Clay Smith is an experienced model railroader who negotiated a large portion of an upstairs "bonus room" for a layout. His first layout in the space was a copy of a layout from an article in a magazine -- but he found that the design offered only limited potential for operations. Clay contacted me and we discussed the opportunity for more engaging operations in the same space. Demolition of the old layout went quickly once the new design was finalized (and after his understanding spouse held one last railroad-themed party). The new design we came up with is somewhat unconventional, but is a good match for his operational and prototype interests. The design concept is HO scale; Louisville & Nashville prototype; 1975 to 1980 era; southeastern US location with a focus on industries typical of southwestern Kentucky. Interchange with the Illinois Central (former Tennessee Central) was also desired, along with large industries typical of the area, such as grain elevators, cement plants, and coal mines. Clay had many of these structures already built-up from the earlier layouts. Multi-decks and stacked helixes make best use of narrow space   Because the negotiated boundaries offered a long narrow space along one wall, that seemed like an excellent location for a yard. And to get the most out of the available area, Clay opted for a multi-deck design with a helix. In order to make restaging as straightforward as possible, we were able to include loop staging below the visible layout. We discussed some alternatives to the helix, including unconnected decks. But Clay felt that it was worth the large footprint in the room to get the extra operating potential. The helix area performs double duty, with separate stacked helices linking staging to the main deck and that deck to the upper deck. The sloping walls of the room were also a bit of a challenge with a multideck design, but by carefully noting the angle and elevation of the walls, we were able to pack a lot of railroading into the upper deck.   Loop to point to point schematic The operating pattern is from loop staging to the main visible yard. From that yard, a branch climbs the helix to additional operating room on the upper deck. The IC/TC interchange also takes place on the upper deck. Significant local switching opportunities are offered on each of the visible decks, with large industries that add realism and operating interest. As can be seen from the photos, Clay had made great progress with construction. Placement of the existing structures allowed visualization and analysis of scenes early-on. It's been fun for me to see one of my designs taking shape so quickly. Clay reports everything fit pretty much as drawn, although he made a few changes to industry tracks as he went along. This was an enjoyable project and I'm very pleased that Clay was happy with the results. In the years since, inveterate builder Clay has expanded his layout space and designed and built a brand new layout with a different theme.

All three decks are in place in this section. This layout lobe does "triple duty": accommodating the staging loop (unseen below) and two visible turnback curves. Large industries will be featured on both visible decks to enhance operation and realism. Clay already has many of these industries completed and has placed them on the benchwork to approximate the "feel" of the finished layout. The stub-ended main yard fits well in the long, narrow negotiated space along one wall.   Even though the layout design is functionally two separate helices stacked atop one another, they were designed so that Clay could build them as one continuous assembly. He uses the straightforward construction of 1X4 supports/spacers with a plywood deck. This way, only the first turn of the lower helix must be carefully graded and the rest follow naturally. The first helix connects the hidden staging below with the lower visible deck; then the second helix climbs from that deck to the upper visible deck.   A large grain elevator (yes, you can find them in Kentucky) will dominate this scene on the lower visible deck.