Do your upper and lower levels connect?

@leapinlarry posted:

Ok, Imagination is the key that opens the doors to your mind, and the beginning of the adventure your going to Conquer.....take a look.... Happy Railroading

Larry, I wanted to ask a couple of questions about your layout but don’t see an e mall address.   Can you e mail me if you’re willing to share some insights on your layout?  Thanks.

Mike Caruso, email sent, it should be in my profile.... Thank you.

My main layout has 4 loops in a 20 X 20 area.  Two loops are on level 0, one goes from 0” to 3” where it meets the upper loop which goes from 3” to 6”.  The upper loop is shown in red.

The two levels of our layout are connected. When my son (a teenager at the time) and I were planning our new layout a few years ago, he came up with several ideas. We built a 12 foot by 16 foot shed building. We decided We would build an around the walls “shelf” style layout. We wanted a single mainline with siding, 072 track curves, Gargraves track, Ross switches. We also wanted a yard and small roundhouse with a turntable. My son really wanted a wye also. This planning and daydreaming took 4 or 5 years, as ideas were considered, changed, dropped, and evolved. Although I was initially against it, my son (who really thought about it and planned more than I did) decided the only  solution was a two level plan. He convinced me, and so that’s what we did. The main trackwork and scenery are on the lower level. The upper level has the roundhouse, turntable, engine facilities, and the yard. A connecting track circles 3 of the walls of our shed to reach the upper level which is approximately 21 inches above the lower level. The grade is about 4%. The lower level has a whistlestop station, a switchback up to a logging area , and a wye. The upper level has the yards on the right side, a lumber mill on the right side at the rear corner. The roundhouse and turntable area are across the back of the upper level. I’m still working on the scenery for the layout. The upper level track ballasting and ground cover is just starting. I’ll attach 4 photos taken from 4-5 years ago up to a week ago. 

WP, you and your son are very patient people, designing and revising your layout plans for 5 years before starting construction. My time frame for that would not exceed 6 months. Your photos show that your patience has paid dividends for you and your son.

I think your layout is an interesting one, and I like your "purple mountains majesty." Arnold

By the time I started planning my current layout, I had decided that I did not like grades in the mainline. My dislike stemmed from the my particular situation: a small layout with conventional trains. The short mainline run means that the train frequently changes attitudes--uphill to flat to downhill to uphill again--and the conventional operation means constant babysitting. It would never be possible to just step back and enjoy just watching the train. So for that reason, I chose to confine the "running" portion of the layout to one level, but use lower levels for staging. That way, the grade connecting the main level to the staging levels only gets used when the train enters or exits the layout. That will happen frequently, but it will not happen every 30 seconds, as it would were the grade part of the mainline.

Lionel display layouts were all about appearing complex but keeping it functionally simple. A couple of exceptions were the D-291 with an operating block system (simple) that would run 2 trains and the complex D-63 ( I believe) city scape with relays to control switching and the elevated roadway.   

They come to the same level but do not connect (because the upper level is On30, not 03R).  Spurs of both gauges surround the passenger depot.

My layout is twice around the room, with lots of separation between levels. 

The layout is about 11ft x 22ft with two yards going off to the side. The green track is the top layer. The ugly trackwork is in the closet (at the top of the diagram, so the you do not notice anything obviously out of scale and non-realistic.

Looking towards Penticton  & Copper Mountain on the lower track, with Spences Bridge on the top right.

Penticton in the back and Brookmere in the foreground on the lower levels

Looking towards Ruth on the bottom and Hope on the top. Brown bridge is track coming through the closet wall.

View of Midway, where track goes into the closet. 

I have a upper and lower track connection I built from Precision Board. It is carved to look like large brick and granite blocks. In the past few months I removed it and most of my switches to make it easier to run my Railroad. If some one would like it let me know. I don't think I can ship it, it's 9 feet long. I live in South Hadley Western Mass. I also built an elevated ramp for my Lionel Trolley with Polystyrene.

How do trains go on that curve down part and how did you bend the rigid track down like that?

@laming posted:

Short answer...

Yes: The levels are connected.

Long answer...

I use a "Nolix" to ascend between the lower level and the upper level of my primary layout. The "Nolix" represents the ruling grade of my freelanced railroad and the grade is located in the "Ozark Subdivision".  It was designed to be a integral part of the operational scheme, for I like helpers and battling stout grades. Thus far my decision has worked to perfection.

EDIT: Pic of the "Nolix" area to illustrate...

 

Andre

I can't tell from the pic but is this HO scale?

@luvindemtrains posted:

I can't tell from the pic but is this HO scale?

luvdemtrains:

That is correct. That is my HO layout that's in my out building.

I'm currently in the process of acquiring 3-rail goodies for casual enjoyment now, and possible use on a 3-rail layout later.

Andre

Beautiful photos guys.   It had to be a ton of fun just putting these layouts together.  

It must be a  bear cleaning track and keeping the dust down.    I think i like a little dust on mine for atmosphere 🙄

I've tried to dress up my overhead rails on trestles and haven't found a way to work it out.   I noticed what looks like ribbed iron bridging supporting the rails in all of your layouts . It's a really good look.   What kind of material is this made from ? 

Keep the imagination and creative juices flowing.........be safe .😷

My levels are connected. I use the lower level to run passenger and freight trains with the upper level as the Beer Line. The upper level is, in essence a switching layout where I shuttle reefers between the upper and lower levels and among the brewery buildings. The climb up is rather steep, which limits the number of reefers to four (plus a transfer caboose). The whole layout is 8 x 23 with the upper level at 8 x 16. The attached crummy picture shows the turnout leading up to the Beer Line. I treat the upper level as a separate block. I'm very happy with this configuration because it gives me the best of both worlds.

Jim

I also have all levels connected, wouldn't have it any other way. But thats just me. Poses no operating problems since I have run all command for better than 10 years now. I also like reverse loops and wyes for turning the trains, and the ability to run  trains in an extended loop to loop fashion from one level to another. All good.

Rod

Rod Stewart, please post some pictures of your layout, it would be cool t see your handiwork. Thank you, Jim Brenner, would you show some other sides of your nice layout, Luvindemtrains, nice work and it’s going to be cool when you ad scenery, Gene Maag, I like the tubular track and your post war look, very nostalgic, need more pictures of yours to, Joe K, wow, around the room and a neat track plan, Wow.... Everyone, hope alls well, and Happy Railroading...

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Beautiful photos guys.   It had to be a ton of fun just putting these layouts together.  

It must be a  bear cleaning track and keeping the dust down.    I think i like a little dust on mine for atmosphere 🙄

I've tried to dress up my overhead rails on trestles and haven't found a way to work it out.   I noticed what looks like ribbed iron bridging supporting the rails in all of your layouts . It's a really good look.   What kind of material is this made from ? 

Keep the imagination and creative juices flowing.........be safe .😷

Those long length plate girder bridge material I see quite often. I to would like to know where you get it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have two levels connected on my 24'x52' layout, therefore I am able to run any of my trains from one level to the other one, it is a lot of fun running the trains up and down, of course build the grades takes time and real state.

@Dennis Rempel posted:

 

I use Polystyrene for all my steel work.

Here’s some pictures that reflect how I did the Connection to different levels, using 2% grades. These trains are running outside the mountain where the helix is inside.  Happy Railroading 

I have two layouts in the basement, an overhead that runs 100 ft. around the entire bar and rec area, and a much larger table layout.

In this pic, you can see the boxed I beams.  No way to connect to the table layout.

Here are four of the five levels on the table layout, which runs through and around old cabinets, the vacuum, a large refrigerator, etc.

The two lower levels are connected, the two upper levels are not. 

This ascending ramp looks steep, but, the LCP engine easily pulls 15 cars up it's 12 foot length.

The bump and go trolley line partially hides the water pipe, and doesn't need to be connected.  Neither does the other trolley on the right, which used to be connected to the second level.

The makeshift station is the other end of the light blue, 027, trolley line.

A connection between the level 1 and 2, which goes up 6 inches, around the rocket launcher, and back to table level.

I don't mind that the mainlines are mostly unconnected to each other.  I like the levels, and if I wanted more of these great trains, I had to build up.  Also, to run seven engines plus two trolleys, at the same time, it's better not to worry about trains running into each other.  With my basement setup, having to work through three rooms and around all the stuff, prototypical was out of the question.  I'm very happy with this toy train layout.

Jerry

@Mike CT posted:

Grades from one level to the other are a lot of work.  

really nice!

@Trainlover160 posted:

really nice!

Thank you, Mike CT. 

I was reading this post today and went looking for an online grade/rise/run calculator to determine if I want to hold onto my dream of an interconnected multilevel layout. The calculators I found weren't very helpful, but this page was:

https://www.thesprucecrafts.co...model-trains-2382062

Maybe it's helpful to you too.

@MainStreeter1967 posted:

I was reading this post today and went looking for an online grade/rise/run calculator to determine if I want to hold onto my dream of an interconnected multilevel layout. The calculators I found weren't very helpful, but this page was:

https://www.thesprucecrafts.co...model-trains-2382062

Maybe it's helpful to you too.

Per Cent grade(%)  =  Rise divided by Run X 100.

Example:  All measurements in inches.

7"(Rise) divided by 15ft (180" Run) = .0388 X 100 = 3.88%,    2% max, may be best grade. 

Note:  Small layout, including all curves, it is difficult to get a grade less than 3%, IMO.

Times 2. (a loop layout)   (1.) Distance for the up grade, (2.) Distance for the down grade.  Example above needs 30 ft of track for up and down. Or you could use the same grade for both up and down,  would have to add a reversing loop. Or back down the grade.    "Grades are a lot of work"   Have fun, Mike CT.

Panhandle 1 (18' x 10') had a connected hidden storage yard on a lower level reached with a long lead.  Seemed like a good idea at the time, but as the song says "What was I thinking?"     Turned out to be a total PITA - poor visibility, poor accessibility, almost never used.

Panhandle 2 (47' x 11') has the C&P River Route, a disconnected loop running under the bridge on the Steubenville, Ohio side of the river (just like the prototype).  The loop can be operated in either command or conventional modes, and I plan to allow the kids / grandkids to run their trains on it.  I would love to have been able to run helpers ("snappers" in PRR parlance) on trains, but that a) would have disrupted the theme of the layout; b) requires even more space to be done correctly.  By definition, model railroads are compromises to space, theme, money, and time.

George

I have a modest 9x13 layout with three independent but interconnected loops. I enjoy the chaos of 3 trains running at the same time, but also enjoy watching a single consist gracefully running between the upper and lower loops without any switching necessary. I have a hard time having fun watching trains run around in a circle - unless its watching the grandkids get excited about it.

One of these days I'll figure out how to program the DCS and run several on the interconnected loops at the same time.