Staging yard completed in 2021 Added main yard above staging yard: Laid cord subroadbed: Then backdrop supports and backdrop: Got mainline laid and drops to main buss added: Most recently adding fascia:
Very nice! Is the lower level only for staging without any scenery or will the lower level single track eventually have scenery? When I built my current double deck layout in 2003, I initially planned to only use the lower level for staging, but I quickly abandoned that plan when 15 to 20% of the time for each run was spent getting from staging on the lower level up the helix to the main level, and then 15 to 20% again to get back down at the end of the run. When I spread out the plain (unsceniced) staging into multiple small rail yards modeled with structures and scenery and put in more industries/destinations with scenery on the lower level, I was able to more than double my mainline length and more than doubled how long it took to run each job. As a result, the total time in the hidden or "uninteresting/boring" helix (3 to 4.5 minutes, depending on the speed of the train) became less than 10% of the total time needed to complete the job.
Wow, I bet the local lumber yard(s) absolutely love you; it may burn down (God forbid), but it sure ain't gonna fall down!
I reused a lot of the lumber from the prevous layout. The lumber I added on was mostly purchased before the prices went way up during covid.
