Best way to disassemble a layout?

[samgolden]

Hi All: The Flood here in Northeast PA, Disassembled a layout that I had built for my 2 grandsons. It was in their cellar, which until that time had only about 2 to 12 inches in the cellar, and pumps could keep it down.

After / during the flooding, the water filled the cellar, so that the layout was floating, and hitting the bottom of the first floor rafters. It was under water for about 3 days. I salvaged all the turnouts, some of them Atlas & some of them Peco. Most of the Track was guled down with white glue, Most of the track was salvaged too. The water had disolved the white glue, and the only thing holding the track, was the nails that held it down while assenbling, that I didn’t pull out after the glue dried. I used WS foam roadbed that was glued down with Laytex calk that the water didn’t affect. but most of the roadbed was saved also.

That was the only time I dismantled a layout, and most of the work was done for me.

P.S. Both grandsons are not into MRRing anymore, the older one is into Cars and/or Trucks, and the younger one is stuck in front of his video GAMES. I don’t know which game but he has several different game ?BASES? I can’t keep up with them anymore.

Sam

[richhotrain]

Well, there you go.

Chuck, just flood the Sun Room. [(-D]

Rich

[Scarpia]

The LION is now well into his third layout since moving to North Dakota 30 years ago. After my second layout I decided to do rid myself of roadbed and ballast. Actually I do use some ballast, but I let gravity hold it in place that way if I want to move tracks, I just brush the stuff aside and get on with the project.

Recently I tore out all of my staging yards and replaced them with four track main lines. I was able to salvage some track, but not all of it. In the end I bought another 300’ bundle of track. But you do have to model to your own specifications. Subway trains are easy, most of the scenery is painted black.

ROAR

And by highlighting a completely unrelated set of circumstances, this is helpful to the original poster, in his current situation, how? Does he model the same thing you do, using the same construction methods?

To the OP, can you post up a track diagram, picture, bar napkin drawing or anything to help understand what you’re willing to trade, for the effort needed to salvage?