If you have ever built a model railroad with a gradient, then you might be able to give ‘Pepper’ some tips. Here is what he has to say:

“I am getting ready to start planning my new railroad.

I have a space of 12′ x 20′ to use and I will be using shelf brackets and 2″ foam. The layout, other than for the two yards, will be basically 12 – 16″ wide and run around the perimeter of the room.

I want to have two decks, a lower and an upper deck.

I will need to connect the two decks and am stuck trying to figure the best way to do it.

It seems that if I want to keep the max grade at 2%, I am going to need about 40+ feet to bring the track up from the lower to the upper deck(s).

Short of using a helix, does anyone have any suggestions that would help me get the track up without taking 40+ feet to do so? Thanks so much.”

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