Anyone heard this idea before? Feedback on whether it will work?
I’m building an HO round-the-room layout in a small 10x10 room. Since I want the caboose to clear one town before the engine reaches another, the track will go one-and-a-half times around the room to get from the yard on one side to the other town on the other (with me so far?).
I’m not keen on hiding too much track in tunnels or behind backdrops (though some is OK). I want to be able to see the trains run, and get access to problems. On the other hand I’m not keen on seeing unrelated main lines next to each other.
In fact there are three points to join up: a town B with a staging yard C hidden below it on one side, and a bigger town A on the other. The staging yard is double-ended, so it ends up there are three hidden tracks running thru, over or under town A.
How to fit three extra tracks thru the scene without burying them? I juggled the elevations of the three points A,B,C and I can get all three tracks past town A on the same level. Luckily for me town A is an intensely-urban switching line like the old Manhatten West Side Line (I think it was called), which was elevated above the ground. So the three “hidden” lines are going to charge through town underneath the switching trackage, pretending to be a heavy mainline at ground level, probably the approach tracks to a busy yard/terminus. In addition to the traffic running to and from town B and the staging yard, I hope to run a few other passenger trains in and out of the staging yard just for show.
What better way to hide something than to make it one of the most prominent features of the scenery eh?
you may want to look at old style trains that were half underground/ half above ground
You mean sort of like chicago where the mains run right under downtown?
good point. yeah I had that kinda thing in mind…
The Old Dog would suggest hiding the track so it’s existence is only apparent when a train is actually using it.
The Old Dog would also suggest using helixes to obtain the required distance between station.
Have fun
There is a guy on the Layout Design SIG Group on Yahoo who came up with a rather novel idea of alternating his scenes, with hidden track behind them If you had say 3 scenes fromt he East direction, W1, E2, and E3, and three from the West, W1, W2, and W3, they are laid out like this: W1, E3, W2, E2, W3, E1. The track from E1 to E2 is hidden behind W3. The track from W2 to W3 is hidden behind E2. And so forth. He posted a diagram of this on the group, but you will have to joint he group (on Yahoo - you don’t NEED to be a member of the LDSIG to joint he Yahoo group) to be able to see it. It looks like a very wrkable idea for a small space, and no train will be seen in a town it’s not supposed to be in.
–Randy
I recall one design where the trains ran behind clumps of trees, the track wasnt totally hidden, you could see the trains.
My idea is a front track just off the layout proper totally unscenicked and protected from falling.
If it goes underneath it remains open to even a short duck look to observe the train unobrstructed.
Rob,
I like your idea. It shows creativity and WILL work. I also like the idea of hiding the track.
A friend of mine did something similar. He left enough space between his backdrop and his false front buildings to run a portion of the main. Although the same train passes through the same scene, you glimpse it between the buildings and it looks like any other train in the distance going someplace else.
Randy,
Do you recall how to get to that plan or who posted it?
Yes I’ve seem similar stuff of track out of sight but no the trains - clever.
I also had a similar idea re a track running across the front on a shelf. I plan to have one of those in front of the hidden yard, built as a long shallow diorama box across the fascia below the upper scene, if that makes sense. I think a shelf 4" deep, 8" high built into a fascia with scenicked open mainline running through it could look very effective. Tucked in under the scene above it would consume next to no extra space.
One more thought I had:
I’m building the layout pretty high. Too high for kids to see without a stool. At least the tracks running across the front in a shallow diorama will be something for them to look at.
Taking this further, here’s a more far out idea: how about a clear subroadbed for (some of) the hidden trackage so they can see those too?
The plan Randy Rinker was refferring to had basically 2 laps of the room. One lap was at elevation 0 and the the other was at 4 inches above the other. On one wall the lower level was exposed and then the upper level ran along the back, just in front of the backdrop and was hidden from view. In the next scene the lower level stayed along the front but was hidden below the scene, in the next scene they alternate again.
You could have one wall scene A lower, next wall scene B upper, next wall scene C lower and wall D could be a transition between the upper and lower levels.
You can hide the upper line behind a low backdrop 6-8" high painted like a tree line of cityscape.
Dave H.
there’s a great plan I got from I think an 80s MR or RMC that spirals around the room a number of times with scenes on the four walls at four different levels. Brilliant.
As for the diorama scene I mentioned, the key feature is that it is a vertical scene facing out rather than a horizontal scene facing up, so it will be good viewing from below too for the kids.
All interesting idea to keep me from having two big bulbs of benchwork/track that have my return loops. Looks like further research is needed…I had’nt considered this type of layout. Boy, the things you learn on this forum!!!
Yeah an excellent modeller whose name eludes me refers to the problem of “The Blob”, that great big 270 degree curve looming into the room. It’s unprototypical and it’s right in your face.
The best way to get rid of The Blob is to stand inside it.