Since my last post ( well not actually my last post which was about my 1 year anniversary, but the one before that ) I spent time getting ready for a business trip and then was in New York for 7 days. Once we got back it was catching up on work around the house, both business and personal. When I had a chance to get downstairs I sat there and lamented the fact that I couldn’t move ahead on the layout until our little remodeling project was finished.
Let me explain, the “remodel” isn’t anything more then paint ( finished ) and new carpet on the lower level. The reason I can’t move forward is that when this happens all the furniture from the lower level ( family room and bedroom ) has to go somewhere. And that somewhere is the “basement”, also know as the train room.
When we finally got around to ordering carpet I found out that the install wouldn’t be until mid May. Not wanting to sit around and stare at the layout without making progress, I decided that I had to do something. So… I decided to break my rule of working in a linear fashion ( ie. completing the bench work before moving ahead with other things ) and move ahead. Technically anyone who has been following this site will note that I had already broken this rule because I had laid track in both the staging yard and part of the Duluth harbor area.
My first thought was to wire in the feeder wires for the staging yard, but this seemed a little to tedious. Also I haven’t had the chance to get over to the storage locker to retrieve the throttles.
I then turned towards putting the subroadbed in place leading to the helix. This will have to be done before I can start the actual helix as it will set the height for the entry into the helix’s first turn. This also meant that I should put the backdrop panels into place on the lower level. And thus I had a plan. So starting from 0 ( the level of the staging yard and New Brighton Yard ) I worked around the peninsula counter clockwise. First stop the town of Jackson.
There will be a 3/4″ rise at Jackson, so I installed risers along this section of the peninsula for the towns base. Fairly simple, a ripped 1″ wide strips of plywood and screwed them to the joists.
After the risers were in place I added in the backdrop along this section.
And then I couldn’t help myself I had to put the subroadbed in place for Jackson so that I could get a sense of the space I had for the town.
And now because I had the base for the town in place, I wanted to start laying out the town, but I stopped myself, because then I would want to layout the track plan for the town and then start laying track and then… You know – if you give a mouse a cookie.
So I continued and finished the backdrop around the lower level. The only areas that I didn’t do are those that will be next to the helix. Until it’s in place I not sure of the backdrops final location.
After finishing the backdrop I was able to start planning the town of Jackson. However this does mean a trip to the storage locker because some of the buildings that will populate Jackson are packed away in boxes there. Well I suppose I can pickup the throttles at the same time.
Until next time, Happy Railroading..
