Benchwork basics - Level 2

OK, so we have the lower rail yards and the elevating helixes in place, time to add the second level bench work and to start layout out the track paths.  We will call this the landscape level as the lower level has none.

 We started with the bracing to hold up any of the future landscaping.  You can see in the picture to the left the braces being installed and tested for correct altitude and levelness.
When designing think in 3d, basically having tracks at different altitudes and changing levels while in view.
We wanted sever levels of traffic in the landscape so after a switch setup we ran the helix one more lap.  This got one layer of track 4" higher than the base layer.

In the picture to the right you can see the crisscross of the track at the lower landscape level and the end of the dual track helix another 4" up.  this gave us some real interesting twists we can do with the track loops.

Once we had all the initial landscape level bracing in place it was time to lay out the track to see how it would work.  We laid out cardboard sheets over the area and started to lay out the track.  We used our imagination to see the altitude changes between track lines.  Even so we discovered a couple changes in track pathing that would help out what we were trying to accomplish.

We decided which tracks to have exposed, which to put behind the ski mountain (the location we have in the pics, but we did this one section at a time for the entire layout), and where/how to transition between.

Once completed we took overhead shots and I knitted them together to form a panorama from which to work.  We also put this down on paper in the form of a plan.  This greatly helped us as we started the long process of laying track foundation pieces.

Below is the panorama.

We had fun placing various bridges we had discussing where/how scenarios (one of the dream pieces of the process).  The plan you see here has changes several times since as ideas were tossed around after an inspiration or one of us seeing something somewhere that got I wanting it on our layout.

That would be another suggestion I would have, don't be afraid to change something.  My first attempt at a trestle bridge is having a major change, but that is another post......