It’s all about track on the rebuild of Topley Dale with a combination of lifting old rails, relaying and new track installation, as MIKE WILD explains.
Since the last time I wrote about Topley Dale’s rebuilding in HM200, the primary focus has been on the track to bring the layout back into full service. The storage yard for the upper level has been a hotspot for activity, but to keep things fresh for me as the builder, I'm also working on the relaying of the scenic section.
Starting at the back, the big job is installation of the 12-track upper level storage yard. My original plan set out 10 tracks for off-scene train storage, but with careful positioning and attention to the tolerances on curves, I’ve been able to expand that by one track in each direction. That might not sound like much, but one of the things I have noticed is that with modern trains it is very easy to fill an 18ft long storage road with a single train!
