Well aftermuch delay an rebuliging I'm trying again. It will be a walk in layout. HO scale.
Here are some pictures of the beginnings.
The lift gate has been cut down by half (hang down by the hinges) to wide to reach across to lock in place.
Framework covered by 5/8" osb and that covered by 1" foam board.
My first bit if trackwork was to layout the yard. The plan is to have an inner and outer loop. The track to the left is the main and the second will be the AD track.
Just wanred to share and may be get more ideas.
Trainmedic
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," Kung Fu-Tse.
Looks like you've gotten several (LONG) steps down the road.
I like the donut for a long, narrow space. How are you going to protect whatever's on the drop-down? Or will you limit that to the Plywood Pacific?
Good start. Now, put a work train on those rails. That will give you incentive to put in the electricals right along with the track, as well as a good excuse to keep extending both.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Always enjoy watching a new layout emerge.
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
This is not my first attempt at a layout. Just the first one that gave me the room to do what I would like to see. I like running long train around the loop and this will allow me to do that.
Chuck,
I've seen some plans that have switches to kill the power to the drop down and plan to use that. When I first started out I was trying to use open grid and lost several locos to the plywood pacific. Lucky for me they were old Tyco brands.
This going to be a freelanced freehanded deal so I'm not working with any plans just things I've gotten from what others have done.
The kill section for your drop down should extend back a full train length from the abyss. No less a person than John Armstrong lost a passenger train by backing it onto a bridge that wasn't there.
My question on the drop section concerned scenic treatment, if any. One swish of a lady's loose skirt and telegraph lines, trees and anything less substantial than Gibraltar would be history.
My track (non) planning is rather similar to yours. Detailed planning is done with bent flex track about 100 scale meters ahead of the guys with spike mauls.