The New Beginnings

While there is still some fine tuning to be done, I've 're-constructed' my layout.  Well, the benchwork is back in place after being modified.

I cut six inches off the back of the yard table and the same off the back of the two main oval sections; I also added five and a half inches to the yard portion but really cut the total length of this run short by half an inch to allow for better door clearance.

The real big footprint adjustment was in cutting the south wall of the room table short seven feet, really six feet and eleven inches but that's just a quibble.  Gone is just under three feet of the 'bubble' and all of the old port and the back extension for the staging yard.

That all may seem a drastic reduction in available modeling space.  But it is a great improvement in versatility of room use.  And, more importantly, it is an easy reach to almost all of the surface, even for my wife who is a foot shorter than I am.

You will note in the photos below that the base height is lowered as well - a change appreciated by the lady of the house - that will allow more of the backdrop to show through.  It is well to keep in mind that the backdrop was painted for the original layout construction, ten years ago now.  That layout and the last never got to the track laying stage.  This one certainly will and sooner rather than later if not immediately.  Still have other duties and activities.

I repainted all visible surfaces to ease laying out the new track arrangement - more on that below.  I also stained the four paired legs to make a better visual presentation.  All of this was done over the course of the last two days.

I will give a written word description of the new track plan and try to match as best I can with the photographs.  Like the benchwork, the track plan will get a little, though very little.  Most of the changes will come from translating to a drawing to full size.  Though with as many drawings as I've translated from paper to actual table top, I don't expect too many adjustments.  Always a few.

 Above shows the basic cut prior to repainting.

 Same from the other end where you can see the add.

 This is the perspective you'd see from within the room - well, if you were the back wall of the closet maybe.

 Here I've added a building, a piece of track, and a caboose to give a perspective of the size available relative to actual N scale items.

 A closer shot.

 And a much closer view.

 And another longer angle.

 The point of these shots to give you a perspective for imaging what you might do in this space.  Not what I am going to do, maybe, but imagination is as much a part of model railroading as any other.

 One more close shot from another angle but you are probably already peaking at the next shot.

 The above shows a general overview of the room.

 This is where the yard will be except for the far corner which will be the farming and farm industry area.

 This is the area where there will be a mining area inside the L shaped oval, behind it will be the logging area, the end on the right will be a river canyon, and the left most portion will be the beginning of the seaport.

 The above left will be the farm town, the right side will be the company town, lower - in elevation - will be an industrial area, and in front of that will the seaport.

 Another overview with the same items for perspective.

 And another closer shot.

And a last comment about that white space between the table and the backdrop.  It will disappear because there will be higher terrain in back than in front.  Though I will be challenged along the back of the yard since space is tight there.  But that is part of the fun.  Maybe a more detailed description of the new track plan in a future post.

That's all for now.