With the lower fiddle yard complete some thought needs to be given to the surrounding areas. The first photo shows the entrance roads to the yard on the left and the two return tracks on the right, where the two Class 25s are passing on the slow line.
The layout is designed to be viewed 'along-the-tracks' to replicate what an enthusiast might see from a platform or lineside fence. I must confess this is forced upon me by the loft structure, but now I've accepted these limitations I've taken to the approach like a duck to water. The down side, however, is being able to see straight into the fiddle yard.
Note the DMUs in the two outer roads - these are queueing in the new DCC-controlled short-berth sections, awaiting their turn to pop out of the other end.
The solution to this line-of-sight problem is to create a view block. In this instance it will be a combination of the sweeping curves of the four-track mainline and some carefully positioned industrial buildings, one of which is seen here for testing purposes. I didn't want to resort to tunnels or bridges at this location.
The reason the Class 25s are in service on a rake of JGA hoppers, by the way, is the chronic motive power shortage faced by modellers of the current scene. I'd love a decent Class 66 or a 60 with a dependable chassis - the Lima offerings just aren't up to the job. A lone Bachmann 25, on the other hand, will haul a 60 wagon coal train up every gradient I've got with consumate ease.