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Series host Gerry Leone is definitely playing catch up in this episode, as he works to patch up a minor oversight. Watch to see how he corrects and simplifies the helix construction, and then presents a clever suggestion for looking back in time when building a new home or layout.
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Gerry, will you showing how you will hide your helix with scenery/backdrop or whatever? I have no idea how this is accomplished to disguise this major structural element while also providing access to the track for derailments, etc. If this is not planned as part of your series, is there somewhere I can turn to research how it is accomplished? Thanks for any help. As always, I love your series.
Loving this series. Just wish it was easier to find in the menus… I am building just a small, one level short line, but I have always found your work inspirational, Gerry. Thank you for sharing it.
Gerry: After watching the last 4 episodes on the planning and installation of the helix I have only one comment. Forget the tine capsule and bury the helix.
Thanks Gerry.
Gerry, I like the way you talk about mistakes and how to deal with them. For one thing, it makes you more human. And it also explores your creative side, because it takes imagination to come up with the best solutions.
My helix is designed a bit differently and as a consequence I don’t have a similar problem with access. That is a good thing because I haven’t completely wired it yet and it also provides easy access (when I climb up into the middle of it) to deal with derailments, etc. I should give credit to James Adams (Affordable Model Railroads). Each turn of my helix subroadbed consists of 4 pieces of 1/2″ MDF. Each end of each piece is cut so that adjacent pieces fit together smoothly. Then, two holes drilled at each end accommodates steel threaded rods that support the structure. These steel rods provide adequate support for the structure, with no additional spacers required. Also, because of the threads, the slope of the helix can be adjusted easily. Pretty neat!
Jim Craft
Gerry, you should of gotten Felix to help with the helix. You know Felix the Wonderful Cat ! Sorry, I really enjoy your episodes, ain’t got room for a helix, Charlie Bishop in England is building a helix too. Do not remember ever hearing about them, now I know of two. Waiting to see them operating.
As I/We work on the house, I do stuff like that all over the place. Little notes and dates behind trim or in door jams and under molding, tile floors etc. I all so like to drop old Memory cards in places too. What will I do with a 256mb or 1g card, drop some photos on it and a video clip or two. I was surprised you did not drop a few memory cards full of your videos into the tube.
I love that time capsule idea. When I moved into my house in 1976 I was clearing out some attic space when I found a period newspaper tucked into the knee wall with the headline “Titanic Sinks”. I was startled for about 5 seconds until I remembered that the house was built in1951. Some wise guy tucked a reproduction newspaper copy up in the wall for someone to discover at a later time.
William — Thanks for the kind words. You’re right: new modelers (and even veterans) need to see that us video guys aren’t always perfect. And sometimes the solutions to mistakes make for more interesting videos!
I can’t believe I said “us video guys” instead of “WE video guys!” Retirement must be frying my writer’s brain!
Always enjoy your episodes and adventures.
The Time Capsule is a great idea. I need to put on somewhere on my layout. But the cement has been there for 58 years so that’s out. Chances are that our house and garage will go to the next generation or beyond that. Just hoping that the layout can remain partially intact to the next owners.
Remember gas wars? When I got my discharge from the Army in 1966 (Minneapolis) we went through a town in Iowa where gas was 12.9 per gallon on the north end of town, south end it was 14.9 so we turned around to where it was 12.9 to fill up, for the rest of our trip to Colorado.
Keep up the interesting “Back on Track”!
Bill Shepard
3 days after my last comment (July 12) we lost our granddaughter in a car crash, so she will not be one around to inheriet my layout.
Printed paper is by far the best way to leave a message in a time capsule. Looking back how would anyone that put a 5″ floppy disk or even a 3″ one in a capsule would even today beable to tell what was on it? Digital media is great but it also has a limited lifetime or readability.
Bill Shepard
In 50 to 100 years, they’ll probably not know what a newspaper looks like, especially one made from real paper. Probably the same with paper money.
Gerry, I think it’s great that you and other prominent modelers have in recent years taken to discussing mistakes they’ve made on their model railroad projects and how they corrected them. The “how” is not necessarily as important as is revealing that we all make mistakes and the solution is not to give up but to work through them. That’s a message that newer modelers especially need to hear.
As to your time capsule, why didn’t you put a few ounces of gold and silver in there? Heck, you might have come home one day and found a big hole in your train room floor!