I hear you talk about the nolix being a visable helix. It sounds like a great idea of increasing the visable mainline run while serving the purpose of going to another level. I've never seen this done before so out of curiosity, how are you doing it? You have any pics or track diagrams of it?
I can't find my back issues... they are buried somewhere... of Model Railroad Planning, but the nolix idea as originally drawn up and shown to the public by John Armstrong is in one of those two issues (98 or 99). BUT, the article is about he Athabassca Railroad, a plan that was drawn up by John A but not used. So don't look for Armstrong as the author. It is either the 98 or 99 issue. If you read the article, you will learn the client didn't want a helix. So john coined a phrase called a "nolix" as a joke. If you look at the track plan you will see the nolix area. This is the only known plan that I know of, that I can show you. I have one planned for my layout, the benchwork is up for the lower and upper benchwork, and the nolix area is just being started. So I don't have pictures. John A's is in a rectangle and mine is L shaped. The idea is to create a mountainous region in which trains gain elevation while being as visible most of the time as possible. Mine will dissappear around the back of the nolix, but they will be gone for only about 20 seconds and re-appear. Twenty seconds is much more acceptable than what happens in most helix's. But I should tell you, I am just about the only one on the planet flogging Nolix's. To me, after running many helix's, nolix's are a better idea, especially with some one with a smaller space - such as I have.
It's OK Rick - your time will come. The current trends in track planning is for linear plans where the main line never passes through the same scene twice. There are few examples in the real world where this happens and current design trends only 'allow' the main to do this when the prototype did. (I am not saying you must or have to design this way - these are trends, not rules that I am talking about - don't forget it's your RR) A helix is the easiest way to get a main line from one level to the other without traveling through the same scene twice. The main disadvantage is that your train is hidden for a real long time and you have to hide the monster. But don't forget that a nolix can be built on a peninsula with a double sided backdrop. You can have a long grade from one end to the other wrapping around the blob and the backdrop to get from the lower to the upper level. The disadvantage of this technique is that you can't have a double deck peninsula. My model RR of the future is based upon the CP/Soo Tomah Sub from La Crosse Wi to Portage Wi - there is a long grade from Sparta to Tunnel City Wi - in my mind to put this long grade in a helix would really be a drag. It's the only double track section of the sub and it's the only real grade on the line (a little over 1% - look out!) but seriously trains do get stuck on it and need help (and still do based upon email conversations with CP employees who work that sub today.) And with single track on either side of it - there is heaps of operation potential here – why hide it? Also CNW had trackage rights over this section and I am a closet CNW fan – who wants to run the CNW train from staging to helix to staging? Sounds like no fun to me. Anyway - my plan is to put this grade on a double sided peninsula with La Crosse and Sparta on the lower level - Tunnel City, (a junction with CNW) Tomah and Protage on the upper level. (space permitting The Wisconsin Dells will make a great scene too.) But of course I need to buy a layout room with a house attached first. In time… If you freelance than it is easy to have a series of spiral tunnels in a mountain range because that's how your fictional RR did things.
Hey Rob, I had Dane take a look at your posting asking about help with two Soo cars, but he couldn't be of assistance and neither can I. Of the two of us, he is definitely the most knowledgeable when it comes to the prototypes. With my "nolix" idea, I can't be that wrong, as the client asked John not to have a helix although he definitely had the room to do so. If I recall, the initial plan John drew up for him had two! helixes. John also went along with it and presented a reasonable plan I felt. By the way, that plan made it to the Layout Design Journal, but the nolix idea wasn't really discussed. The HO layout that Dane and I go to is going to have 3! helixes, although I have been assured one is for staging only. Lol... this staging is being set up for a railroad that never really needed staging. He is modeling the "Kettle Valley Railroad " a division of CP in British Columbia, that was more of a sleeper section of the road. It also had the unenviable status of receiving the most snow anywhere in CAnada, truly a feat. As you can imagine, it was eventually closed down. So my friend John, is going to have a busier RR than the prototype...lol What John has done is created a story line of a "washout" on the CP mainline, and the Kettle Valley is being used to move CP mainline equipment. And if you ask me, this is all beyound Hope (an inside British Columbia joke). Well as the loner on the planet flogging nolixes, I guess I have a rare moment of fame.... lol. Where's Dave when you need him, to sing my praise. [ 05 January 2002: Message edited by: rsn48 ]
