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Well, I went ahead and just tacked it all down, roadbed and track alike. I will innovate on my own layout, but wanted to stick with tried and true methods for this layout just to make sure it's going to perform as expected. Were I at this building stage month ago perhaps I might have tried it (using adhesive vs. tacks) but with Xmas approaching fast I decided to stick with what I knew. The tap tap tapping wasn't as loud as I'd thought, as my wife didn't hear it until she came out to the garage.
Photos will be uploaded soon, probably early tomorrow or late tonight. We'll see. Next I must add cork bits beneath the switch machines (cosmetic) and wire jumpers beyond the frogs for the stub end sidings. Just can't rely on the switch points to make good contact every time. Better to solder a little feeder in place.
"Testing" the layout last night sure was nice. I stayed up too late in the process, but it sure was fun.
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
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[albumimg]1658[/albumimg]
This may be what Andrew sees on Christmas morning (only not on its legs in the garage, but on the dining room table). The trains themselves will be wrapped in 'Santa' paper, along with the power pack and probably the buildings & autos.
I bought a Kato rerailer (the little blue plastic strip over on the yard tracks) at the LHS for 97 cents plus tax and it's well worth more than that, IMO. Hopefully he finds it helpful too.
I had fun 'operating' tonight, er, testing the wiring. Yeah, that's it. I added a couple jumpers on the inner stub sidings for electrical reliability, then touched up the paint where the Sharpie marker had strayed beyond what the cork covered. I decided the turnouts were well supported already and didn't need additional cork beneath the switch machines.
That's all for now. Merry Christmas, everybody!
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
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It looks great! Well done. 
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How about one or two buildings?
At that age a police station and a fire department would have been my first choice (with the cars!)
Reinhard
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Galen, did you remember to put some sort of "soft feet" under the layout to protect the dining table? The other method of protecting the table might be a sheet of felt laid out on the table before the layout is put down.
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faraway Wrote:How about one or two buildings?
At that age a police station and a fire department would have been my first choice (with the cars!)
We're thinking alike, Reinhard! I have a Pola passenger depot and little snap-together freight depot already assembled from 20 years ago that are still in great condition. There are more in storage, but two's a good start.
One thing Andrew likes to do is take any old cardboard box, like a cereal box but usually smaller, and make it into a building by covering it with paper and drawing on windows, doors, etc. Can't imagine where he gets it from...  I'm also giving him a set of N scale vehicles (cheapie toy-like things, but more than adequate for him) to place on the layout.
Also, thanks, Tetters!
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
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Russ Bellinis Wrote:Galen, did you remember to put some sort of "soft feet" under the layout to protect the dining table? The other method of protecting the table might be a sheet of felt laid out on the table before the layout is put down.
The dining room table has a vinyl 'tablecloth' already in place to prevent paint, ink, glue, etc. from marring the finish. My crafty wife thought of that one some time ago. The kiddo has an old tool caddy filled with markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, safety scissors, etc. for his craft work.
Good thoughts, Russ, and thanks for following this thread. 
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
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Merry Christmas, everyone!
The kiddo is very happy with his trains. VERY happy. All the work of building the layout, wrapping the trains, keeping it all hush-hush for so long, payed off this morning with one extremely happy 5 year old.    hock:
He's already handling the train like a pro. After a couple loops around the track at full blast, he decided that was WAY too fast. We've had to clean the track and engine wheels once, as the track and cars had accumulated crud that is working its way off as they are run, but other than that there have been no problems.
Already he's talking about expanding it.  I'm just glad he's having fun. Watching him enjoy the trains has been a great gift to me this Christmas.
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!
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Glad he likes the trains, and that he decided on his own that slower is better. It sounds like he will be operating like a pro by the time you have a layout built!
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COOL!!!!!!!!!!!
Father and son trains!
Enjoy the fun and each other 
Steve
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