Redstone, Rails, and More - The Ultimate Player's Guide to Minecraft - page 200

FIGURE 9.18 Redstone torches power the block above, so they are an easy way to create
a vertically ascending current.
Tip: 1×1 Vertical Ascending Alternative
Current (or really the current's signal) will ascend in a 1×1 pattern by placing red-
stone torches on top rather than on the side of each block. This requires a tempor-
ary tower behind the planned ascent that you can remove when you're done, but
it's also ideal if you can just place the ascent against a wall. Attach blocks to the
tower or wall every second space. Fix redstone torches to the top of each block,
and they'll pass their signal to the block above until you can draw power from a
final torch placed into the side of the uppermost block.
The only way to descend a current is through a 2×2 staircase (see Chapter 4 , “ Mining ,”
page 69 ). You may want to use this in Survival mode as well as for ascending currents be-
cause it provides an easy way to get up and down the circuit.