I grew tired of crawling through to the hatch on my hands and knees on the old layout. I decided that there would be a hinged lift out on this layout. Also I keep all my tools under this layout, so need to access them at other times when the layout is not in use.

The project was easier than expected, but with a few minor teething problems, and the trains now run over the joint faultlessly. These may seem basic, but they are lesson that I learnt:

- make sure the adjoining baseboards are completely stable
- do not screw the hinges directly to the board, but raise them on a spacer. It will not foul the rails when lifted
- use the best hinges that you can afford
- make sure that the board falls exactly in place when lowered: I used a piece of dowel and a drilled hole
- the join between the boards must be as small as possible, and no change in height between the boards
- the rail ends must be securely fastened
- the gap between rail ends must be as small as possible, and preferably on a straight

I connected the Dcc bus via a 12v 3 pin plug and socket. The closest rails to the hatch are isolated with plastic joiners and back -  fed by the plug, so if the trains are running and the hatch opens, the nearest rails will not be electrified, and the train will not fall into the abyss!