Two key challenges:
1) Elevating the track bed so that the track and scenery would not be flat
2) Incorporating a lift out section so access can be made to the centre of the room without breaking one's back.
Elevating the track bed
This took a bit of trial and error and initially the track bed was to rise 65mm in a distance of 1800mm an incline of 3.6% this might not seem so much but for a small HO scale locomotive this could cause problems in the future. After some discussion with another fellow modeller, I decide that I would remove the initial risers and only have a rise of only up to 45mm within the 1800mm distance. The grade being a more realistic and gentler 2% grade.
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| Elevating track to accommodate road underpass. This section of the layout will represent the 1970s |
The road will slope under the bridge instead of being flat similar to the "Ärnotts biscuits" rail bridge on Parramatta road.
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Continuous round-the-room layout presents problems
One of the issues of having a continuous round the room track plan is being able to access the inside of the room.
Although a "duck-under" is one option, it would be inconvenient for visitors to duck to go into the room considering that the baseboard is only one metre from the ground requiring them to "limbo" into the room. The solution has been a lift up section/bridge that allows part of the board to be removed.
As yet I have not worked out how the electronics will function or if I will have an emergency cut off switch if the bridge is up so trains don't go over the "ravine".
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| Top side and bottom side of lift up bridge. |
Below is another section of the layout that to link two separate sections via a wooden bridge . I now have linked all benchwork together around the room.
