Well, after several days of contemplation. I’ve decided to tear out my current layout and start over. It’s just too darn close to the roof. When I first built the benchwork it was working out fine. About a foot from the cieling was enough room for me to work up there. But I’ve been growing so fast lately I cant hardly even get up there to run trains around without having to bend my neck in some awkward position. I figure before I go any farther I should just tear it out and do it right… Lower. I want at least 3 feet of clearance to the cieling this time. That way I can operate with no problems, and so can any taller people who come to operating sessions. Im going to do things different this time too. Instead of just building benchwork and having the mains up on risers with the scenery and yards on seperate pieces of foam. This time Im going to build the benchwork then cover the whole thing with 1/2 inch blue foam. My mains wont be parrallell this time and I will probably put in some grades. Im going to build another level to it as well for staging. I never like undoing work, but the result will be much better in the long run. Im going to salvage all the track and roabed I can and just start over…
Starting over is rough - what ever it is. The positive aspect of it all is that you have learned a lot and will be able to implement the new layout with more experience and knowledge.
Good luck!
I cannot believe that you built a layout that high in the first place. That is crazy dawg. So it is 7-8 feet high right now? Yes tear that down dawg. Bring it down alot, a whole lot. Wow
JPM–you’ll LIKE the foam–it’s easy to work with, a LOT stronger than you think, and you’ll actually be able to hear rail-click, it’s so quiet. And it goes up
Sorry, hit that #$d-%#n TAB key again. Anyway, as I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself, the foam goes up a lot quicker than you might think. And look at it this way–all those wonderful ideas you came up with after you finished your first layout can come to pass, now. So forge ahead and have fun–it’s a GREAT hobby, isn’t it?
Tom [:P][:P]
I only wish it was my first layout. Then I could better justify my stupid mistake. I had built 2 4x8s before starting this one. This was my first attempt at a more large-scale layout.
Actually, it sounds like it was your first attempt at an anchored layout, rather than the “plywood sheet with legs” freestanding layout. Hey, at least you’ve made a mistake that very few other model railroaders have the opportunity to make!