Hi, Here's a video of my

Hi,

Here's a video of my layout room with a nolix to go into staging. It's long but if you look at the deck separation it'll give you an idea of how it works. Basically one big circle around the perimeter of the basement. 

Hope it helps.

Terry in NW Wisconsin

Scour through here

http://www.cmrailroad.com
 

Look under the Photos section as well all of the OPs sessions.

Steve

Definition?

There seems to be some question about what a "Nolix" is.  Everytime I hear the term I envision  and very long ramp that connects two or more levels of a layout.  However, someone here told me I was wrong when I said this and presented an elongated oval shaped helix as being a "Nolix" . I still think my perception is correct but I'll keep an open mind and would love to hear what others think.

Michael

I wish I had photos...

I wish I had photos of the benchwork I was building for an N scale multilevel layout before we had to move unexpectedly... I'll have to see if I can find any of the drawings I made, or do something in Sketchup to make it more clear. .

Imagine looking into a portion of a basement (no wall on your end, so no door to worry about...) that is roughly 18 feet deep and 15 feet wide. Lower right is a yard, about 30" off the floor for seated operation, with a loop around it for continuous running. The double track line leaves the yard and joins the loop... heading to the back wall, turning and running along it (through a tunnel under a peninsula) and back up the other side, where it swings out and makes a loop, beginning to climb immediately. Running back down the wall, it climbs a 1.5-2% grade (never more on the railroad..) and reaches the peninsula. It crosses under the left side line and runs up the right still climbing, with industries and a city along the approximately 12 foot long peninsula and an elevated passenger station for Shikansen style high speed rail (a separate line not shared with freight) in the level loop at the end. Running back down the right side now and climbing again, it rises above where it entered the peninsula and reaches the second level of the right hand side, still climbing as it runs up to the loop above the first yard. Turning, it runs back down the right hand wall, level to the end now, and crosses a bridge over the trackwork at the end of the peninsula. It comes back up the left wall to the other yard, where the main line loops around it again, providing for continuous running on what is really a very long and convoluted dogbone that gave the appearance of (and was intended to functioned as) a double track main line.

All without a helix, and with two tiers of layout on both sides of the room, and plenty of space to get through the aisles. Just a mild, constant grade over most of the line that gained about 2 feet of altitude over the total length of the run. Tests on ramps indicated my locomotives would easily pull 20+ car trains up the grades involved when double-headed.

The benchwork was built using steel stud framework - the back side screwed directly to the plywood of the basement walls and built out from there, with 1x2 legs attached where necessary. Sheet metal was connected with steel pop rivets. The top was 1 inch extruded foam insulation, attached with self-drilling hex head sheet metal screws though the largest 1/4 inch fender washers I could find (about an inch and a half, IIRC) and drawn down tight into the foam, then covered with lightweight spackling (Woodland Scenics "Foam Putty").

Broke my heart to tear it out before any track was laid... but better then than when finished.

Captured that up north feel

great job capturing that North country feel with excellent clouds on the backdrop.  I like how to parallel the road, very realistic. Thanks to your wife for taking the time to video and giving you that wonderful basement space. 

Michael

I've always equated a "nolix"

I've always equated a "nolix" to the climbing track being visible.  Instead of using hidden helix track to gain elevation, you go around the room (or a peninsula) to gain the elevation instead.  This works really well for mountain railroads, but also would work for mid-west flatland themed railroads.  Tony Koester's much publicized double-decker is one example. 

Where do the levels seperate?

I guess my biggest perception problem is, as the lower level track rises to the upper deck. How is that transition  made when it comes to the fascias etc. Because you have an upper level fascia and a lower level fascia, if the track runs from lower to upper there has to be an area were the train goes from lower to upper, how do the fascias divide? Remember my room is roughly 14x15 so I wont have long peninsulas to travel to climb the distance. 

Actually as I sat down the other night, I want 22" separating the two decks, so at a 2.5% grade I need 73' of track, not going to happen in a 14x15 room. So I need to either add a peninsula to gain mainline track, lower the upper deck, or go with a helix I think.

Anyone have pictures of how the fascias transition from upper to lower with a nolix? 

Rob

No separation

In a nolix, the lower level simply rises gradually throughout its run to eventually become the upper level once it reaches a point where it is above where it started.  The fascia would be the same throughout. There would be no separation or transition.  In your case, you would simply rise continuously for 73' in one revolution around the room, and maybe out and back a center peninsula about 7', and once you reached your starting point, you would be 22" above where you began.  

Randy

Nolix, Bolix?

Star Trek had a Nelix and MRH underlines that word also.

Thinking about the series, he did talk a lot of bolix.