A general scenic discussion, open to everyone and everything, don't be shy Options

[IMhauler]

The first thing I'd like to discuss is methods for stacking levels on a multi-level layout. I'm not sure how prevalent this is in the hobby (multi-deck layouts) but considering how we're always strapped for layout area, going up can potentially double or triple a layout size. How you get up there track-wise is up to the individual.

Putting track aside though, the rough construction is something I've been thinking about. I've never built anything like this and as I'm sure (maybe first hand) that there are 100 ways to skin a cat, what's the most practical? After considering several design factors that would make life easier down the road, here is the conclusion I've come to:

For those who have assembled scaffolding before, you'll already understand. For those who haven't, scaffolding works in a very simple manner. There are collapsible side pieces that form a X and stabilize the end pieces. We needn't worry about that. The end pieces are stackable by design, the top of each outer (corner) post has a slightly smaller diameter post welded in. The next level slips over this and a securing pin to put through them and locked in place via a clip.

A second deck can work the same way. I plan to have my backdrop only about 12-14 inches from the fascia, which saves on scenery costs. It also creates a large void of open grid work behind. I see several benefits in this; less scenery, less weight, more reinforcement area. So behind the backdrop, a number of similar pins can be used on the first deck, and with proper alignment, the second deck just rests on the pins using a similar sleeve technique. Gravity holds it down.
So these gigantic dowels would be made from wood, PVC pipe, or any other pipe, they can even be square 2x2. But they have to have a sleeve that fits with zero lateral slack. The sleeve and support also have to be attached to the grid work behind the backdrop.

So I feel that a hard lumber, like oak, would be used in this instance as it will not warp easily. A larger piece would be best for the base, like a 4x4. A smaller piece, like a 2x4 could be used for the top sleeve. The base and top would be clamped, and then drilled with a hole saw of whatever size (e.g. 3/4 inch). Then the base piece can be attached to deck 1's grid work and secured with glue and carriage bolts. The important thing is to secure it on two or more sides. We don't want all the weight on one piece of grid work. A rigid conduit would serve as the pin. When the upper deck sits on this, the top oak piece (the 2x4) can be aligned and the grid work marked so it can be secured in place on deck 2. Deck 3 would work the same way.

Sometimes the only place to locate these pins would create an off balance section. Trying to stand on it's own it would fall over. There are several spots like this in my plan. By modifying the oak 2x4 with a notch cut though it, and a hole drilled through the pipe, a securing pin could be inserted. 3 of these would prevent the section of layout from toppling to the heavier side. This also points out the importance of what side of the bas and top oak pieces are secured to the grid work.
I realize that this could be hard to follow, so I will draw up an image to illustrate the idea.

Each deck would also be several sections butted together, so each section would need a minimum of 3 pins. Why? Because if we need or want to pull off a single section, we don't have to pull it all off. Each section can sit there fully supported and not supported by the adjacent section. With zero lateral slack, the sections don't really have a need to be attached to one another either. However with my personal "leave nothing to chance" philosophy, I would put suitcase latches under neath near the lighting. They'll work, we'll never see them and they're still accessible.

In the end, the layout is just a scaffold that we really like to look at.

The lighting is another thing I'd like to discuss.
In my case, the height between decks (rail top to rail top) is only 10 inches. While it gives a nice clean streamlined aesthetic (the view is wide but not tall) for long N scale trains, it made me wonder about lighting. A thin fascia will not hide a huge fluorescent lighting system. There is the single bulb unit that could be used. And then I thought about using clear christmas lights. They'd have to be numerous to eliminate shadows, so it'd be a tangle web of lights under neath. However they require virtually half of an inch, and when using the parallel type, one bad bulb doesn't kill the whole string. This makes troubleshooting and replacement much easier. I wonder if anyone has ever used christmas lights like this before?

There is another lighting issue however. With multi-decks, one is nearly bound to be in a position where looking at deck 1, you're able to see the underside of deck 3 and/or 2. This is just an annoyance really, partly from any glare in your eyes, but also the unfinished appearance. So how to illuminate a layout with bulbs you cannot see? I've decided this is probably the best choice. Here is a link to a fancy (probably more expensive) version of how the underside can be finished off.
http://www.screeningpanels.com/
I see these all the time. It is an air return grate used in drop ceilings for air conditioning. I've also seen them in some light fixtures. They come in 2x4 ft and 2x2 ft sizes. Generally, they're molded white plastic but sometimes imitation chrome. That means two things. It can be cut to a non-rectangular shape, and they can be painted (the white is better for this). The bottom of the backside of the fascia would only need a short piece of styrene glued on to serve as T rail and the grate sits on that. Trimmed to shape, painted sky blue, and it's a first class look from even the floor view.

And then there is scenery.
I learned some hard lessons building the Michigan & Elsewhere layout. Hardest of all is that good trackwork doesn't just mean good alignment. At first I just sprayed alcohol all over and applied glue with an eye dropper. The glue never got on the rails, and what harm would alcohol do? Lots. It still doesn't run too great and track cleaners don't help much. So I started covering the rails with tape. That made an improvement, but things still don't run like they do on out-of-box track.

So I got thinking outside the box again. I wonder if any one has ever tried it, but I wondered what's wrong with doing scenery first, and then laying track? Provided you have your track centers figured out and marked, you could do all of the scenery first and put the track in place last. Then you'd have out-of-box track operation with beautiful terrain. An alternate method I suppose is to have sub-roadbed temporarily tacked into place, so that you can confirm the track by running trains across all areas. Then mark/number them, pull them off in sections, do the scenery in that area, and replace the sub-roadbed and track. It would be kind of like a mini-module that includes the track and ballast and nothing else. As long as you take care to know which one goes where it could be worth it.

I also have a couple problems with turnouts on the MAE. One problem is losing conductivity within the points. Turnouts have a little rail joiner at the fixed end of the point rails. Getting paint behind there really puts the brakes on. And then of course there is the other end of the points versus scenery glue and ballast.
To eliminate all headaches, I've decided that from now on I'll use faux-roadbed turnouts like the Uni-Track type things, and make the adjoining ballast color matched. A good trick in any scale I think.

[cjbrock]

Hardwood lumber warps pretty easily, I would use plywood if at all possible, even if it meant cutting strips and gluing them together.

I think Christmas lights and rope lights are used regularly to light lower levels. I've not seen anyone use the grid, most seem to just put them at the front just behind the valance to hide them. The grid would be an interesting experiment to see if you could get more even lighting, but I wonder with 10" separation if you would get shadow lines from the grid.

I think the first time I saw someone do scenery before the grid was in Model Railroader's N scale project layout they did starting (I think) in the December 1966 issue. Might have been a year or two after that. They built the scenery and then came back and cut the roadbed in after the terrain. I've always wanted to try that. It was the first time I'd seen someone use foam for the sub-base too. For the life of me I can't remember what they called that layout. I often finish the scenery up to the roadbed before the track is down and it cuts down somewhat on the track abuse. But when I don't, I tape the track with a painters tape - still gunks up the rails as you found out. Wetting ballast with alcohol I eyedropper the alcohol on just like I do the glue.

As for turnouts, I span that "hinge" by dropping feeders to both sides of the hinge, both rails, if the turnout doesn't have something like that built in. That's one of the beauties of hand-laid - you just don't put the hinge in. But N scale, I don't know, it would be tough to solder those feeds and I wouldn't want to build code 40 turnouts, so your plan sounds reasonable to me. As for the other end, I keep the ballast pretty low and let the glue bleed in from a couple ties away.