon sandwich perhaps ). We had already decided that the fiddle yard and storage sidings would be located beneath the main running lines, leaving almost the entire upper section available for scenics. We have decided to experiment with a helix at each end for allowing access to the lower levels without impeding on the running lines too much. The first level of the first Helix is in place already and has been tested with our chosen train length (6 coaches plus loco) with reasonable success. It is likely that some of our older locos will be retired however, as they may not be able to pull the trains up the incline. the start of the first Helix: I'll get a track plan uploaded in the near future, as soon as I can find what I did with it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1X Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 looking good ,keep up the good work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn1 Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 This looks really good, will be following with interest! Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Thanks guys I'll post more pics as we get things in place. Will try and get a video once we have a full helix ready for some proper testing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Emily Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I'm very impressed with the design of the spiral. I take it that the rods are threaded so that you can easily adjust the gradient and make sure that the gradient is even? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Thanks Jenny, love your modeling skills, I was reading through Grove Street Yard the other day, very impressed In answer to your question, yes, the rod is threaded so we can adjust the incline (and camber) without too much trouble. We are using large washers to take the weight of the boards (MDF) on either side. So far it has been pretty rigid and we have had successful test runs with 6 coaches and a Railroad Evening Star (which swmbo got me for my BIrthday ) We cleaned out our local B&Q of threaded rod and their supplier has gone out of business! so it's going to be a bit of a ###### sourcing the rest for the other helix! I'll get some pictures of the left side of the shed next time I am over (should be tomorrow night) showing our work in progress storage sidings that will take up the entire left side lower level! 4 * 4' boards, with 11 sidings across - the shortest one is 12' with the central one almost the full 16'! I'm really not looking forward to wiring that lot up :S Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny Emily Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Best place to get threaded rod would be a steel stockholder; they'll probably be a lot cheaper than B&Q too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
taytrain Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 nice start, look forward to seeing this progress, maybe try a local ironmonger for more threaded rod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Screwfix Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Screwfix Ed Ahh, good call. They seem to stock the right size Thanks fo that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Hi all, apologies for the lack of updates, life has been somewhat hectic of late! Dad has finished the first Helix and started testing our locos to see what we can and can't haul. So far results have been very good, with most locos able to pull 6 bachman MKI's up without issue. Some of the older Hornby pancake motors are having trouble though (Hornby HSTs). I'm going over tonight to do some testing with a few of my locos, which I am looking forward to (got a Bachman 20 with sound to play with) I'll get some photos tonight with any luck and do some more updates in the next few days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold McC Posted June 12, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 12, 2012 Looks great - eagerly awaiting updates Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 As promised, a couple of pictures This first pic is of the completed Helix on the left side of the layout. This is the link from what will be the station down to the fiddle yard. This 2nd picture is of the storage sidings on the right hand side of the layout. I'm building these in the top level, but they will be on the lower level opposite the fiddle yard when complete. There is a 4th board that will go on the far end of these sidings to give us a maximum siding length of nearly 16'! First video shows a Hornby Railroad EveningStar pulling 6 Bachmann MKIs up the Helix http://youtu.be/OHYufSSCM4Y This 2nd video is of our sound equipped Class 20 on the Helix with the same MKIs http://youtu.be/5-mFPw5NvhE Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinW Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 That is some Helix and fiddleyard. Looking forward to seeing more of this in the future. Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 Thanks Colin I'll try and be a bit more active with photos and updates Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beresford Junction Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Hi Loving the helix, and thanks for the link. Looks like you have four loops round. Is it a rise/drop of 3" per loop? If so that'll mean the under board fiddle yard is a foot below the baseboard - looks like plenty of room. Looking forward to the updates. Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Thanks Phil, yeah 3" drop per loop, we actually have 3 and a half loops, around 9" board top to board top as the main lines are above board level at the top (we are going to have an elevated station). As you say, plenty of room to get under the boards if we need to Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Pictures of a couple of the threaded rod supports, let me know if you need more info The rod is fixed to wooden battons at the base of the helix with a nut and washer on each side: with the same arrangement at each level. This makes it easier to change the height of each section to maintain gradient etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted June 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 20, 2012 A helix is not for the faint-hearted, requiring as it does both carpentry and engineering skills to be a success. The vids make it clear that you have both - this works well. US HO modellers have a liking for the helix, but they seem to be much rarer in the UK. When we lived in Kent I think there was a chap somewhere on the edge of Romney Marsh who offered kits - but I suspect even those required some skill in installation. Impressed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poindexter Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Great job on the helix. What size rod did you use, M8? Also did you find iit straightforward to do succesful transitions to flat track at the top and bottom? Keep up the good work and keep on documenting you progress. Thanks Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanonfodda Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Thanks guys, I can't take any credit for the Helix as Dad built that (although I agree it is awesome) As for the rod size, It's either M8 or M6, I can't remember which sorry With regards to the transition from flat to inclined, this was done by the nice straitforward method of bending the trackbed at the base of the Helix. The top of the Helix is not in place yet, the track shown in the videos was merely for testing to make sure we could actually use it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beresford Junction Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Pictures of a couple of the threaded rod supports, let me know if you need more info Thanks for the pics and it's all becoming clear. No doubt I'll be back with more questions. I looked at the rods yesterday and thought the M6 looked a bit skinny - I was thinking about the M10 or 12, although in reality there won't be that much weight. Cheers Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Hi, has there been any progress on this recently? I'm guessing not based on the lack of pictures? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Serious woodworking there Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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