BUILDING A HELIX – One Modeler’s Experience – by Art Houston
Photos by the author
Building a 10-turn helix is not rocket science – and if you build it right, it can last you a lifetime ...
I
built the original helix for my first Grande Pacific Railroad as described in this article. Fortunately, the construction I used allowed me to dismantle the helix and move it wholesale to my second Grande Pacific Railroad that’s now located in Houma, Louisiana. This is a double-track 10-turn helix with some switches mid-level that exit
the helix, allowing it to feed three different levels. However, my new track plan does not involve using the two mid-helix switches that remain. I just operate the helix today as part of a long straight run that is
the new Central Division of the Grande Pacific RR. Follow along now as I describe my helix construction process.
Figure 1: Art built this 10-turn double-track helix for his Grande Pacific Central Division HO layout – and then later moved it lock-stock-and-barrel to his new layout, more-or-less intact! Follow along as Art shows you how he did both the original helix and the relocation to his new layout.
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Page 61 • Issue 11-07 • Jul 2011 • Building a Helix, page 1
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