Those that have multiple levels, where do you run your biggest steamers?

Every engine goes everywhere on all levels.

That was a pre-requisite before construction.

Scrappy

I run my Big Boy at ground level like the real ones. My floor layout has the widest curves.

On my widest curves.  Always.  I don't care what level they're at.  

I don't have any large locos (big boys, challengers, etc) but I only ran my large cars on the lower level.  That was when I had my layout up and running.  Like auto racks and 60' cars.  I think they just look better if they are lower.

Rick

I have three levels and the big engine's run on all three level's

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Alex

For me it’s a matter of available space.  While my wife and I save for a basement, my parents are generous enough to alow me to share their basement with my dad’s flyer layout.  My layout is double decked with the lower level at five and half feet wide and the upper at four and a half feet wide.  I have o-45 curves up top and o-54 on the lower, so I’m obviously limited by that factor.  I generaly run o-27 trains on the uppper level and “scale” stuff on the lower.  When I do run scale on the upper level I limit it to forty foot equipment and my smaller engines. For me running this way gives the impression of more space.

My layout has three major laloops on four levels:

Loop 3, a dogbone of about 45 feet of track that goes under and over itsel, fwith reversing loops on each end, one is on the top level, and passes over the other on the lower level, but it has no switches (Gauntlet track on the shared center section) - O-36 curves on the reversing look highest up, O-45 on that underneath.  That is inside of the next lower level which is . . . 

Loop 2 - another dogbone, about 90 feet of track, with reversing loops at each end that do use switches, all on one level, which is all O-54 curves,  it is inside of the   

Loop 3, a continuous loop (no reversing, no switches) of 141 feet, on two levels,it has O72 curves on the upper level (that just outside of Loop 2 in places, then winds under itself where it has O-4 and 96 curves on the lowest level of the layout.

I run the biggest steamers on the O-72 loop since many require 72 or larger curves.  the Loop 1 with 36 and 48 curves I call "BEEPWord" and nothing (loco or rolling stock) longer than a BEEP or Lionel 0-4-0 shifter is allowed on it: I've had to cut down the length of some rolling stock to accommodate that rule.

Right now, my layout is configured so that trains go from one level to another and that is pretty much how I'd like to keep things.  The only exception might be if I add a mountain with a short length of "logging track".  I am in the process of re-doing my curves to an O72 minimum so that I can run my larger engines.

I do have a "skyway" right now but I am engineering that out as soon as I can (probably even before I increase the size of my curves).  I just don't like how it looks.  As the original poster alluded to, big, heavy engines will make for stability issues too if things aren't screwed down and very well supported.

Available space, trackplan and where I want Lionel operating accessories forces me to ring my layout with 072.  A reverse loop figure 8 is in the middle.  Almost every track piece is on Lionel trestle bents, as well as the Lionel 072 switches.

By throwing a few switches I can run my smaller engines everywhere to include the 072 blocks, but obviously not the other way around.

Through my collecting years I aquired hundreds of pieces of Lionel tubular and about three dozen 022 remote switches.  This accumulation weighed heavily in my track planning-but I also wanted to be able run Lionel's largest PRR engines.

My elevated track is 0-72 on the curves, so the big steamers are just fine up there. The elevated system can support the heaviest of engines.

My larger steamers are kept on the lower levels because I have more 0-72. My higher levels are more of a mountain route (tighter curves)

For 13 years I ran my Southern Crescent Limited 9' above the floor on the 0156 upper track of the 5 track, twin shelf[7'-6" & 9'H.] operation in the 14x32 Kitchen at our Mountain Cottage. Built 02/92, dismantled in 03/08.

I have a mountain branch that climbs about 10 inches at a 2.5% grade, with O-36 minimum diameter.  My heavy steamers stay on the  mainline with O-60 curves and O-72 easements and switches, with superelevation on the curves.

That's what I'm saying. We designed our layout so that ANY engine, could run on ANY track, at ANY time. The only place our steamers don't go, is the diesel service tracks.....but they shouldn't/wouldn't go in there anyway