I’ve been writing a lot about my adventures trackside lately, but have neglected to mention the progress I’ve made on the layout. A couple of huge leaps were made over the last few months.
First, I built the removable staging yard. It’s 1′ x 7′ and will have 4 tracks. It will also have the second crossover between the two mains (the first one is modeled on the layout). I planned it this way so that the second crossover could be imagined to be a mile or so down the track, making the second main a long passing siding for operational purposes (and because there just wasn’t enough room on the layout for two #9 crossovers.)
The staging yard is notched to rest on the layout benchwork at one end and on a small L-girder shelf that I attached to wall studs at the other end. It’s locked in place by a pair of hinges. I haven’t decided yet how I’ll make electrical connections.
I also cut and attached the valance and roof panels. They’re made out of 1/8″ hardboard and are painted a blue-black color (can’t remember exactly what it’s called, but it’s Behr paint). They’re attached with stainless steel sheet metal screws and finish washers. I would have liked to permanently affix the panels so that there aren’t any visible screws, but since the layout needs to come apart, I had to do it this way. The staging yard is wrapped in the same material, but it was glued using Loctite construction adhesive.
I also cut the panels for the fascia, but I’m waiting to attach it until I have the scenery further along. Overall I’m happy with how everything turned out. The layout is finally starting to exhibit the shadow-box feel that I was going for when I designed it.
Stay tuned…
– Chris
MILEPOST 15 