Copious quantities of woodwork over the last few days, if my antics with timber can be dignified with such a term. Note the burn marks on the top level's chipboard, something that sent me scurrying off to Homebase for the annual jigsaw blade renewal ceremony. The trackwork at the bottom, where the coal trains are parked, is the low level fiddle yard. Above that is the middle level line and finally the new, upper level which I'm currently working on. No track is yet in place, indeed this is just a semi-circle of chipboard at the moment, unconnected to the rest of the layout.
I hadn't planned on installing this section just yet, but operationally I've exhausted the entertainment possibilities of the terminus to fiddle yard arrangement (something I've never really enjoyed) and wanted to press on to running the through trains that I see 99% of the time on the real railway. This upper level will form a giant return loop, giving me a kind of linear fiddle yard in which to hold trains in the short term.
This is not a helix, despite appearances. The section this side of the blue clamp is part of the temporary arrangement to give me a return loop, but ultimately the track will continue straight off the right of the picture, following the line of the middle level.
Eventually this top level will be a couple of inches higher, so I've made provision for the use of risers and shims later on, but for now the slightly reduced height is adequate for a return loop as it doesn't have to clear any of the obstacles further along the layout.
Most of the middle level will be hidden, although perhaps restricted visibility would be a better term. The main purpose is to gain height with a 100 foot circuit of the loft, but I don't want to completely hide that amount of track. Instead, buildings along the main part of the layout will screen it when I'm seated, but standing up will enable the progress of the train to be monitored visually, if required. If you have a look at Saturday's photos you'll get the general idea, although these are just temporary structures, plonked down for effect.
Generally speaking I prefer to use chipboard for all baseboards, as it is cheap, strong and doesn't warp or sag if properly supported. It's weight means it wouldn't be my first choice if I was building a layout for exhibition purposes, but just how many of us are actually part of that niche? This is a domestic layout - some of the board is over 20 years old, has been under various layouts and is still going strong.
Although historically I've bought chipboard in 8 foot by 4 foot sheets, these days I take a more pragmatic approach. I find the 3 packs of 18mm tongue & groove loft flooring panels sold by the likes of Homebase to be a much more suitable choice. They're lighter, easier to thread between the roof joists and, most importantly, fit into my car. I can pick up a pack when I visit the retail park to get cat litter and other domestic items without having to swap vehicles or arrange deliveries.
The photo shows one of these panels and the method I use to mark out some of the standard curves for the hidden sections of the layout. I lay a run of Rocoline radius 9 & 10 set-track curves on the board, draw around them and cut the board with a jigsaw. Quick and easy. Individual sections are joined together with offcuts from the same board glued underneath the joints. Clamps hold everything in place while the glue dries, as many of the photos will show.