Thank you, Mike! Better late than never, as they say. I hope the new job is going well for you.
I'm moving on to something that I'm not so good at, that is carpentry. I made a somewhat permanent lift-off framework for the corner Idaho Hotel scenic section. It looks rough, but is surprisingly sturdy, and it is relatively lightweight. As is always the case, I used what I had on hand. I used some 1x2 poplar, and some hardboard I had removed from the backdrop sections that were too high for my purpose. The white boards are from an old decoration my wife had discarded. The thought is that I will make the hotel removable, as with any other structures on the layout. After removing the building(s), I will be able to lift this section off and set it on the floor in the adjacent room. Then I will have access to anything underneath. I am guessing I will make the rocky cut in the foreground and hillside to the right of the hotel permanent and the lift-out will seat up next to them with some ground cover hiding the seam.
I shortened it a bit from the mock-up to allow normal access to the two track switches. I'll make a rocky hillside much like you would find along a river, since you can see the edge of the track support where the double track bridge lowers into place. I still need to make some pockets to set the legs in for proper alignment, but it is secure enough it isn't going anywhere for the time being.
Here it is as you walk in the room. The placement of the hotel is approximate at this point of course.
Here is a better view of the little station scene underneath. I'll figure out something to make it a little vignette. I think the verticle separation is enough to not be distracting.
I'm glad I had time to do this now. I'll be getting out-patient surgery on my back Wednesday, July 12th. I have a herniated disc and stenosis at L2, just above my L3-L4-L5 fusion I had done 2 years ago. All of that is pinching the nerves going to my thighs and knees, causing pain with movement and intermittent loss of leg strength. I have to be very careful and have been not doing things that can cause me to fall. Recovery will be like the fusion but expected to be 3 months instead of 1 year for full recovery. Back to the no lifting, then adding pounds in increments. Taking that all into consideration, I'm looking forward to it.
That said, I have two kits to choose from when not working on the layout. One is a laser-cut River Leaf Models one-story brick sandwich shop-diner and the other is an Atlas O plastic car dealership, brick with big windows. I've had the laser-cut one for several years, so that may be the choice, but I may try my hand at a plastic kit again like the signal tower. I have a week and a half to decide and gather up kit, tools, paint, etc.
