The Layout
Embedded Files
Using Wintrack software
Using Wintrack software
Using Wintrack software (as of 2021, I used version 15), you can precisely define the track, checking in real time whether it fits within the available space. It's also possible to view the result in 3D from multiple angles, as well as simulate being on a train running on the layout. The biggest challenges are learning to use levels and how to set slopes on uneven sections. The software also highlights the heights where the lines intersect, indicating critical areas if they aren't sufficient.
Below is the latest version of the project I did for Massa sul Cesi. Looking at the layout of each level, you immediately notice that the bulk of the track will never be visible from the outside. In fact, the exposed (darker) parts can easily only amount to 15-25% of the total route. This means that of the approximately 150 meters of track on the exposed layout, only about 30 will be visible.
In the following diagrams, when I refer to the north side, I mean the left, while the south side is the right. This choice was made considering the actual geographic orientation of the model.
The Wintrack project shows only two of the four inspection hatches. The two not shown are at the center of the two circular helical ramps visible on levels 1, 3, and 4.
Level 0
Level 0
On level 0, 75 cm above the floor, is hidden station 1 (top left) with 7 staging tracks. It feeds the south side of the double-track line. There is also hidden station 2 (bottom right) with 4 staging tracks, a culvert, and a connection to the programming track. A triangle allows trains coming from the double-track line to bypass the staging tracks of hidden station 1 or go to hidden station 2.
Level 1
Level 1
Level 1 is located 11 cm above level 0. It consists of the hidden ramp of the branch line and the first spiral ramps of the main line on the south side. The exit of the exposed branch station (bright purple) forks. One branch goes to the exit of branch station 3, while the other, at the exit, feeds the ramp of the branch line and at the entrance allows trains coming from the northern branch of the main line to enter the branch station.
Level 2
Level 2
Hidden station 3, identical to station 1, is located directly above it. It is on level 2 (13 cm above level 0). It can be accessed from the secondary station and then exited directly onto the main North line, or from the main North branch line. In this case, there is no bypass like at level 0 (a mistake I regret), so a free track must be left to allow flow through the station. Note the first track that feeds the secondary station located at a level 2 cm lower.
Level 3
Level 3
On the right, you can see the start of the ramp of the double-track main line (north branch) and its two dark green sections visible in the gorge. Then you can see the continuation of the helical line of the main line (south branch) (inner circle), and finally, in the center, the helical line of the branch line with the section visible on the curved bridge.
Level 4
Level 4
On the right, you can see the secondary line with the exposed sections highlighted in blue. The Malga del Lago stop is located between the two bridges. Then you can see the last ramp of the main line's helical line on the south side, and on the far left, the ovoid-shaped helical line on the main line on the north side. Note the curved switches at the end of the southern ramp. They allow ascending trains to also access the first two platforms of the station if necessary. A symmetrical switch configuration has also been added on the north side exiting the main station to allow trains from the secondary line to be correctly routed onto the inner track.
Level 5
Level 5
The main station is located 390 meters above level 0. At the top right, you can see the arrival of the branch line, which terminates at the two branches in the southern yard of the main station, and a parking/bypass track that allows access to the main line. Two curved switches have been added at level 4 (not initially planned), allowing trains coming from the branch line to be correctly routed onto the left track of the North main line, descending towards hidden station 3 or the branch station.
The following images show in sequence how the various levels connect to each other starting from level 0.
There's also a higher level that's not documented in the original Wintrack project because it was added later. It's set 503 mm above level 0. In fact, at the fire station, I created a stub where a train can travel back and forth, simulating the interconnection with the rest of the system.
The location of the buildings and the roads with the Viessmann Car Motion are also not documented in the original Wintrack project. Or rather, I placed some buildings in the software, but then the final decision on their placement was made based on the visual impact on the actual model.
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