It's always possible that it could be the result of unofficial action, there are no screws in the cover and it looks as though it wouldn't be too hard to lift up.
It's certainly less of an issue than the time somebody lifted the bricks up with the whole yellow line warning on and got them all mixed up...
Dont! He'll only add that in....
The word 'incredible' has been used to describe this three times, so far. I don't think that's right - it is the very credibility of it that is shocking.
Could you put a shim about the thickness of the disc between the boards?
That should make the gap fairly small, if the track is fairly straight over the join and you remove the shim after the cut.
There is an N Gauge layout called Ballykeale that turns up on the exhibition circuit now and then - it's at http://www.ngaugeshow.co.uk/ in September.
I can't locate any pictures of it, but it seems to be modern stuff.
You can get Keen stuff direct - http://www.keen-systems.com/Carriage%20Ends.html - from the odd location of Market Drayton, a place that's not really on the way to anywhere - twenty miles from me and I've only been there once in forty years...