Nolix?

Hmmm, perhaps I'm not understanding completely. Are you proposing to use an around the walls (and peninsula) grade to climb between decks? If so, this is not a nolix in the strictest sense but rather a twice around on the bottom, double deck layout.

In a nolix design the layout IS the helix. The layout is constantly climbing (well mostly except for town and yard areas, which need to be flat so cars won't run away downgrade...). Generally a nolix maintains the one route through a scene concept except that it climbs enough so that when it comes back to where it started, it's now high enough to become a new deck above the lower deck.

If you have a max grade of 2% and you want three town areas 15' long on each lap of the nolix how many feet of track do you need on each level to climb 20" to the next level

(20" of rise / 0.02) + (15' * 3) =  1000" + 45' = 83.3' + 45' = 128.3' per lap

In a rectangular room with a single peninsula down the middle and 2' bench work. Let x be the long room dimension and y be the short dimension with the peninsula being x - 5 feet in length (allowing for a 3' aisle and a 2' wide piece of bench work). We can (very roughly) aproximate the needed room size as:

128' = 2y + 2x + 2(x-5)

Assume the short wall is 16' then  128 = 32 + 4x - 10

So x = (128-22) / 4 = 106 / 4 = 26.5'

A nolix design like this requires a room roughly 16' x 26'  (or  14' x 27')  If your space is close then fudging the grade can make it fit. You might be able to use a single turn helix on each lap to help with the elevation change needed for a 20" deck separation. Using 2 towns on a lap will also help you gain more elevation more quickly.

I hope this helps, or am I misunderstanding what is needed?

In any event, a nolix will need to cross your doorway. That may or may not be a show stopper depending on the elevation of the crossing and how you treat the duck under. Staircase railings for crew to rest and slide their fore-arms on as they duck really help with getting through places like that. When I visited Jack Burgess and Jim Dias layouts they both used this technique for their duck-unders. While not wonderful, the duck unders were navigable, even with my back not being 100% -- your weight is carried by your forearms rather than your back.

Charlie

Re: Nolix?

Charlie,

Apparently, I was confused as to what a nolix really is.  I guess it is more of an around the room helix that I am planning.  The first deck is at 36" and the second deck is at 56".  I am either going to use a old fashioned helix or an around the room helix to connect the two.  I don't think I have room for a true nolix and continuous running is important for me, so I'd need turnarounds with a nolix.  I was not planning on climbing the grade on my peninsula, only the walls themselves.  As I mentioned, two walls are my staging area, so if I have track climbing behind it, it doesn't bother me.  One of the other walls is where the peninsula comes out, so I can easily hide the track there.  The only other place is the yard area (if I don't put it on the peninsula), and I can always hid that if I need to with trees and buildings.

Thanks for setting me straight on my terminology!

Ryan

If you have it going behind

If you have it going behind your engine facilities, you may plan the backdrop in such a way that your backdrop have a step in it so it is two instead of one - and the back track is in this trough between backdrops.  The depth would be enough that you could reach the train if you needed to, but you can't see them from the front of the layout.  The effect would be further made by putting backdrop buildings on the first wall so that they stick up above the line that is the top of the backdrop and then put a city picture in the further away backdrop.  That's one idea, at the least.

Sometimes you can reduce the

Sometimes you can reduce the laps in a helix by building a grade that does part of the necessary elevation change before you dive into the helix proper.

If designing for scenic possibilities/plausibility, try to keep the 'rising' track far enough away from other items in the flatlands that a plausible grade in the scenery is possible. This lets you avoid the dreaded 30' of really tall retaining wall syndrome.

Another possibility, although it requires some careful thought and some esthetic trade-offs is once you have 10" of separation, to start a mini-deck to keep the rising track separate from the tracks below. But it does require the viewers to take in 3 decks at a time (not counting any under-the-lower-deck staging).  That would be the lower deck, the mezzanine holding the upper portion of the rising track, and finally the true upper deck. Something like this should be mocked up full size using cardboard bench work before commencing sawdust production.  It might be possible to reduce your 5 turn helix to two turns doing something like this.  The other problem, of course, is you still need to set aside the space for a helix.

Does it ever seem like there are no good solutions for what we try to do trackplan wise in our train rooms?

Charlie

Partial Nolix, partial helix ????

One possibility is to do a partial Nolix, partial helix design.   That is to have the decks "rise" as they go around the room, and use a 1 - 2 loop helix to the final elevation gain?  Would that work for you? That's what i am planning on doing with the interim P&A Layout.

Ken L

Ryan we are doing almost exactly the same...

Ryan,

What you have described as a "nolix" is almost identical to what I'm doing on the JL&T.  I think our room dimensions are very similar 23' x 13' for the JL&T and the deck separations too 15" - 16".  Our layout is basically two decks in a dogbone design, our end return blobs run behind the backdrop and then begin there decent to the middle deck via the graded branch at 2% at the start, then leveling out for 10 - 12' for a passing siding, and then continuing on grade to form into the middle deck scenery.

The northern graded branch runs along the middle deck backdrop halfway up, and protrudes out about 6", I got the idea from MR "Designing & Building Multi-Deck Model Railroads.  A modeler by the name of John Longhurst has successfully put a graded branch between his top and middle decks.  And the effect in the photo on pg-91 is very effective.  

Oddly enough my graded branch will be running above my yard to, a small portion is on grade (about 4') and then it levels out to allow for a passing siding.  This graded branch will only be single line with one passing siding, I'm now also considering installing a helix to, as this will add more operational potential to the layout.

I'll take some pictures tomorrow and post them for you to see, if you need any other information or want to discuss it more contact me via PM and we can talk some more...

Jas...

UPDATE:

​As promised here are the photos of the proposed "graded branch" that I'm working on for the JL&T...

First photo is coming down from the return blob of the top deck...

Next shows the section that will have a double track truss bridge...

Lastly the corner leading down to the west wall...

Hope this helps Ryan, as I do more I'll post some more photos...

Jas...

...

Bumped...  Updated post for Ryan above...

Hay Jason Great work so far.

Your railroad is really shaping up nicely and until now I haven't had any suggestions for you and you may be planning what I'm about to say anyway.

Using particle board less than 12 inches wide and over 12 inches long can warp enough to cause derailments with weather changes. I have one suggestion that will prevent that ever happening.  During Humid days and extra dry days particle board  can bow and bulge enough to cause you derailment problems. If you look down the roadbed in photos 2 & 3 you can see the roller coaster effect your getting already. It isn't much now but, it can be enough to cause problems when weather changes causes more exaggerated warping.

Take some 1 X 2 (21 mm X 63 mm) Pine or fir strips and glue and clamp it under the entire length of the particle board to prevent this. You Do not need to remove the particle board to place it between the stud supports and the particle board just add what we call in the furniture trade as stiffeners.  Just glue these strips to the under side of each shelf about 30 MM back from the front edge and 7 to 10 mm from the stud supports this will keep the shelves straight and level.

Because there will be no real weight on these shelves, just using glue is all you will need to keep the particle board from flexing and causing derailed trains. You don't even need to add any screws to help hold the strips of pine or fir. Just use yellow carpenters glue and a couple 2 or three clamps on them for a hour or while the glue cures. Your chance of any warping will be reduced 98% and that's more than enough to eliminate the chance of ever having a wheel come off the tracks and ruining your day. 

Keep up all the great work your doing! I really enjoy checking out your work daily even if I don't comment often.