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Club member John Avery recently hosted a chapter meeting at which time he unveiled his "relocated and improved" home layout.  John and his wife Judy, moved into their new home (built around John's train room, of course!) and were required to move John's extensive home layout in the process.  John has been collecting Marklin 3-rail AC trains for many years and wanted only to improve upon what he had constructed over those years.  He specializes in Swiss rolling stock and his layout depicts typical scenes found in the Swiss alps. The pictures above show a panorama of his established "U-shaped"  layout, along with his new wall-mounted surrounding loop.  John has built a unique layout that now features both analog and digital operation, operating on at least five different levels.  An amazing feat in anyone's book!

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A peek at the lower-level reveals not only an extensive network of work lighting and staging tracks, but also highlights the care John took to route, label and segregate the wiring.  One of his unique turnout control diagrams is seen below the lower level in the first picture.

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The command center for John's layout features a bank of Marklin transformers and control units.  The controls are strategically placed in the center of the U-shape for ease of operation and good viewing of the entire complex.  John is seen operating the controls in the bottom picture.

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Although final scenery is yet to be applied, these pictures highlight some of the Swiss structures and topography to be found on John's layout.  Chapter members Brian Haire, Mike Haire and Mark Mervive (left to right) admire John's work [in progress] of a replica of the famous Bietschtal Bridge located along the south ramp of the BLS line through Switzerland..

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Chapter member Bob Forte leans in for a closer look at some of John's handiwork.  Of particular note in this picture is the ramp John uses along the back side of his layout to bring trains up from the lower-level staging yard.  A long, gradual slope proves to be no problem at all any of his locomotive consists.