Multi Level benchwork

Aye, there's the rub . . .

For me, it's how WOULD I do it, since I haven't done it yet.

I'm planning two decks with a 16" separation from valance bottom to deck. Lower deck is at 36-38", top deck will be in around 54-60 inches. I'm thinking of hanging the front of the top deck using threaded rods. It's stronger than trying to cantilever something off the walls, thinner than wood supports, and they won't block the bottom deck. They're also adjustable if things settle over the long term.

I'm figuring a 4-track helix. The inner two tracks will run at 22-26" radius for the interurbans, the outer two will be 28-30" for the freight-commuter trains.

Jay CNS&M North Shore Line - "First and fastest"

I tried rubbing, but the Genie had no solutions either.

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I've read MR articles where threaded rod was used to vertically support a helix. Could you give a more detailed description on how to use threaded rod for horizontal support?

Thanks!

Rick

Since continuous running isn't important to you, how about a vertically sliding section of track containing locomotives? I'm thinking of the sliding staging yards I've seen, only in your case, they would be moved up and down rather than horizontally...

Frank, I built a two level around 3 walls with a return loop top and bottom. Hidden staging in both loops. I started by attaching L girders verticly to the walls. Then I build the lower level average 30" out from the walls (more at the loops) About 18"s in from the edge I screwed the supports verticly for the upper level. These supports also serve for lower level back drop support. My upper level is a full 30" deep. Instead of a helix, I ran the 3% grade all the way around the three walls and behind the lower level back drop. Yahoo has a Layout construction group. I put some photos in one of the albums there. If you have anymore questions, let me know. My email address is dead because of too much spam. I'll answer the question here. Doug

Rick, I have used threaded rod to make a mainline over a city street. I used them in pairs with the rod through the roadbed and into the layout base in this order from the top to the bottom. Nut, washer, roadbed, washer, nut -------------nut, washer, layout base, washer, nut. The ------ represents the distance between the layout base and the roadbed. It worked out very well and I will be using the Central Valley bridge girders to hide the threaded rod.

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The Gratiot Valley Railroad Club bi-annual train show and sale March 7, 2004, at the Macomb Community College Sports and Expo Center. Macomb County Michigan. Please visit our Web Site at:

I just returned a book to the library that had a photo of such an operation.

The location was Diablo, Washington deep in the Skagit River canyon at a Seattle City Power and Light dam.

There were three pairs of rails, looked to be about 20 feet apart, (photo had no scale that I could readily reference other than the tracg gauge. which ran up a 45 degree of higher slope. Caption indicated it was a 600 foot drop from top to bottom. Bottom was at river level, top was at local (?) Northern Pacific rail spur. Time period was mid 1930s.

A sort of long "trestle" spanned the three pairs of rails; the "trestle" ran on three sets of trucks. A single set of tracks ran along the "trestle". The "trestle could hold maybe two cars. The "trestle" was set up so that it appeared to be level . Cables moved the trestle up and down the hill from the local spur to the river level. Probabley switched with a flat as an idler so that the engine on the upper level didn't run onto the "trestle". No idea what they did at the bottom. Cable maybe? Used to haul construction suppplies and equipment down to the river level.

"Company Towns of the Northwest"", University of Washington Press, 2003, can't remember the author (?) LInda somebody.

Good read on timber and mining towns in the pacific Northwest in the

1880s - 1940s period. Wish I still had the book here in front of me as I type this, but I returned it yesterday.

Man, I never thought there could be a prototype to match this idea!

Here is the solution our club used, an actual 2.2% uncompensated helper grade. It does use manned helpers if a train's tonnage exceeds a tonnage rating of the road power.

This design option worked for us due to the size of our space and separation between decks, both larger than usually available for a home layout, but it may give you some ideas.

Thanks for the site reference. Your club is awesome! I hadn't considered a mushroom, but will doodle a couple of plans to see if it has possibilities.

Mounta> >

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One of the mags do a vertical lift article not so long back? Semi-circular track behind the back(side)screen lifted with a motorised screw-jack Micro switches stopped it at the required level. Power interlocked. For a switching layout you wouldn't want a particularly long length of track? So this should be OK.

Search Model Railroader, could have been in one of the annuals that they do.

Regards

Len

Re: vertical lift

Article by Dick Roberts in Model Railroad Planning 2001 was what I was referring to!

Going Up! Also tagged as a helix killer, it uses either a straight track or a 1/2 circle. 24" radius gives a 75" section of track. Takes up less space than a helix (1/2 the space of the complete circle) and has no gradient. Uses drawer sliders for vertical guides.

Regards Len

Put blocks above the ceiling tiles with a hole in it, nut and washer to hold the top end. Keep a short bolt with a point on it for marking the tiles. Put the tile in place, then, working from the space of a nearby tile, drop the pointed rod through the block and into the tile. Circle it with a marker to make the mark's location obvious. Take up the pointer, remove the tile, drill it, replace it, thread your rod up. Anchoring to the layout is the same. Block, nut, washer. Then level it up. This should work for drop ceilings or ceiling tile. If you have no ceiling tile, so much the simpler!

Jay CNS&M North Shore Line - "First and fastest"

My Genie's broke too. The trolley's stripped out. I have to go see the garage door repairman...

Jay CNS&M North Shore Line - "First and fastest"

Okay, now I understand what you are planning. Thanks!

Rick

Great idea, Frank!

Rick

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Thanks, it gets that response every time it's explained to a visitor.

Rick Norell wrote:

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The Gratiot Valley Railroad Club bi-annual train show and sale March 7, 2004, at the Macomb Community College Sports and Expo Center. Macomb County Michigan. Please visit our Web Site at: