My layout is a 7' x 4' cockpit-style layout based on one of the plans in
Iain Rice's book "Small, Smart, and Practical Layouts". It will eventually
grow on either end. Even though I live in a house, I have no basement (not
seimically sound in my neighborhood) and have to share the 10' x 10' extra
room as the home office. Another design consideration was that we are
planning on moving in a couple of years, so I thought I would start small,
keep it transportable, and learn as I went.
The benchwork is complete. I used 1" x 4" for the frame, 1/4" plywood for
the decking, 2" x 2" for legs (braced with leftover 1" x 4"). Blue foam was
secured to the plywood with Liquid Nails. I haven't installed any roadbed
yet because I'm playing with the track plan using actual track. I used 3rd
Plan-It for the initial design, but there's nothing like a little actual
operation to work out kinks in the design. I've laid the track right on the
blue foam and used track nails to tack it in place so I can operate. This
has caused me to re-design my plan from what I've published on my web site.
I need to update the track plan and also upload some new photos. Be
forewarned that some of the photos may take a couple of minutes to download
if you are on a slow dial-up connection.
My wife loves to build Campbell-style kits (which she could do during the
apartment years), and we have a few already to go when the scenery gets a
little further along. BTW, I have placed the kits on the blue foam as a part
of testing operations. Made a difference in the track plan. I discovered
that I had too much track and my buildings were in less than ideal places.
For example, she had constructed Campbell's "Brett's Brewery" and it looked
great. The original draft of the plan would have put this kit back in the
corner where one couldn't admire all the detail and work she put into it, so
I moved it to a more prominent location on the layout, the trade-off being
that the track is on the far side of the building. So until I get a walk
around throttle, I have to literally look through the brewery's lower floor
to spot the car (which is easy if you also leave the box car's door open:
align the daylight). Little things like this have convinced me that
"operationing your plan" early will make for a better layout.
Feel free to check out what's currently on the web site now and check back
every so often because I do update it at least once a week. The URL is:
Joseph R. Curtis
Superintendent & Shay Driver
Mendocino Coast Lumber & Railroad Company
