Layout Progress Report #9 as of 03/14/2010

The fun has begun....the helix, that is.  As previously shown, my layout is 2 levels, the upper scenicked level connected to the lower staging level with a single track helix.  The design specifications for the helix are as follows:

• Single track 
• 17 inch radius
• 2.5" rise per loop
• 6.5 loop total

Using nominal 1/2" plywood with cork and Peco 55 track this yields a height clearance of almost 1-7/8", with a grade of 2.34%.  This is more than the NMRA recommended clearance of 1.65"

If you do a search on the internet you will find many different techniques for building one, including purchasing some kits to make the helix build simple.  I decided to make the components and build it myself, as it is the most cost effective solution.  Keeping with the cost effective theme meant that cutting the helix loops as semi-circles out of plywood would also not work as it leaves a lot of wasted wood.  I decided to use a technique of making a circle out of 12 straight pieces of wood, with each end of the wood cut at a 15 degree angle.  Here is a CADRail drawing of what it will look like:

With a table saw and miter saw it will be rather straight forward to cut these pieces to size.  I will be able to cut all the wood needed for the helix using one piece of 4x8 plywood.  To join the pieces of wood to make the helix I will cut an 1/8" slot into the edge of the wood and connect them with some 1/8" thick masonite pieces.  The same masonite pieces will be used as supports using threaded rod risers.

I started working on it Saturday morning after a trip to Lowes for the remaining hardware.  First thing was to rip the plywood to 3" wide strips, and then cut them down to the appropriate length with the miter saw.  Here you see the pile of wood strips cut to length:

Here you can better see how the wood pieces will work together:

Now is time to cut slots into the ends of the wood strips.  To  do this I am using my router table and a slot-cutting bit.

Here you can see the business end of the slot-cutting bit with a guide bearing on top.  It will make short work of cutting the slots.

After some serious sawdust the wood strips are slotted.

Then I cut the 1/8" masonite slot pieces with the table saw and miter saw, and drilled some holes for the threaded rods.   Here is the whole pile of parts that will make the helix.

First I made a jig to mark the track centerline on each piece out of a couple pieces of wood.  Doing this before assembly will make things easier.  Once again I will use a punch to mark the line.

Next it is time to grab one circle of pieces and lay it out on the base to see how it will fit.  I also marked where to drill the holes for the threaded rod risers.

The next close-up will give you a better idea of how the helix will be put together.

Once everything is laid out and marked, it was time to remove some of the base where the helix will start.  I calculated that after 3 sections the helix will rise above the base, so I cut a hole with a jigsaw for that.  I also drilled the holes for the threaded rod risers and started putting them into place.

All the threaded rods are in place, secured in place with nuts, washers and loctite threadlocker.

Here you see the first three pieces in place.  The first piece is spliced to the base, with the remaining pieces supported by risers under the base until the first masonite tongue piece is used.

So the helix construction has begun, next time I will continue to chronicle the building of the helix....

Cahaba Southern 2nd Edition (2009- )

The 2nd edition of the Cahaba Southern Railroad (CSR2) has been in the planning stages for most of 2009.  It will be built in a small room in the downstairs area of our split-foyer house.  The room is 116" by 101" with no windows and only one door.  The room is fully finished, along with heat & AC, and is located off of the downstairs den.  I only had to add 2 additional 110VAC 20A circuits to the room to make sure it could handle the needs of a model railroad.

It is a much smaller room than the original CSR had, but still plenty big for a nice size N scale railroad.  During the planning phase there were plenty of "I wish the room were a little bigger" moments, however I was able to work past those.  Here are some of the design parameters incorporated into the design:

1. Southeastern US, circa 1966-1970, Appalachian foothills railroading.
2. Primarily Southern Railway & Central of Georgia rolling stock
3. Dual mainlines, 1 branchline
4. Hidden staging on a second level
5. Primarily a railfan layout, with some operating capabilities
6. Several industries, including a coal mine and a small town passenger depot
7. Digitrax DCC operation with future full electronic control and detection
8. Peco Code 55 track, medium turnouts on mainline, small turnouts on yards/sidings
9. 15" minimum visible radius, 12" minimum hidden radius, 2.25% maximum grade
10. Everything within easy reach, all benchwork 24" deep (except the helix)

The final design features 2 levels connected by a single track 18" radius helix.  The lower level holds a staging yard that feeds the helix, with no scenery planned, at approximately 36" high.  The upper level will be fully sceniced at approximately 52" high.  I've attached jpeg exports from CADRail which I've used exclusively during the planning stage.

Upper Level:

Lower Level:

Benchwork will be built from 1"x3" lumber.  I have ripped the 1x3s from 3/4" cabinet grade birch plywood.  If you have the means (i.e. a table saw) I highly recommend using the 3/4" plywood as it is very stable and strong, resists warping, and cheaper than buying 1x3s made of pine.  A single sheet of 3/4"x4'x8' plywood is $40, out of which you can rip 18 8 foot 1x3s.  Decent 1x3s run over $3 per piece, for a total of over $54, and none of those will be as straight and stable as the plywood 1x3s.

Benchwork (Same for both levels):

The other thing that I've been doing over the months of planning is purchasing rolling stock and track.  95% of my purchases have been done thru eBay with a few exceptions of a couple of items thru online and local hobby shops as well as train shows.  It has been a pleasant surprise that the selection of southeastern rolling stock has greatly increased since I last was involved in N scale model railroading back in 1999.  In particular Southern & CofG locomotives have been produced in large varieties by both Atlas, Kato, Intermountain and MicroTrains, all with great details, DCC-ready, and superb runners.

Unfortunately prices of everything model railroading has gone up dramatically since 1999, in most case around 50-75 percent.  This price increase makes buying thru ebay a must, as that is where the bargains can be found.  I've purchased over 2 dozen locos thru ebay the last 9 months and have averaged around $42 per locomotive.  All of these were either NOS or testrun only, with usual $80-90 street prices to be found on the packages.  The most interesting part is that most of these were purchased from dealers selling thru eBay that are outside of the southeastern US.  All the local shops and shows are sold out of southeastern rolling stock but they do have plenty of "foreign" roads, guess the same happens elsewhere in the US and Canada.

Next on the agenda is finishing the room and beginning the benchwork, which will commence once the New Years bowl games are over with.  I promise more frequent updates and pictures as the work goes on from here...