Everybody is so neat! Look at this mess!!
Still have work to do... bus line is not in (feeders not hooked up behind the knee wall etc.). A Lot of Clean Up & Finish work.
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That's not a mess, just a few things to pick up. You should have seen the mess in the middle of building my layout bench! 
Congratulations on getting the hidden track working so quickly!!
You don’t see our messes because we put stuff away or more accurately hide it before taking photographs! 😄 There is a reason I don’t take videos besides getting dizzy following the train while inside my 11x8 layout! 😄
Dennis,
Very nice work!
You made quick work of that project Dennis. 
Now- show us the back side not just the pretty pictures 
Bob
@Dennis-LaRock posted:Everybody is so neat! Look at this mess!!
Still have work to do... bus line is not in (feeders not hooked up behind the knee wall etc.). A Lot of Clean Up & Finish work.
Nice work. I find that cleaning up after a job like that feels rewarding.
Enjoy the journey , not just the destination.
.
Looks great! That's a really awesome feature to have on a layout in my opinion!
@Mark Boyce posted:
You don’t see our messes because we put stuff away or more accurately hide it before taking photographs!
Folks clean up *before* they take photos???
@Dennis-LaRock posted:Everybody is so neat! Look at this mess!!
Still have work to do... bus line is not in (feeders not hooked up behind the knee wall etc.). A Lot of Clean Up & Finish work.
Love it Dennis. I did something similar with my "Alcove" S Gauge loop wherein the train appears to be on a shelf from the front but it then goes through the wall into a loop in my workshop and back out.
Keep us updated with progress pics please. Are you going to finish that back wall with rock formations, building fronts or ???
@Lionelski posted:Are you going to finish that back wall with rock formations, building fronts or ???
That is a really good question. The portals will probably be stone or concrete... I keep thinking about the train entry's/exits going under the Hudson and East rivers. I've seen them but I don't have any photos for reference. I've also thought about a panoramic photo between the portals.
Dennis,
If there's enough height clearance and depth behind the wall to push the track back you might want to consider breaking the loops on each side at the appropriate degree and add a straight section for the portion that runs through the wall portal.
Otherwise, even with angled tunnel entrances longer locomotives and definitely some passenger cars may not clear the entrance as they "turn".
I seem to recall someone on the forum using a longer piece of wood with wheel trucks attached to it and a little overhang on each end to test all clearances on their layout.
Unfortunately there isn't enough space. When I build the portal I will angle it 22.5 degrees so it at least will have a better feel to it. I only run 15" passengers. I'm coming off Super-O so most of my inventory is conventional or Lionmaster.
You can simply make the portals wider as well to insure better clearance. We have tunnels on curves on the club layout, and with wide enough tunnel portals, the Vision Line Big Boy makes it through.
@Dennis-LaRock posted:Unfortunately there isn't enough space. When I build the portal I will angle it 22.5 degrees so it at least will have a better feel to it. I only run 15" passengers. I'm coming off Super-O so most of my inventory is conventional or Lionmaster.
I would definitely angle the portals. It would look a lot more finished. I really like this project. Gives you some great additional trackage.
Very nice Dennis, that is going to add a lot to your layout.
Adding the O72 loop was worth the effort, at least IMO. Might as well use that wasted space behind the wall! 
You two guys!!!
John, Thanks for pushing me on the O72 loop!!!
Ray, Thanks for the concept and inspiration!!!
It's been a minute... back to the Knee Wall. I had to give my wife back her sewing machine table and make something up as some sort of a control center... so, I built this (still in thinking stage). The front edges are curved @ O144. It's on some very heavy duty (stainless) casters and lots of slack in the lines so there is easy access to the knee wall loop.
Now, a bunch of thinking for control placement (this is placement 2). I like the feel of where the switch throws are on the bench but certainly not the look... I'll probably move those down to where the fascia is missing (which is why it isn't there).
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nice idea using the space in front of the access door and on wheels!
