Bugger

So... I've soldered up some flex and pinned down a single level helix on the right side. This would gain me another 5cm of height between the middle and top levels of track if a train could climb it, which is seeming a bit unlikely given the tight radius. I tried to minimise the clearance needed between levels (for a loco with its pantograph up to pass under the upper level of track’s foamboard base) by using flex rather than sectional rack with its plastic ‘ballast’ base.

Judges , the envelope please…

Well, that pretty much proves that its not possible in this iteration.

I might be able to increase the ‘run’ of track - either by increasing radius or widening the circle into an oval without impeding the Meienreuss gorge - but I’m not sure how many cm of extra run that will give me.

I might also be able to reduce the vertical climb that I have built into my setup: 

• By some miscalculation, I have 5mm of air above the panto that can be dispensed with immediately
• I might be able to thin the track baseboard on the small segment that is directly over the lower track by replacing the foamboard with plasticard reinforced from above
• The raised panto height is a bit high on the locos, and (I intended to fix this anyway) 

So if I can reduce the height by 12-15mm, and increase the run by 10cm, that might make enough of a difference to the grade such that can be surmounted