It seemed too expensive and too small for ho.  If I were building an ho layout that would have multiple levels and would use an elevator like that, it would really need to handle at least 3-4 diesels and 20 cars on one level.  It probably is not really too expensive for the engineering involved, and since it is operated electrically, it probably would not be too dificult to make it automatic, but it still won't hold enough train on one track in ho scale.  It might be nice for n-scale.

4' or 6' modules can be combined for up to 18 feet

This quote from the site seems to indicate it could be used for HO by combining modules.  Still not likely in my budget.
 

I can't say I would ever want one as I never liked the idea of vertical yards. I saw one of these home made 20 years ago at the So-Cal Model Railroaders Club in Los Angeles and it was actually 8 foot long and 10 tracks high with a bicycle sprocket and small motor and gearing to run it up and down. But I would never spend $400.00 on it especially a short one.

Dan

A narrow gauge modeler Steve Harris, I believe, had an article within the last year in MR on just such an elevator. It was quite ingenious. 

John

Fellows.

A friend recently replaced a helix with a Car float . The car float is movable . I t gets moved by hand, which needs due care, in spite of the couplers mounted on one end.. This is another possibility and actually quite cheap .This car float is three tracks and about 25" long. Which on most HO layouts amounts to 15 cars capacilty .My own  carfloats do not move . I do not have more than one level.

Using this as a staging yard as most of us understand it does not seem feasible for all of the points already mentioned. However if you were to use this type of system to model off line industries or industrial spurs, I could see some increased car capacity and more flexible operations. The local comes in, shoves a cut of  8-10 cars,(or whatever fits on the shelf) and comes out with a different set. All with no increase in layout area. Of course the entrance would have to be hidden behind a bridge, building, etc... with the elevator being the unmodeled industry, which would also be hidden. I have several spurs going into hidden unmodeled industries and operationally it is very realistic without taking up much room. Plus I can use a variety of rolling stock for the single spur. And visually the layout looks larger than it is. So just brainstorming here, this "goofy gimmick", or a similar application of it might make some sense?      

Steve     

It would seem that what would work to protect the rolling stock on such a float would be some sort of stake pockets on all four sides that would have sides dropped in to make the float into a box when ever it is moved off the layout.

It's a small sample size, but two of my clients tried and eventually rejected the off-the-shelf elevator because it could not reliably register and return to the precise locations necessary for "docking" with two or more different layout levels consistently and repeatably. Expensive do-over.

If you want to try it, be sure you get the manufacturer's gaurantee in writing that they will accept a return for a full refund if it doesn't work the way you expect.

So far I don't know of anyone using it successfully that way, but they could well be out there.

Russ , fellows..

The carfloat idea is good , If made wider than need be , it can give comfort to the user.Get some brass handrails or make something to snag any cars which take off sideways.Couplers on one end makes it a one ended carfloat  , duh I guess. My layout is leaning toward more "interchanges" , Yard tracks representing another railroad or car floats/ ferries which have the same effect. Modelling an industry is neat excepting real esate needed to do so effectively.If a fellow was clever he could make a series of shelfs which scroll up or down with tracks upon for storing cuts of cars. Remember the circular displays , push the button and the thing goes around exposing one shelf after another.Perhaps that except with tracks on the shelfs.Somebody was talking about car float construction. Mine are a sheet of one inch pink foam , {Owens } some stores do not carry it . Go figger ?. Cut it to size , chamfer the ends , paint it black , a very effective and most of all very easy thing to make.The foam is strong enough to be used as is for a "Transfer barge" quite literally on and off the layout .How many does a fellow need.easy as pie.My layout base level is one inch , Imagine that above the water level, 7 { - + ? } feet in HO scale .

with the float when it was taken off the layout, and the replacement float would also have a bit of water to fit the same foot print.  The "walls" would then fit next to the float going into the water behind the float where the holes would be hidden by the float when installed on the layout.  The sockets for the wall at the apron end of the float would be under the apron with the float in psition, and the sockets for the outside edge and the end toward the main body of water (harbor,lake, whatever) would be off the edge of the layout.