Two new layouts

  I have a little something new for this post, but we will get to that with the second layout.  First, I returned to the basic cloverleaf for this one, but attempted to add a few twists to the idea.

The idea here was to create the cloverleaf and have the track split to go over and under the cross track.  Simply enough.  The twist was going to be creating a cross over through the middle of the cloverleaf involving the ground level paths.  Unfortunately the bridge supports made that an impossibility.  I may have to revisit this idea and put the elevated path outside the ground level, thus removing the bridge supports as an obstacle to my design.  Anyway, with the middle crossover not working, it was time to head in a different direction.

So if crossing the tracks in the middle didn't work, then I would have to create reversing routes along the outside part of the cloverleaf.  The first route was pretty easy.  The second route took a lot more planning.

When I do create these layouts, they tend to dominate the living room and inevitably disaster is bound to strike.  This particular disaster (the wife tornado) only caused minor damage.

 Oh well, easily repaired.  And on the the next layout and something not seen in previous layouts...


...SCENERY.  Yes, that's right layouts now have scenery.  First we have:

The White House - LEGO Architecture edition.  I have always loved LEGO's and so being able to add LEGO structures to the layout makes everything even more enjoyable.  The White House is not the only LEGO Architecture piece to join the party.  I also added the Willis (Sears) Tower

Since it is in Chicago, it had to go next to the elevated section of this layout.  This layout is based on placing two sets of splits at right angles to each other and then running the tracks over and around each other to bring them back.

A good view of the splits that started this design

So that's it for now but there is more coming soon.  Look for a post about how to nicely place all these pieces into a box for easy storage.

Conductor Crim