Here is what the layout looks like now.
All the structures ( except the malt silos ) are completed.
What's left is to add some scenery in the front, grass and the dirtroad. Plus a few details such as track maintenance crew, barrels on the depot platform etc..
I might adds a tree to block the view on the hole for the sectorplate.
What's fun is that now I can already operate the layout.

Jacques

overall view:


Left view:


Centerview:


Right view:

Good job hiding the two ends of the over pass.

Good things really come in narrow packages! Great job on that micro layout, Jacques. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

Hi Jacques....You really pulled it off....Operations in a "shoe" box....

I don't recall seeing anything on the sector plate...Do you have any pictures of it..??

Thank you Lynn, Kurt and Gus for the kind words and for taking some of your valuable time to reply.

I really became fascinated with micro-layouts after discovering Carl Arendt's website.
http://www.carendt.us/.
Those micro modelers can do wonders in the most restricted space.

The biggest incentive is that for the 1st time in my life ( I'm 60 lol ) I'll be able to complete a layout.
My wife find micro-layouts cute and she didn't object at all when I asked for a 11" X 23" for a layout.
She suspects that now I have some bigger plan in mind.

About the sector plate: One can see it in the top left part of the 1st picture ( overall view )
Gus, would you like me to post some more details ( close up pictures and building information ) ?

To Lynn: I found a way to block the view of the overpass ends.
It's not the most elegant solution but it gets the job done.

Right now I'm working on the malt silos.
It should be finished by the end of this week.

Jacques

Jacques

I love your micro layout, It is progressing quite nicely. Keep up the good work. The Next trick will be learning to link many micro layouts into the large one you eventually want build.

James

Interesting module, well done.

Thanks for the encouragement James and Will.

To James: Of course, the N scale tool shed from "Mooreway Models" will be included on the final layout ( I just ordered some track maintenance crew figures to go with it )

To Will: It's not exactly a module. It was built as a standalone microlayout and was not designed to be connected to another layout.

Jacques

This post should maybe be named a regress-progress one
I posted my layout on the small-layout-design group and was ( wisely ) suggested to create a connection with " the outside world".
So I did some cutting, filing and soldering to rip the bumper on the teamtrack to extend it on the left side.
I'm left with the problem of building a reliable cassette to bring cars from the interchange track.
Here is a picture from Prof Klyzlr suggestion.
If you are in for a switching layout, do yourself a favour and join that yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/small-layout-design/

Even a 23" X 11" is never finished lol

Jacques

Jacques...Sorry didn't get back to you...I've been workin' on the railroad....

I see where the track exits to the left, I presume that's where the sector plate is. I've read about these contraptions but have not seen them "in operation". Is it a "sliding" plate or a pivoted one..??

The idea of extending "beyond" the layout will greatly add interest to your operation. Good luck with it..!!

LOL , I didn't want to suggest cutting holes in the wall. Its a great idea.

Sorry Gus and Lynn for taking some time to reply, I was out of town snowshoeing in the Laurentian mountains ( one of the joys of being retired hehe ).

The sector plate is the 3 yellow lines in the pictures , it rotates around the yellow dot.
It has enough length to accommodate 1 engine and 1 boxcar.
It is one of the "secret weapons" of micro-layouts, the other one is the ( sliding ) model ( named traverser or transfer table ).
The sector plate is a big space saver, because in my case it substitute 2 turnouts.

Here is the picture:



Another space saving trick is to extend the sector plate outside the layout , that's why one can see the hole in the top part of the left backdrop.
The red brick wall ( and eventually a tree ) is hiding that hole.

The extension beyond the layout will be where the teamtrack ( unloading platform ) is located now.
That's why I had to remove the bumper to extend that track to the left and ... of course I'll have to cut another hole in the backdrop in order to connect with a "fiddling interchange" cassette
The hole will be invisible, hidden by the front left red brick building.

A micro-layout is like theatre, it uses a few visual tricks.

Jacques

Jacques....I did something similar in one of my yards, but used a turntable to turn stub tracks into run-around tracks. I got the idea from the Franklin & Manchester (in MR)...Really made that yard 100% better to operate....

Looks Great. Fantastic Job.

I finally completed ( is a layout ever complete ? ) my switching layout.
Thanks to all the nice members on this forum who encouraged me, it was important in boosting my morale to complete that layout
I improved on the scenery and, as wisely suggested by Prof Klyzlr, added a cassette ( connected to the layout board using 2 wooden dowels ) to increase the operating possibilities.

It was quite a surprise to see my layout featured on Carl Arendt's website ( phantom layout )
http://www.carendt.us/scrapbook/page85/index.html

here are some pictures:

left view, centre view, right view , the cassette and my favourite switching engine hard at work.

Jacques