A small expansion

[cnrglen]

I've had this weird jog in my fascia for a bit and I thought I might expand the layout a bit to smooth it out:


The current look was the result of a few other expansions, one to add the sawmill, another to add a larger station. I also didn't like the 1" fascia lip that was added between the two. So today I started to remove the fascia so I could add on to the layout.
 

It took about an hour to remove the fascia, disconnecting the wiring for the structure lights, the turntable and a few turnouts. Fortunately, most of my turnouts are manual operation.
I'm also considering changing out the fascia from the brown painted hardboard to something with some wood grain.


 And this is where I am now. When I first started I thought I'd just add a 4" strip (the green line) to the layout, but then I figured I may as well expand out the edge of the sawmill, making the new section 15 1/2 inches long on the sawmill side, 4 inches on the station side and 48" long. That way I'll have room for more structures and scenery.
I'll be cutting the plywood for the new section tomorrow at work.

[cnrglen]

I cut the plywood at work today:



I just wanted to see what it looked like before I cut the diagonal part off.

[cnrglen]

Made some good progress today.




I cut the new piece to size and screwed it into place. I ran some 2X2 stringers off the original benchwork so it's nice and solid. The masking tape is marking where the roads will go.







These are the structures that I hope to fit into the new area. Earl's oil, Magees tire repair and The Shady Grove Gas station from Bar Mills, and Juneco's 250ton ice house. I've had the ice house in my collection for close to 10 years. That's one of the main reasons for the expansion. I have a few other structure kits as well but I don't want to overcrowd the area either so I'll see what they look like.








With the benchwork in place, I started to replace the fascia. I used the old piece to line up where the cutouts for the switch panel and DCC outlet will go.




I installed it to the layout using the same 'button' hardware that I used with the old fascia. I have some clear stain that I'll use when everything is replaced. Some smaller parts of the old fascia are glued in place and probably won't come out without damaging the scenery around them. I plan to paint those part in black so they look like trim.

[cnrglen]

I finished replacing the Fascia panels today:



After the first board went in I added the others, again using the originals as patterns. the far left panel replaces 3 parts that I incorporated into one for a cleaner look.




I test-fitted the lighting panels and DCC throttle panel I also decided to go with all black panels for a more uniform look.





With everything reassembled it's ready for staining.




Now I can turn my attention to the surface of the new section. I filled any hole with some wood filler to prep for paint and applying the new roads.

[MarkinLA]

Hi. This is my VERY FIRST post in BBTF. Registered a half an hour ago !! looks like there are allot of serious modelers in this particular group..Love it !!

I just wish to say what a splendid job you did for yourself with the expansion... Looks very good now, with the fascia added .. I also like the size of your RR. Enough to keep you busy but small enough to handle on your own / not biting off more than you can chew....  Mark, Los Angeles

Addendum added today, the 28th. Was thinking: Where the caliper and Xacto are lying, and the (NCE ?) plug is, perhaps it still should have bent inward somewhat. Why ? Because it looks like you may now find it difficult to reach the rearmost tracks when needed (I hope i'm wrong). M

[nachoman]

Very nice work, Glen! Can't wait to see what happens here!

[doctorwayne]

I agree with Kevin.  It not only improves the appearance of the layout as an entity, but also offers some opportunities for new scenes.


MarkinLA to Big Blue!


Wayne

[ngauger]

Turning out nice so far. I like the angled idea over the straight 4" piece.

[cnrglen]

Thanks everyone. I'll be working on this thread until the area is ready for buildings.
I stained the new fascia yesterday. The can of stain says it dries in 8 hours but this morning I can still smell it. Hopefully it will dissipate soon.










I'm considering a coat of clear poly over the stain.
Anyway I started a bit of work on the future roads.


The two roads from the older sections were raised so I made these transitions from pieces of cork and beveled them with my sander. They'll be ready for the gravel road soon.

[nachoman]

Any reason why you aren't making raised roads on the new section?

Regarding the odor from paint/stain - I can usually smell it for weeks afterwards. Even though it is technically "dry" it is still outgassing. That's what "new car smell" is - all the plastic giving off odors.

[cnrglen]

Kevin, The roads aren't really raised on the rest of my layout, the sub-bed is just slightly higher on the station side and the RR crossing makes it a bit higher on the other side. I have noticed that the gassing-out smell has dissipated considerably over the last few days. When I came home from work today I could hardly smell it.
I added the roads to the expansion today:




I used Woodland scenic fine brown ballast for the gravel road. Later, when I'll be finishing up the scenery, I'll add more detail to it but this is going give me an idea of the space available. I'm probably going to remove more of the grass up to the trackside to make room for the future icehouse, but I'll have to build that first.






Now I have to re-install the DCC and electrical panels to the fascia, and then I can start building some structures.