Multiple deck model railroad layout design

In general, I don't recommend the use of multiple decks. Sometimes it may be the only solution, but it's also something which may cause problems in itself.


When it comes to what height to view scenes from, it's hard to make it look good from different heights when the separation has to be as large as it has to be between decks. One way is to either operate one level sitting down or the other from a raised floor section. Another, which I think is better, is the kind of design where different levels are on different sides of the backdrop.


The kind of railroad you're trying to depict doesn't directly tell you if it's worthwhile to go for multiple decks, as it will not give you space for larger stations or longer mainlines. I will enable you to put in more of them, though. So the prototype isn't that important, it's the kind of operation you want which matters.


A helix is the obvious way to get from one level to another. I can't say I like them. For one thing, if you don't have a lot of space, a helix will take up a noticable space so you won't get twice as much area to use for the rest of the layout. For another, it's also a place where trains remain out of sight quite a long time, perhaps they even spend more time in it than on the visible mainline.


I think that if one isn't certain if a multiple deck layout is what's needed, one should go for a single deck layout and concentrate on the important parts of what one want to do. Most layouts will in either case be a much compressed representation of reality.