Hi all. I'm now semi retired and have all the stock for a new UK based modern image layout. It is being built in my garage which is attached to the house and which is fully insulated. I have 16 feet by 7 feet 9 inches to use (diagram below).
All my stock is modern image mostly electric and some diesels, DCC with sound.
My aim is to have a lowest level main station and sidings on one side of the garage (nearest bottom of diagram below) and a higher station on the other (upper) side. Trains would run around the layout connecting the two. My favourite deisgn so far has been to have a semi open spiral at each end of the layout, with trains leaving the lowest station, siralling up the left hand spiral to the highest level, crossing from left to right and then coming down one level to the higher station immediately in front of the highest level before crossing underneath of and in front of that station either once or three times then sprialing once or twice down the right hand spiral back to the lowest station. Underneath that level would be hidden storage sidings, effectively forming an additional set of running tracks around on the lowest level. The basic idea can be seen on this diagram:
The section across the exit into the utility room (marked "door") would be a slot in section. The rest of the baseboards are bolted together with upright 12 mm ply scenary separators on each end.
I would like the railway to cross some typically swiss bridges and viaducts (but not the Bietschtal bridge - more the type you get on the Gotthard), with the higher side being at about 20 inches above the lowest station, with the highest station about 6 inches lower (14 inches). I want to give it a mountainous feel, with gorges, pastures and waterfalls, more Swiss than British, although the two stations will have British buildings and equipment.
Whilst a very visually appealing set up it would be very cramped, with only 5 or 6 feet of clear space in the middle, although I would make it possible to get up inside of the spirals for access purposes.
Another alternative I have considered is this:
Before I get too committed to building this layout I would like to explore any suggestions from other forum members of any other ways in which I can retain the basic idea I have (lower/upper stations, trains getting up to an height of 20 inches using a partly open spiral and then returning by spiraliing or passing around the garage back to the bottom (or using another method), but keeping the layout a bit more accessible.
I have made 2 previous false starts and have so far completed the 3 x 8 feet by 33 inch baseboards. I'm really iching to get going, but want to see if anyone can come up with anything I haven't though of. My max train length is about 8 feet and the longest coaches being those of a Virgin Pendolino or Voyager. I have tried to keep a 4 to 5 feet diameter as the minimum.
All suggestions would be gratefully received. It would be far to say I am getting pretty desparate to find some way of keeping the right hand side of the garage less cluttered but not having a lot of success coming up with any better ideas!
Dixie
