Hidden Access Areas
Minor problems sometimes happen when trains stop in hard-to-reach places on the layout. To remedy this, we created access areas and hidden access liftouts to reach all areas of the layout. Below are photos of the access areas.
A Few Photos
The photos above show access hatches in the city and the canyon.
This hidden area behind backdrops accesses different locations.
Photo on the left shows the canyon liftout in place. The right photo shows the access hatch in Columbia. This hatch was added after the layout was made two feet wider to accomodate Columbia Yard.
This access is behind the backdrops. It gives reachability to trains in mainline tunnel below the farmlands, as well as Columbia Secondary and Reading Branch above Brandtsburg.