I have a mountain that has two track in and three out. When I had a full background on one end of the layout I added a fourth track out of the mountain to a hidden track. The other end came out of a hole in the background that needed disguising.
The hole in the background is hidden by an industrial building. This building was made from 1/8 inch Masonite with brick paper covering the sides. The main outside loop track goes through this building too. Arch top windows were added and made from plastic sheeting and panes from 1/16 inch auto pin stripping. Vent stacks were added to the roof. A fake roll up door was added to the open ends of the building from wood dowels. A section of flat building was made as the building and installed against the background to give the appearance of a larger building.
Three sections of the hidden track, located at each end and in the middle of hidden track, have isolated outside rails to trigger a track occupation signal to indicate if a train is present on the track since the track cannot be seen. The signal power is controlled by the round house light switch. The signal is mounted on the left end of the industrial building, in full view of the engineer. 12 volt mini Radio Shack bulbs of red, yellow and green are used for the signal. Each bulb represents a section of hidden track that is occupied, and all three “on” mean the track has a long train hidden. The lights also indicate the progress of a train moving on the hidden track.
Picture of Industrial building behind the round house.
Charlie
