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Michael4		#1 Posted : 01 September 2020 12:21:19(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 02/02/2017(UTC) Posts: 642 Location: England, South Coast		Having looked at a few examples this seems pretty straightforward. (for M track) Just one question, what would you recommend for the thickness of the board. Do I want a bit of flex in it or do I want it entirely rigid? I'm thinking about 3mm ply of a reasonably good grade, ie something that is flat! It seems high quality ply in the thinner gauges gets quite expensive and may be too bendy.
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DaleSchultz		#2 Posted : 01 September 2020 13:50:00(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC) Posts: 3,997		3mm sounds very thin. The distance between your supports is a factor in determining your board thickness. I would go with 5 or 6mm ply so that you don't get sag between supports. (or less at least)
		Dale Intellibox + own software, K-Track My current layout: https://cabin-layout.mixmox.com Arrival and Departure signs: https://remotesign.mixmox.com
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hxmiesa		#3 Posted : 01 September 2020 14:49:24(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC) Views messages in topic : 3,520 Location: Spain		I used 10mm thickness with support for every 60º. Would use 8mm if I had to do it again.
		Best regards Henrik Hoexbroe ("The Dane In Spain") http://hoexbroe.tripod.com
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2 users liked this useful post by hxmiesa		DaleSchultz, dickinsonj
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JohnjeanB		#4 Posted : 01 September 2020 16:22:19(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC) Posts: 3,114 Location: Paris, France		Hi Indeed I think 8 mm is a good compromise, combined with K tracks. This allows to keep the ramp not too steep as the track + base board total thickness have to be included in the ramp calculations Cheers Jean
		My layout videos latest vid marshalling yard My Layout
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Ian555		#5 Posted : 02 September 2020 11:22:10(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 04/06/2009(UTC) Posts: 20,240 Location: Scotland		Used 5mm Plywood and cut each level from the 1 piece of plywood, that way only 1 join between levels.Built with M track. Will look out some photo's...been using it now for 10 years. Ian.
1 user liked this useful post by Ian555		PJMärklin
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Ian555		#6 Posted : 02 September 2020 11:31:43(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 04/06/2009(UTC) Posts: 20,240 Location: Scotland		....
7 users liked this useful post by Ian555		PJMärklin, Br502362, DB Fan, dickinsonj, Gregor, Martti Mäntylä, 1borna
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Michael4		#7 Posted : 02 September 2020 16:00:09(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 02/02/2017(UTC) Posts: 642 Location: England, South Coast		Ian that looks excellent, inspires me to get on with it. Are the threaded supporting bars fixed to the baseboard or does the weight of the whole thing hold it all in place?
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Michael4		#8 Posted : 02 September 2020 16:42:34(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 02/02/2017(UTC) Posts: 642 Location: England, South Coast		So I guess I better make the thing in cardboard first so as to work out how many components I need. I like the idea of making it out of as few pieces as possible. Screen Shot 2020-09-02 at 15.39.17 by dralowid, on Flickr
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hxmiesa		#9 Posted : 02 September 2020 17:51:44(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC) Views messages in topic : 3,520 Location: Spain		Space is always scarce but, ...would it be possible to insert a couple of 5106´s in the helix? -It would help a lot to lower the climbing angle. Also; Where you go in and out of the helix on the top, you should look into removing the last 5100->5200 sections that form and S-curve. If you can go out of the helix on a couple of 5106´s in diagonal, it would also help the strain on the trains.
		Best regards Henrik Hoexbroe ("The Dane In Spain") http://hoexbroe.tripod.com
		WWW
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Ian555		#10 Posted : 02 September 2020 20:21:16(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 04/06/2009(UTC) Posts: 20,240 Location: Scotland		Yes, I have a 5106 straight included in the Helix.
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Ian555		#11 Posted : 02 September 2020 20:24:00(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 04/06/2009(UTC) Posts: 20,240 Location: Scotland		The threaded rods go thro' the baseboard and are secured into position with nuts and washers.
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Michael4		#12 Posted : 02 September 2020 23:45:39(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 02/02/2017(UTC) Posts: 642 Location: England, South Coast		Thanks all, I will redraw with your suggestions and post a revised version.
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Michael4		#13 Posted : 03 September 2020 11:55:28(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 02/02/2017(UTC) Posts: 642 Location: England, South Coast		Do you mean more like this? If so I think I can make it fit though I don't know if I have any 5201 (not the most common bit of track!) Screen Shot 2020-09-03 at 10.52.29 by dralowid, on Flickr
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hxmiesa		#14 Posted : 03 September 2020 13:13:09(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC) Views messages in topic : 3,520 Location: Spain		Originally Posted by: Michael4 Do you mean more like this? If so I think I can make it fit though I don't know if I have any 5201 (not the most common bit of track!) Almost; No 5101 or 5201 though. Just; 5100+5100 + 5106+5106 + 5200+5200. If the two 5106 makes it too long, you can try with shorter straights...
		Best regards Henrik Hoexbroe ("The Dane In Spain") http://hoexbroe.tripod.com
		WWW
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Ausipeet		#15 Posted : 03 September 2020 13:24:50(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 04/06/2012(UTC) Posts: 314 Location: Adelaide		I would be inclined to make each level out of four sections cut out on a laser cutter and make them from 8 mm MDF.
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Michael4		#16 Posted : 03 September 2020 17:04:51(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 02/02/2017(UTC) Posts: 642 Location: England, South Coast		I got a bit confused by your instructions but produced this which I think ansnwers the points you made...it might even be what you told me to do! MDF is a good idea. Far less likely to be wavy in sheet form. Screen Shot 2020-09-03 at 16.01.34 by dralowid, on Flickr
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applor		#17 Posted : 04 September 2020 00:09:56(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 21/05/2004(UTC) Posts: 1,654 Location: Brisbane, Queensland		You can see my helixes in this old thread: https://www.marklin-user...7th-July-2020#post543099 I used 12mm ply but its a bit stiff and I will use 9mm ply for my new storage yard.
		modelling era IIIa (1951-1955) Germany
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DB Fan		#18 Posted : 04 September 2020 04:40:22(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 01/03/2016(UTC) Posts: 265 Location: Colorado		(MDF is a good idea. Far less likely to be wavy in sheet form.) If you are going to use MDF I would recommend that you seal the parts for the helix before you install it. If you don’t you could end up having a roller coaster for a helix if you don’t have a climate controlled train room. Looking forward to seeing it when finished. Robert
1 user liked this useful post by DB Fan		DV
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Gregor		#19 Posted : 04 September 2020 08:03:03(UTC) Retweet
Joined: 17/04/2003(UTC) Posts: 996 Location: Netherlands		I built my helix from chipwood boards, 10 mm thick in a wooden frame. It is not a circle, but an oval with 4 pc's of straight 5106 track between the half circles. This makes for a slope of less than 3%, which is quite forgiving, so I did not need fine tuning methods like threaded bars/nuts. Best regards, Gregor
4 users liked this useful post by Gregor		PJMärklin, Br502362, dickinsonj, 1borna
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