Ideas for a shelf layout

[Sir Madog]

I took up the idea of having a barge service to the lower 48 states. Walthers is offering a suitable car float, but with a length of 39" it is quite impressive.

This is what the layout looks now - I wish I could start to build it right away, but funding needs to be secured first:

[Russ Bellinis]

I think I would seriously look at what it would cost to build the car float from scratch. It just isn't that complicated to build, and I think you could get all of the deck fittings you would need from a source for model ship building. I suspect the cost would be a fraction of what Walthers will want for a Cornerstone kit.

[ocalicreek]

Waiting for funding is tough to do but if you hang in there and find a way to keep your interest up during that time, plus remain faithful to keep stashing away the cash, you will succeed. Do not give up.

My oldest (4) decorated piggy banks for everyone in the family as a fun craft project. I think my wife found them on sale at Michael's craft store. Anyway, mine says "Daddy's Train Money" on the side. This is what he wanted to write on there so that's what my wife wrote on there for him. I keep it in my office at work and occasionally remember to put my spare change in there. It will add up and I'm sure there'll be something at the LHS or online I'll want to order about the time it's full.

In the mean time, try a cardstock shed or something like that. I bet there are many inspirational photos of Alaskan structures which would fit your layout and wouldn't be that hard to build. OR, download one of the free paper kits from scalescenes, etc.

Just a couple cents worth!

Galen

[Russ Bellinis]

The August issue of Scale Rails came in yesterday, and there is an interesting article on using metal tape from the hardware store to simulate steel. The author made a small barge out of pink foam and covered it in metal tape prior to painting. The model he made is very small, it may have been in n scale, but the process would work in ho or any other scale.

[Sir Madog]

I have benn playing with the track plan in search of the optimum. The result: I can save two turnouts withoiut sacrificing any operation. The only issue for me is how to "enginee" the car float so it can act as an exchangable cassete for staging, but keep a prototypical look - no catching idea yet.

Here is the track plan:

[Russ Bellinis]

I would install the "car float and water" on a cart set at railroad height. You can roll it into position to operate it, and then roll it to where your cars are stored to change out rolling stock. If the floor is not smooth, or if you are concerned with stuff causing the cart to tip over, I would use large rubber casters and added weight at the bottom of the cart to stabilize it.