Model Railroad Helix

Calculations and Calculator

Calculating the measurements of a helix can seem to be an exercise in mental

gymnastics, if you ponder over it very long. But, like most things, if you reduce the
problem into separate parts, it’s not so bad. Even better ­ at the end of this article I’ll
give you a link to a calculator that does all the ciphering automatically. But for right
now, let’s look at what goes into the magic of making a helix.

What is a helix, really?​ The purpose of a helix is

to move trains from one level of a layout to another
using as little space as possible; it is, in effect, a
"spiral staircase."Based on a series of circular rings,
a model railroad helix is a rigid slinky toy. And what
would a slinky be if you stretched it out to make flat
piece of metal? It would be just that ­ a straight, flat
piece of metal.

So a helix is simply a winding slope ­ fundamentally,

the same as any other grade on your layout. If you
turned your straight slope into a circle so that the higher end appeared over top of the
lower end, you’d have one full turn of a helix. Stack up the circles, and you have a
working helix. While the geometry of a helix is impressive, figuring out the dimensions
and how much material you'll need can be intimidating.

This article will explain in simple language what is involved, so you understand how
various measurements inter­act with each other to create helix dimensions. And we'll
give you a link to a calculator tool that does most of the work for you.

The 3 R’s ­ Rise, Run and Radius:​ Knowing these 3 values is essential to design of a
workable helix. But the actual value on any one of them will be dependent on the others.
For example, track radius will determine the “run” of a helix ring. So let’s begin with
some sample measurements to illustrate how to find the values, and how they are
interrelated.

In the form of a ring, the length of a straight,

sloped r​un​, when formed into a circle, would
be called the ​circumference​ of the circle,
meaning the length of the path around the
outer edge of a helix ring. Thus, a 100 inch
run of track, turned into a circle, would have
a circumference of 100 inches. Whether
straight or formed into a circle, and no
matter what you call it, the track is still the same length, from one end to the other.

You may plan your helix starting with run length, radius, rise, percent grade, diameter
or other measurements, but we'll begin with radius, because the radius of a helix ring
will be dependent on another radius you're already familiar with ­ t​
rack radius.

Obviously, your track radius will need to adequate to run any equipment that will travel
through the helix. Let us suppose that you've determined that 18” radius track is
adequate. At first blush it might appear, then, that the helix rings must also be 18". But
remember, track radius is measured from the c​ enter​of the ties ­ not the outside end. We
might then add a half inch, so we are measuring from the ends of the ties. But we'll also
need a bit more than that as a margin of safety beyond the track itself. Thus, we might
actually use a ring with a 22" radius on which to run an 18" radius track. Possibly we
could get away with something less ­ maybe 20"­ but 22" will certainly be sufficient.

The radius of anything refers to the distance between the edge of the circle and the exact
center of the circle. That is to say, the radius is exactly one­half the width (diameter) of
the circle.

The diameter (width) of the circle is therefore twice the radius. A circle made up of 22”
radius segments will therefore have a diameter 44”. The circle is 44 inches “wide.”

Knowing the diameter of a circle allows us to calculate the circumference, which is to say
the run of the helix ring.

We can find the circumference (length around the outside edge of the circle) using this
formula:

Circumference = Diameter X π (3.14)

The above formula simply says to multiply the ​ known​ diameter by the value of pi (π )
which is 3.14. That gives us the actual value of the as yet ​
unknown​ circumference. So,
let’s plug our diameter of 44” into the formula:

Circumference = 44 inches X π (3.14)

Circumference = 138"

The answer is 138.16 inches, but let’s just say 138. Thus we know it will take 138 inches
plus a smidge to make one helix ring. That is to say, 11 feet, 6 inches (give or take). That
number may be more than you expected.

We now know that our helix will require a space that is 44 inches across, and that each
ring will require about 11 and ½ feet of material.
Thus, from r​adius alone​we have derived another key value, the ​
circumference.​
Which is
just another word for “run,” or "length."

Now let’s bring the “rise” into the picture. Just as track radius determined our ring
radius and circumference, the physical height of the tallest loco or rail car to travel the
helix will determine the minimum required rise, what we call the grade.

Visualizing the rise of a

straight board is easy. One end
rests on the the train platform,
and the other end is raised
some distance above that
surface. Supposing that the
highest piece of equipment to run through the helix is 2 ½” tall, then we might want a
rise of 3” to accommodate both the equipment and the track height itself. We’ll call the
3” rise our “headroom.”

We already know that we have a run of 138 inches. And we want each ring to be
separated from the ones above and below it by 3”. The question is, will the loco be able
to pull the train up that grade? The answer is that it depends on the length of the run.
Climbing to a height of 3” over a run of just 10” would be almost impossible. But the
longer the run, the easier it gets, as long as the rise stays the same.

The relationship of rise to run, called a “grade,” is the ratio of rise to run, expressed as a
percentage. Thus, a rise of 3” over a run of 100” is a ratio of 3:100, which is a 3% grade;
that should be within the capability of most HO trains.

Calculating the grade is easy. Divide the rise by the run:

Grade = Rise /Run

Plugging in the numbers for our 138 inch run and 3 inch rise gives us:

Grade = 3” /138”

The answer is 2.1%. That should be an easy pull.

That tells us what our grade will be when we ​

know​ the run and the rise. But suppose we
want to figure it the other way. Suppose we want a 2% grade exactly, with a 3” rise? How
long a run will we need to hit the 2%?

Using the formula above, the problem would be stated this way:

2% = 3” / Run

Putting this into words, we are asking, “What number, divided into 3”, gives us a result
of 2%?” We can rework the above formula to give us the answer:

3”/.02 = Run

Dividing 3” by .02 (which is the same thing as 2%) gives us our answer ­ 150 inches.
Does a rise of 3 inches ​
really​
equate to 2% of a 150 inch run? Try it out, using our
original rise/run formula:

Grade = 3” /150”

And the answer is, indeed, .02 (same as 2%).

This brings us back to our original calculations of the helix measurements. ​Knowing we
​f 150” tells us we likewise have a circle with a circumference of 150”.
have a run o
Knowing the circumference​ allows us to figure out the diameter, using the first formula
we discussed at the beginning:

Circumference = Diameter X π (3.14)

Let’s plug in the numbers:

Circumference of 150”= Diameter X π (3.14)

diameter by 3.14 to get the circumference is the ​

Multiplying​ same thing as dividing ​
the
circumference by 3.14 to get the diameter, this way:
 150”/3.14 = Diameter

The diameter is 47.8 inches, but let’s just call it 48”. Knowing that, we then know the
radius is half the diameter ­ 24”. That should support a track radius of 22” but with very
little room to spare. But is 48” really the correct answer? Let's check our work, using the
formula as we did at the very beginning :

Circumference = Diameter X π (3.14)

Plugging in the actual numbers, the formula is this:

Circumference = 48” X π (3.14)

The answer is 150’ ­ plus a “smidge.”

Thus, even though we started only with a desired grade of 2%, we were able to work our
way back to the other measurements of the helix. Everything is related.

You will discern that a very gentle grade will require more helix rings to move the train
all the way from one end of the helix to the other; that is, all the way up or down the
vertical height of the helix. If we wanted to cover a vertical distance of 36 inches, for
example, then a 4” rise would do it with 9 rings, whereas a 2” rise would require 18.
Thus, what you get for an easy grade is at the cost of materials to build all those rings.

Practical Issues:​ In addition to the above considerations, be aware that the thickness
of the material you use to make your helix rings is also a factor. Using 1/2” plywood, for
example, means you would add 1/2” to your headroom to figure out the t​ otal​vertical
space between rings.

Aside from deriving the measurements of the rings, we run into a practical problem of
how to actually construct them economically. A sheet of plywood measures 48”X 96”. If
our ring radius is 48” and the width of a ring is 6”, then we could could saw out just 2
complete 6 inch wide rings, and end up with 2 big circles and some scrap pieces from
our 4 X 8 sheet of plywood. Not good.
Thus, we would want to break our rings into 3, 4 or more segments which would be
connected, end to end (like pieces of sectional track) to make up a complete ring. Drawn
out on our piece of plywood, this would have the appearance of rows and columns of
nested bananas. That’s a lot of saw work, but there will be less wasted material.

There are also some boundary values which, while physically possible, aren’t practical
for the scale of your railroad. For most HO, as an example, we know that the absolute
minimum track radius will be 15”, which equates to a ring radius of 34 inches (or maybe
a bit more) and we also know that headroom of 3” is probably about as little as you can
get away with. And we could also guess that not less than 3” would be adequate as a
width of a ring, to support a single track. Thus, it might be reasonable to say that the
smallest outer dimensions for an HO helix, including the supporting structure to hold
everything in place, would be somewhere in the area of 36 to 38 inches on a side. That’s
a key number in terms of placement of the structure within the layout itself.

As you can see, there are many inter­related factors that go into design of a helix that’s
suited to your particular application. The following illustration shows the components of
a helix and indicates some of the important specifications:
The calculator.​ The basic formulas we’ve discussed are simple enough, but the
process of running calculations over and over again to hit a “sweet spot” can be tedious
and possibly error prone. That’s where the helix calculator comes in. It will capture
certain key measurements, such as track radius and headroom, and then do all the
calculations for you, returning measurements of ring diameter, percent grade, number
of rings required and amount of material you’ll need. Just plug in the numbers you want
until you get results that are the right fit for your application.

The calculator is available in two versions:

The on­line version is a Google spreadsheet. Accordingly it is not entirely protected, so

​nline calculator link​
by the time you get to it, it may have been spoiled. Use this o to see
and try it.

Otherwise, you may download the Excel spreadsheet which performs the calculations for
you and is much more functional and complete. Critical cells are protected, but no
password is required to unprotect the sheet and make whatever changes you want.
Follow this c​
alculator download link​
.

Suggestions and corrections: ​

jsgeare@yhaoo.com
​
JSGeare’s Makin’ Tracks! web site:​
www.ezbizwebsite.com
​

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© November, 2010, by J. Scott Geare, Crozet, VA 22932. Non­commercial distribution: This information
may be freely copied and distributed in whole or in part either by itself or as part of any other work,
provided that 1) no material compensation or payment is sought or accepted either for the work itself of
for any material in which it is incorporated, and 2) credit is given to J. Scott Geare. Commercial
distribution: Any other use shall be only with the written permission of J. Scott Geare.