14. The Helix Series Pt 1: Designing A Helix

[@paulbryson606]

Great video.... I am going to have a go at this helix for my own layout. I already have 5mm sheet ply and need to go up 212 mm which works out at exactly 2.5 turns @ 2.5% grade with a rise of 85mm . I just hope my old hst125 with the ringfield motor conversion to cd motor will make it up the r3 curves I have lots of r3 and r2 curves so will use these, inner loop to descend and outer to ascend how far back from the inner radius did you put the risers :)

[@theengineshed359]

Gday paul! Mate thanks for the comment. I should point out that this helix has now moved on to the model railway graveyard. My big issue is dealing with humidity and heat through summer so I had to redesign and reinforce my helix. A couple of suggestions for you; 1. Minimise the grade to be 2% or under, this is just from my own experience most locos even the heavy ones struggle with anything more than that unless you have the nuclear powered Hornby class 60. 2. 2nd radius may be a little tight I'd recommend using 3rd and 4th radius minimum for a helix (if you have space) and 3. Overdesign your helix and what I mean by this is give yourself plenty of room. My new helix uses a 150mm wide 12mm thick ply roadbed giving me ample clearance and structural integrity, vibration and slack in the roadbed can cause an uneven incline and your trains will likely derail. Check out the helix videos by JNW HO Series He has some fantastic building guides for a helix to help you get some inspiration. Hopefully, this helps you and best of luck with it paul let me know how you get on! Cheers... Ben.