I’ve read all three so far, and he’s got some pretty good ideas. I think his track planning approach is silimar to mine - my drawn plan is really only a guide. I don’t draw in every little detail - I use planning tools to verify that what I want to do will fit in the space I have.
I see this turning into something similar to George Allen’s old Tuxedo Junction series in MR from the 50’s. The complete evolution of a model railroad from idea to finished scenery - even starting with an unwieldy previous layout that was dismantled.
Speaking of high and narrow benchwork, I plan to build my layout with a minimum height of 48 inches off the floor to maximize available storage space. I accumulated a number of pallets (many businesses have to pay to get rid of them) which I intend to place in the walkway areas to provide supports for elevated walkways.
Another consideration for those who are contemplating building an full room layout: Instead of following the bondaries of the room, canting the entire layout on a 30 or 45 degree angle with the walls will make more of the layout accessible without resorting to access hatches.
I bought mine at Walmart. So i would think subscribers should have theirs. I just started a subscription but I doubt I’ll see one n the mail before the Feb 06 issue.
Don Spiro is one of the most enjoyable writers in this hobby and that four part series in RMC was definately one of the best that I have read over the years. I’d love to see a follow up article. How about it?