Progress seems slow at the moment but Brian came round and both doors to the eaves are now in and I have loads of ideas for the elevated section including a catenary shadow box. The following photos show the idea, this elevated section was on my old layout:
I want to include it on the new layout but don’t have sufficient clearance to fit it above the storage tracks. The photo below shows the side where the elevated section will go. The storage yard is to the left and runs up at a 3% grade to the middle level on the right. The main lower level is to the top right. The storage track baseboards are complete to about where the tenements sit but I have yet to build any of the lower level baseboards yet.
Brian suggested that instead of trying to hide the storage yard as it rises up to the lower main level of the layout, I can make a feature of it. You can see the storage tracks at the back here:
He suggested that I use the storage tracks as a “shadow box” and put them out in the open and even put catenary over them! The storage tracks used to be the main on my old layout so they are already sceniced and ballasted which is a real plus. The elevated section would be at the front (mocked in on the left in the photo above).
A road could run over the storage tracks and then run under and in front of the elevated section. I’ve put in some buildings behind to mock up the area but would use factories/office buildings rather than tenements. Having them raised up would put the storage tracks in a cut. It would run into/behind buildings on the left and right. The only problem is losing a lot of real estate that I could have put buildings on but there is a 5 inch gap further round to the right in front of the grades of my storage tracks as they rise. I will try and use that space as well. Decisions, decisions, decisions.