Thank you. I was very pleased with the idea of the crossover, it allowed double the length of track in same space as it was effectively a folded figure of eight. The plan was to have about 40% of the loop track hidden under scenery so trains could leave the station and disappear.Chops wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 4:13 am If I may bump (my new word today, looked it up in the Dictionary of Urban Slang) your post, this is a most ingenious track plan. The crossover upon the main, leading into a station is so elegant that it invites plagiarism. Additionally, the coal yard maintains a charming thematic focus.
I say that WAS the plan, because it looks nothing like that now.
Firstly the crossover never really worked consistently and certain engines and waggons just did not like it. Strangely it usually worked quite well when trains where running anti-clockwise.
Secondly the size of the layout was a problem. It stuck to far into the room and it was difficult to work on the far side without moving it out.
So, I have cut it in half and turned it into an L shaped end-to-end layout, which is what I really wanted in the first place!
I am just finishing track laying on the first section, which will be the stereotypical station, goods yard, coal yard etc. Then part two is going to be a mix of scenic landscape, town scenes and industrial sidings. Phase three will be an additional square baseboard to provide a return loop. I anticipate that sometime in 2024 based on current rate of progress.