MA&G: Construction
My triple deck MA&G was begun using standard L-girder techniques. Originally I planned on continuing the L-girder construction on the third level, until I saw an article by Don Spiro in the October 2005 Railroad Model Craftsman that introduced a shelf bracket system. The upper deck of my layout is supported by 20-inch heavy-duty metal shelf brackets which hang from 12-inch slotted strips. These components, made by Closet Maid, are readily available from Lowes. I hung the brackets in the lowest position to minimize the visual intrusion into the middle level backdrop. The sections of the strips that rise above the third level were hidden by strategically placed building flats. 1 x 3 horizontal boards are screwed directly into the brackets from below and provide support for the benchwork. To help insure that no damage occurred to the second level, I created 8-foot long benchwork "boxes" that are pre-drilled and outfitted with bus wires. These simply sit on top of the 1 x 3 supports and then get attached with drywall screws. Once in place, each bus wire section is connected with wire nuts. Track feeder wires and switch machines get installed once the "shelfwork" is in place. If I were starting over I think I would use the bracket system for all three levels. Even in the case of my peninsula, I could have built a stud wall for the brackets to hang from. My calculations show that the cost is a little more than traditional lumber, but I believe the ease and speed of construction offsets the additional expense.
I created my own lighting system using rubber indoor/outdoor sockets which are held in place with conduit straps. I used 14-gauge wire to connect the light sockets which are affixed to the 1 x 3's with staples. I elected to go with 14 watt (60 watt equivalent) CFL bulbs from "n:vision". I chose the Bright White versions. The beauty of these bulbs is low wattage, low heat, long life and a color spectrum similar to my ceiling fluorescents. The bulbs are wired in parallel and run to a light switch which is in turn wired to an extension cord. This way, the lights did not require hard wiring, yet can be turned on and off with a conventional wall switch mounted to the benchwork.
The helix is built from 1/2-inch plywood and takes up a space 6-feet square. The outside track has a radius of 34 inches and the inside track has a 31 inch radius. The inside radius of the plywood base is 29 inches and the outside is 36. The grade in the helix is 1.63% for the outside (34") track and 1.79% for the inside (31") track. There is a 3-inch clearance between the levels which are separated by wooden spacer blocks I cut on a miter saw. Once you get the first loop built, it is a simple matter of using the spacers to build off of it. The worst part was cutting the arches from the plywood with a jigsaw. I cut 2 half-moon segments from one piece of 4x8 plywood, thus yielding 1 complete lap per sheet of plywood. To join the sections, I used the same trim pieces I used to make the spacer blocks as splice plates. These were secured with carpenter's glue which was clamped overnight to dry. This method was also used to secure the supports in place. Just remember you are laying track as you build. I've only had two locomotives out of 100+ which could not pull 15 cars up the helix. Those two were quietly removed from the pike. I have no wiring in the helix. All of the joints on the sections of flex track are soldered, so I only have jumper wires to the very bottom and very top of the helix. Even though there is nearly 300 feet of trackage in the helix (double tracks), I have never experienced any continuity problems - even once I switched to DCC. Now that the helix is built, there is no way to have access to add a bus wire even if I wanted to. But I have found that to be unnecessary.
When I first began considering options for housing my dream layout, I stumbled upon the idea of purchasing an outdoor workshop. While not “portable” in the sense that it was on wheels, it would be built off-site and delivered on a flatbed trailer. Although I had no expectations of ever re-locating at the time, I did like the idea that the layout could theoretically be moved again if needed. After contracting with a local dealer, the new building arrived in April of 2001. As luck would have it, our family grew from three to five members, and by 2006 we had outgrown our 3-bedroom home. By that time I had completed the lower two levels of the layout as presented in Great Model Railroads 2007. After finding a home that would double our square footage and acreage, I located a spot on the property that would be a perfect location for the layout. The most difficult aspect of moving the building was finding a contractor to do the work. I ultimately hired a professional house-moving company to facilitate the re-location. Prior to the physical move, workers prepared the new site for a conventional foundation and ran the necessary electrical connections. Because we were only moving ten miles from our old home, it took a total of three hours to have the building in place and wired in its new location! Other than suffering a few cracks in the drywall around the door, the layout arrived in mint condition. Since that time I have made major improvements to the building itself, including a concrete walkway, landscaping, metal roof, and 2-ton central air unit with ductwork run under the floor.
I created my own lighting system using rubber indoor/outdoor sockets which are held in place with conduit straps. I used 14-gauge wire to connect the light sockets which are affixed to the 1 x 3's with staples. I elected to go with 14 watt (60 watt equivalent) CFL bulbs from "n:vision". I chose the Bright White versions. The beauty of these bulbs is low wattage, low heat, long life and a color spectrum similar to my ceiling fluorescents. The bulbs are wired in parallel and run to a light switch which is in turn wired to an extension cord. This way, the lights did not require hard wiring, yet can be turned on and off with a conventional wall switch mounted to the benchwork.
The helix is built from 1/2-inch plywood and takes up a space 6-feet square. The outside track has a radius of 34 inches and the inside track has a 31 inch radius. The inside radius of the plywood base is 29 inches and the outside is 36. The grade in the helix is 1.63% for the outside (34") track and 1.79% for the inside (31") track. There is a 3-inch clearance between the levels which are separated by wooden spacer blocks I cut on a miter saw. Once you get the first loop built, it is a simple matter of using the spacers to build off of it. The worst part was cutting the arches from the plywood with a jigsaw. I cut 2 half-moon segments from one piece of 4x8 plywood, thus yielding 1 complete lap per sheet of plywood. To join the sections, I used the same trim pieces I used to make the spacer blocks as splice plates. These were secured with carpenter's glue which was clamped overnight to dry. This method was also used to secure the supports in place. Just remember you are laying track as you build. I've only had two locomotives out of 100+ which could not pull 15 cars up the helix. Those two were quietly removed from the pike. I have no wiring in the helix. All of the joints on the sections of flex track are soldered, so I only have jumper wires to the very bottom and very top of the helix. Even though there is nearly 300 feet of trackage in the helix (double tracks), I have never experienced any continuity problems - even once I switched to DCC. Now that the helix is built, there is no way to have access to add a bus wire even if I wanted to. But I have found that to be unnecessary.
When I first began considering options for housing my dream layout, I stumbled upon the idea of purchasing an outdoor workshop. While not “portable” in the sense that it was on wheels, it would be built off-site and delivered on a flatbed trailer. Although I had no expectations of ever re-locating at the time, I did like the idea that the layout could theoretically be moved again if needed. After contracting with a local dealer, the new building arrived in April of 2001. As luck would have it, our family grew from three to five members, and by 2006 we had outgrown our 3-bedroom home. By that time I had completed the lower two levels of the layout as presented in Great Model Railroads 2007. After finding a home that would double our square footage and acreage, I located a spot on the property that would be a perfect location for the layout. The most difficult aspect of moving the building was finding a contractor to do the work. I ultimately hired a professional house-moving company to facilitate the re-location. Prior to the physical move, workers prepared the new site for a conventional foundation and ran the necessary electrical connections. Because we were only moving ten miles from our old home, it took a total of three hours to have the building in place and wired in its new location! Other than suffering a few cracks in the drywall around the door, the layout arrived in mint condition. Since that time I have made major improvements to the building itself, including a concrete walkway, landscaping, metal roof, and 2-ton central air unit with ductwork run under the floor.