I collected the two viaduct kits that I ordered today. Upon opening the package I was surprised at how much smaller the Faller kit was to the Atlas one. Not only in height but also in terms of length. While it does offer more complicated features it is over 3 times the price of a similar sized Atlas kit. I was also disappointed that the promotional picture for the Faller Viaduct shows more than you get in the box and the description on the web sites selling these things is not very helpful (see the picture below:)

Still the Atlas kit really came through for me. Not only is the plastic sturdier, it also looks more similar to the kinds of viaduct found in the Limousin region on this particular line. The kit was easier to build although the gaps in between the sections of viaduct are more prenounced than on the Faller kit. One major disadvantage of the Atlas kit is that Peco Flexi Track is too wide to fit in the gap provided for the track (note the track not fitting snug in the picture below:)

This surprised me and it means that I shall be doing lots of sleeper trimming when it comes to track laying. Still The benefits of this particular viaduct far outweight this disadvantage.

I have also marked out the position for the cutting of the front of the baseboard. This includes the approximate dimensions of the valley where the viaduct will carry the running line over:

The weather is a bit unpredictable at the moment so I shall do the cutting tomorrow or Friday if I get the time. I am still not certain about the height of the backscene yet I am thinking 9 inches from the running line level, but 10 inches might be a little better.

Thanks for reading.

Stephen