Squidbait and I have had an ongoing bet about who would actually build a layout first.... well the other day I saw him leave the store with some cork roadbed so I started sweating! Started benchwork this weekend and have L-girders on legs along the long wall as shown in the layout plan below.
I will do my best to try and keep this thread updated on my progress.... pics of the benchwork coming as Squidbait will never believe without pictures
Any chance you can shift the 'main' off the street? Or did you intend it that way? That'd be a troublesome spot, probably send the conductor down with a flag to keep from running head on into some poor VW when coming around the side of that warehouse/industry. If you could shift it closer to run exactly parallel to the street and reduce the size of that industry it might be possible. I'm also guessing you're headed up a grade there, so running along a nice retaining wall (concrete or stone to support the road?) might be nice.
OR, just shift the back track toward the wall and bend the street.
OR run the back track down the middle of the street!
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
Good for you! Not to throw another wrench into the works...is there any chance you could switch the door's opening around so it swings away from the layout's edge? Or any chance you could make a bridge across the doorway, through the closet, across the work bench and to the other side? Hey - don't get me wrong - that probably isn't even in your design frame and not where you want to go with this...and I'm probably just projecting what I wish I could do with my layout...but you've got a great design that could potentially loop the room.
Mark
Citation Latitude Captain
--and--
Lt Colonel, USAF (Retired)
I did something similar to what HercDriver suggests in my previous layout...I curved the track towards the closet, did a "duckunder" across the door, and looped the track into the closet, where I set up the "El Diablo" mine, then looped out to connect along the left wall with the rest of the layout. Added a whole new operating dimension to what was essentially a "chase-the-caboose" (4x8) layout....
Any chance you can shift the 'main' off the street? Or did you intend it that way? That'd be a troublesome spot, probably send the conductor down with a flag to keep from running head on into some poor VW when coming around the side of that warehouse/industry. If you could shift it closer to run exactly parallel to the street and reduce the size of that industry it might be possible. I'm also guessing you're headed up a grade there, so running along a nice retaining wall (concrete or stone to support the road?) might be nice.
OR, just shift the back track toward the wall and bend the street.
OR run the back track down the middle of the street!
Herc Driver Wrote:Good for you! Not to throw another wrench into the works...is there any chance you could switch the door's opening around so it swings away from the layout's edge? Or any chance you could make a bridge across the doorway, through the closet, across the work bench and to the other side? Hey - don't get me wrong - that probably isn't even in your design frame and not where you want to go with this...and I'm probably just projecting what I wish I could do with my layout...but you've got a great design that could potentially loop the room.
no room loops. this is actually somewhat temporary until my space comes available for the big layout when my kid moves out.
with Herc, i like the plan 
![[Image: EdwinRunningFinishedLayout-SpritiNgAway-Apr07.jpg]](http://www.scottpages.net/EdwinRunningFinishedLayout-SpritiNgAway-Apr07.jpg)
