Gorre & Daphetid Layout Article in December/January issue of OGR

Looking good Ken.

The bridge over Gorre is at 6" elevation, with grades of 2.6% and 2.7% to reach it.

I have Daphetid at 10" elevation, and the grade to reach it from the bridge over Gorre is 3.6%.

If I raise the bridge over Gorre to 7", the grades to reach it become 3.1%.  Daphetid at 11", with grade unchanged at 3.6%

I think I will settle for now, with the bridge at 6.5" with grades of 2.8% and 3.1%; and Daphetid at 11.5" with a grade of 4.5%.  The minimal vertical clearance under Daphetid is then 6 1/8".

@Ken-Oscale posted:

So here is a concept to see if the idea will fit.  It will!  Lots more work need to clean-up, fine-tune, and improve.

Great look for O gauge - lots of action! One of my thoughts for a stretch version was a dead-end loop for turning engines after a run to the upper terminus. 

Just started roughing-in the terrain levels.

We lost the original pond with the two return loops (eat up lots of real estate), but her is a small one, with stream and small waterfall.

Trying out some structures

The plan has lots of nice features, but lacks a yard, which of course could be added at the ends or at the bottom.  But it does have the two hidden storage tracks, and a bit of shunting could be done arranging those cuts of cars.  There is a long lead for switching, and a run-around move  can be done with the main&passing sideing.

What to do when you are gory and defeated?  Make peace of course.  Added a new place name for the area on the other side of the pond and tracks from Gorre.  And added more industry including the Menard's Morton Salt Tower.

A 3D view.  

I saw an opportunity to make a hidden connection, running the in-most storage track around beneath the elevated line to Daphetid, to make a connection with the outside loop of track.   This creates a loop for continuous running without intervention.  It does not interfere with the return-loop to return-loop route.   So two trains can run without intervention and controlling turnouts.

The hidden O72 turnout is easily accessible from the access and viewing area in the upper right.

This connection might be long enough to be a hidden staging track holding a short train, in addition to using it as a hidden storage track.  I enjoy having multiple trains on the layout so you can change between different trains.  

The vertical clearance on this connection is 5 3/4" at the tightest point connecting to the hidden turnout.  This connection is now at a grade of 4% rather than being level, a point to remember when storing cars without an engine to hold them down.

Some updates:

Here is another try at 3D with the latest version:

And from the reverse angle: