The other weekend I was recounting the tale of one of the stages of my model railway building and through I would share it with the readers.

I had decided early on in the planning phase of my layout that due to limited space I would implement a three-tier layout around the walls of my layout room. I considered various forms of connecting the tiers finally settling on a helix as I had the space available behind a false wall. However the space was limited due to it being located under my house and the layout room being dug down into the foundations of the house. This left enough room for the helix and a small crawl way under the helix for maintenance.

For this reason I decided to build the frame and helix in the room and relocate it into position once completed. After experimenting with different designs and settling upon the threaded steel with cross supports and baseboard design I got to building.

Having watched the helix get built to one third height over six months I decided I would take a week off work and finish the job in between doing some work around the house while the better half was away.

By the Friday morning I was please to have completed the helix, leaving only the task of putting it into place. Upon my first attempt at this task I find it a little bit tight fitting it into place. After much struggle I relented and resigned myself to the simple fact that my measurements were out and the helix while the correct size would not fit through the gap to be put into place.

Thinking laterally I removed the base of the helix with the hope of reassembling it once in place. The base fitted into place perfectly, so I removed the base to allow space to maneuver the helix itself in place with the intent of attaching the base later.

It was about this time that I realised the strength of the helix is not in the helix but the base itself. As I picked up the helix gently it collapsed tearing track, base board and steel asunder.

Needless to say when the better half returned I had restarted building the helix, this time in place and had yet to completed those other duties which she left on the list titled To Be Done.

Prolog : The helix is now complete and the To Be Done list seems to be getting longer.