Fantasy Island
The Fantasy Island layout is actually extremely simple - it’s nothing more than a figure-eight of track with a mountain on top of it.
- Lay track in a freeform figure of eight, as big or as small as you want.
- Temporarily delete a link from one of the tracks at the point where they cross.
- Place a marker at each of the open nodes.
- Change the elevation of the nodes on both sides of the crossing on the other track to 8m and lock them.
- Run Grade Between Markers
- Replace the missing link (should be at elevation 0m)
- Turn each of the crossing links into a tunnel, turning off Auto Cutting and adding a Tunnel Mouth and appropriate lining and portal scenery (See http://www.markhodson.nl/2kdhelp/251.htm)
- Build a mountain over the area of the tunnels by adding terrain points in the middle of the layout (I put the summit at about 30m)
- Build the coastline of the island by setting a sea-plane at −3m and then adding a ring of terrain points below sea level outside the area of the track
- Generate the terrain. You’ll probably find some excessively deep cuttings and embankments - these can usually be fixed by adding a few Stitch points to the track.
- Check that it all looks reasonably ok.
- Add trees and buildings to taste (you can use Scenery Spraygun for the trees).
- If your line is long enough for more than one train, then divide it into at least three block sections by adding signals.
- Add trains, sit back and enjoy
As a finishing touch, I added an oval of Invisible TrackInvisible Track at sea-level and set my paddle steamer going in circles round the island.
Although not very railway-like, this sort of little layout is a great way to practice terrain construction.
MRG 26/06/2013 14:09:41