Newest Track: The Schweizering - Part Four

Over the last few weeks, I have been back at work on the track, switching mostly to the elevated, curvy sections opposite the "old city." Been laying a lot of plaster cloth and shaping some banks, hills and mountainous areas in the small space available; looks like a snow storm hit right now, but the painting and scenic work will come soon enough.


This being the Alps, I did want to add a "tunnel." I was going to originally have the track drive through a different tunnel, up along the wall, but the only suitable spot for that was where the shaped "riser" track sections are set end-to-end, to make an "up-and-up" straight going towards the top of the hill climb. Visually, this is a point of interest, and I didn't want to hide it under cardboard and plaster.


I instead have opted for a "scenic" tunnel, similar in concept to what he did at the upper corners of one of his older layouts (I forget which one). This is on a lower section of track, appearing to run off the main road and under the upper back straight. I'll probably drop a safety car there at the tunnel entrance, along with some sort of barrier and a policeman or two; I'm pretty happy with it so far.



Overall, I must say I like the way the plaster forms "firm up" the track as a whole and make the structure more solid and substantial. Yet it seems there is so much more to do...once I finish the plaster work and get the some basic painting done, I can finish filling/painting the track surface and get some copper tape down over the rails. I test ran cars for a while before I finally settled on this layout, but I want to get some cars back on the track and running again!