BATTLEDOWN FLYOVER/ WORTING JUNCTION

Trying to fit a large prototype location into a small space can be a layout designers’ nightmare. All too often, compromises result in something that neither resembles your chosen location, nor runs anything like it. How far you’re prepared to manipulate reality into model form is always a balancing act. I was challenged to devise a rigid geometry track plan for Worting Junc- tion, near Basingstoke, where the ex-london & South Western Railway main line diverges to Eastleigh and Salisbury. Worting Junction is a ‘flying junction’, where the Up line from Eastleigh is carried over the Up and Down lines to Salisbury, at Battledown Flyover. At first, I thought this would require more than a standard-sized baseboard, and indeed that would prove to be partially true, though not as much as I’d expected. Length proved not to be a problem, but given the number of tracks required on both sides, I had to increase the width beyond 4ft by a further 10in. Any layout requiring a gradient (or indeed several gradients) will always demand complex levels, particularly where baseboard size is relatively small. In this case, the gradients need to be split, with one line going up and the other descending. This will halve the required running length to reach a point where a train can pass under the track. On a larger baseboard, only one track climbs, whereas the other remains on the level. I’ve used the split gradient strategy here. The following gradients provide a 3in clearance beneath the Battledown Flyover on this layout. Space will be tight and you should make sure that the bridge deck is kept as thin as possible. It’s worth testing your stock beneath the bridge at an early stage so that you can make any

adjustments before you complete the scenery. The gradients on this plan, all travelling clockwise, are as follows; a-b falling 1½in in a 60in run (1-in-40) C-D rising 1½in in a 60in run (1-in-40) E-F rising 1½in in a 60in run (1-in-40) g-h falling 1½in in a 60in run (1-in-40) B-I rising 1½in in a 60in run (1-in-40) Note that most track occupying the top right-hand corner from D to a, not including E, is on the level, as are all sidings.