Space for fingers

Sooner or later, something will derail there.  Even on plain vanilla straight track, if a truck screw falls out the next thing it does is bounce a following truck up and maybe off.

Point is, you need to get your fingers around the derailed loco(s) and/or car(s) to extricate or re-rail them.  A 2 inch wide space isn't going to be enough for that.

Space

Good point Ken,

Please realize that I don't intend to have any 'top' over that track, just a view block of stiff paper or very thin foam board.

Since this will primarily be behind stacks of containers in my container yard scene, perhaps the containers  themselves (movable) could provide much of that viewblock?

in your photos i see snap

in your photos i see snap track, if you are using this might place one or two rerailers, back there pending length of the run.

rerailers

Here is where I was thinking of using that 'hidden' (view blocked) track,..behind the containers in the container port.
https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/container-port-ideas-images-12213693

And I think you are correct I could use rerailers at either end, in the straight sections.

Depending on how hard it is to access,

you may need more than 2 rerailers.  I think I would be tempted to use an entire line of rerailers since the track will be hidden. 

guard rails

like on most railroad bridges might also be an option.  After all, it works for the prototype!

http://www.trainweb.org/algoma/Images/Locations/Bellevue/bellevue4.jpg

And yes, the photo can be posted here, if Jeff wants to import it.  After all, I took it!

Blair

guard rail pic

I used to live in Bellevue, Washington, so I was wondering if that bridge was one I recognized. I thought it might be the Wilburton Trestle. But looking at that in google maps shows guardrails much closer to the bearing rails, so I doubt it's the same bridge. Anyhow, here's another example. I suspect having the guard rails closer to the bearing rails will be more useful for a model track.

Nope, if you

strip the link back a bit, you'll see it's the Bellevue Trestle on the Algoma Central Railway, in northern Ontario.

Blair

Guard Rails & Straight Track Problems

I wonder how effective those guard rails are on our model railroads?? ...certainly I would think that those that are very close to the primary rail are most effective.

I believe the emphasis on problems with this short section of track I am proposing to hide behind some sort of open top view block are being over done. After all it is a relatively short piece of straight track, with a rerailer at either end.

Just as a mind game

Hi,

yes, I do have some hidden track. Accessing it means to take some hills off of my layout. There are some turnouts in there, too.

Just as a game, suppose something happens. How do you take care of the situation.

1. a car at the back of the train derails
2. a car in the front/middle of the train derails
3. a loco derails (no, you're not going to arrive at the same solution as (1)
4. a split train (some cars left behind)
5. a "serious accident" with derailed, overturned or otherwise mangled up cars and/or locos
6. a penny or hammer that got lost and suddenly falls on a piece of hidden track creating a short
7. ...

If you have an idea how to deal with those situations, you'll have all the answers you need...

Example: Guard rails might be very effective dealing with (1), (2) and (4). But not (3) or (5)... Re-railers might be effective for ... And to deal with (5) you either have a "hook" or a removable view block...

Whatever your solution, once you have one that you feel confident with, go for it.

Have fun!

PS: having a rather narrow, smooth-sided cavity like yours is probably much better than my oddly-shaped hollow hill.

PPS: you might want to keep a mirror on a long handle nearby or even install a small mirror above the track - which will make it very easy to see what's going on

Brian,

I'm sure you're an optimist, and I'm surely a pessimist.  In my world, I try to envisage just where Mr. Murphy is going to stick his miserable little schnozz, and prevent it before hand.  I will have four lengths of hidden track ultimately, and my plan is for all of those to be accessible "somehow".  Because Murphy exists.

I recently visited a friend's layout (Will Annand), and his solution for modules that need to be lifted off of their structure with background intact leapt out at me.  His modules have a cardboard backdrop "profile" with scenery glued to them.  The profile removes with the module, but the "blue sky" masonite backdrop remains on the substructure.  Voila, says I.  I can run my hidden track between the blue backdrop and the cardboard scenery profile, allowing access from above for emergencies.  Not sure yet if I'll make the foreground modular, or depend upon the "hand of god" reaching over the scenery and blindly rerailing the train, but at least I won't be doing a major rebuild when Murphy does come to visit.  The more I think about it, though, making that particular stretch a removable module would be a snap.

Also, for monitoring that hidden trackage, I will simply mount a small mirror on the underside of the valence, looking straight down on the hidden track, and a glance will tell me if the train is still moving.

It's a plan, anyways.  I'm hoping Murphy won't be a regular visitor.  Or an operator.

Blair

  mirror on a long handle

good idea

Hidden track

I have somewhat the same situation as you describe. I have Atlas re-railers between each piece of flex track. That section is a little over 24' in total length. Have not had any derails since i started using it.

Moving this Subject to Another Subject Thread

I'm going to move this discussion over to another subject thread I started on a related subject,.....this hidden track is going to be utilized along the wall behind my container port scene.

Container Port Ideas & Images

https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/container-port-ideas-images-12213693

PS: BTW I have decided to 'hide' this track by using two items:
1) the Santa Fe passenger station
2) rows/stacks of containers. Interestingly the width of this hidden track area has now increased to 2+3/8",...the width of two wide containers.