Reality Bites

One and a half compromise decisions have been made over the last two days.

Firstly, my original premise was basically a big double tracked loop of track (with some squiggles). Uphill trains would head up to the top and the back down using a hidden helix, and from there they can  run back up again. Downhill trains on the other track would do the same, thus if you wanted to, you could leave the thing unattended with an uphill and a downhill train running all the time.

I’ve since come to the realisation that this can’t work. Its not the doubling of track (all hidden) that bothers me that much, but I haven’t been able to fit in two conflicting spirals into the vertical space I have without them arriving in the same spot at the same height. It can’t be done without widening the baseboards or compromising the visible pieces of the layout. 

A simple solution does exist - simply joining the two main tracks when they get to the top with a 'balloon loop' shaped connection. 

When a train arrives at the top on the left hand track, it turns around and heads down on the other track (normally left hand running on Gotthard). At the bottom level, the train will loop around in the same fashion and head back up. So now the layout is more of a dogbone shape, with the middle section being the visible two-track mains, and the end-bones being my hidden reversing connectors.

This makes construction easier, eliminates the need for a lot of hidden track and simplifies internal access to hidden bits for ongoing maintenance and cleaning. A passing loop at the top gives me the opportunity to run a train up and hold it, sending another down, rather than every up train having to come straight back down again immediately to free up the track. Similarly, I’ve now got a flat area at the base of the layout where I can have a few storage tracks. A little more scenery on the top level will now be hidden in that loop alas.

The second decision, which I’m counting for half because I’ve assumed this for some time now and I might revisit it in the upcoming weeks... but for now, I’ve accepted that there won’t be a hidden loop at the ‘right' (far end above) which was intended to add another 4cm between the between the middle and top levels. I’ve almost come to terms with it.