That’s looking mighty nice Mark. I’m going to have to plan a trip when it’s all done.
Good luck with the knee surgery. Just remember to go everything they tell you no matter how much it hurts. And don’t forget to let us know how you’re doing.
Thank you A&S and Dave! I would love to have you visit some time, Dave!
As for the knee, my wife just had her second one done in July, so she will hold my nose to the wheel for sure! I have been going to pre-surgery PT with her while she has her post-surgery PT, so I have seen it all first hand! Besides, our orthopedic surgeon says she is his model patient. That too puts on the pressure!! 
Looks Great, Mark! Watching this development has been very enjoyable.
Coming along very nicely! But who will be watching over the layout when Raggedy Ann and Andy are removed? 
I hope all goes well with your knee surgery and you have a speedy recovery.
Thank you Palallin and RTR12.
Over on 'What did you do on your layout today,' Geysergazer Lew made a similar observation about Ann looking down and smiling. Who knows, Ann and Andy may still be sitting on that shelf after I have departed for a better world.
Mark, best wishes on you upcoming knee surgery. From what I understand the pre surgery PT is as important than the post surgery PT.
Your layout is coming along nicely. Take your time and enjoy.
jim
Jim, my wife did not have pre surgery PT on her first knee in 2016. Pre surgery PT really helped her this go round!
Thank you.
Mark Boyce posted:Here is how my new layout stands. Roadbed and track is all in for this double deck section. The buildings are just set there to give an idea of how the town will look someday, and jumpers are through the roadbed ready for wiring. I was so used to pre-wired switches, I forgot I needed to put jumpers in to power all the parts of the Ross switches. Oh well, they are easily taken up since the track is only screwed down; no glue. I doubt I will get much more done before my upcoming knee replacement surgery on Nov. 5th.
Great Job Mark!
Had to be tough working with that painful knee and terminal old age... Good Luck on surgery and getting a new knee. That will definetly slow you down to a crawl (pun intended) !
Mark Boyce posted:Here is how my new layout stands. Roadbed and track is all in for this double deck section. The buildings are just set there to give an idea of how the town will look someday, and jumpers are through the roadbed ready for wiring. I was so used to pre-wired switches, I forgot I needed to put jumpers in to power all the parts of the Ross switches. Oh well, they are easily taken up since the track is only screwed down; no glue. I doubt I will get much more done before my upcoming knee replacement surgery on Nov. 5th.
I apologize for the darkness. I need to put more lighting in. When I take a daylight photograph right now, the sun shining in the window messes with my iPhone 6s camera. And yes, my wife is going to move Raggedy Ann and Andy along with a few more items someday.
Mark !
Very nice work !!! 
I love the look of those buildings together, Mark. Best of luck with the upcoming surgery. I hope you and your wife both recover quickly!
Looks great Mark!
Mark, things are looking great! Remember when you get your knee done, don't rush things! I like how your little town is looking , sure looks like its going to be a fun layout to run!
Thank you everyone!!
John, I like the pun where it slows down to a crawl. I'll be remembering you also with your upcoming knee replacement!!
Mike, I'll not rush things. The sciatic issue and drop foot on the other leg will help keep me honest on that I think! 
Looks great Mark! Hope your wife is healing well. My wife had her knee done in August. It’s a slow recovery. But she is in less pain for sure. Best of luck to you with your operation.
Andy
Andy, Great to hear from you!! I'm glad your wife is in less pain now than before and hope she heals well! My wife is getting along pretty well after 9 weeks. Of course they say it takes a year to really be up to muster, but so far so good! Thank you for your well wishes on my surgery!! It is only 5 weeks out now! 
My wife is 7 weeks out. She had the left knee done last year, so we knew what to expect this time around. Glad you are still make no progress. Now that m wife is a little more independent, I can get back to my layout.
Andy
Getting back to the layout will be a good thing!! It was the second for my wife also. This will be my first, and so far there is no sign I will need the other one done.
Glad you won’t need the other knee Mark. After recovery, you can be pain free.
Andy
Thank you, Andy! Yes, I hope to be able to make a return trip to York next year, after missing the last two and this one coming up next week. Wal-Mart was a chore yesterday, and not nearly as much fun as looking at trains!
I might add that last week I took delivery of this neat Railking Scale 0-8-0 with PS-3 from a Forum friend who has now contributed 3 steamers for my layout. It is one of the few scale Railking steamers I am aware of and did not disappoint. Here it is on my Ceiling Central Railroad where I could let it run for a while.
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Good looking engine Mark! It will looks great on your new layout!
Thank you Mike! It is the perfect switcher for my ‘fiddle yard’ to be built. Other switchers can become expendable to gain funds for future construction
Looks good Mark. It’ll make a nice addition to your fleet.
Andy
Thank you, Andy!
Mark Boyce posted:Getting back to the layout will be a good thing!! It was the second for my wife also. This will be my first, and so far there is no sign I will need the other one done.
That's good news about not needing the second operation. Good progress, too!
George
Thank you, George!!
It's about time I post a new twist to my progress. If you follow the Forum topic What Did You Do on Your Layout Today, then you already got a heads up. For those folks, you can skip the two paragraphs in italics, since I copied it from my post a couple days ago. If not, then read on.
I might as well give a heads up on the farther reaching purpose of the cleanup. The cleanup is in the small room I started a layout in two years ago. Then my wife suggested I build in the family room since the girls were married and the furniture was junk. So many of you contributed to a layout design for that room too. However, as time passed the need for access made the room 'shrink' to some extent. So last year I started building on the end of the room that was emptied. I built the two loopback turns one on top of the other with no connection between the two. The next part of the layout that is to be built will climb up the canyon where a massive wooden shelving unit is. The shelving unit is to move across the room to where our older daughter's upright piano is. Well we hit a snag getting the piano moved. Daughter and son-in-law had moisture problems in the lower level of their house and had to throw out some stuff. Other stuff was moved upstairs. So it is dried out, but none of us has the money to put into correcting the problem where the moisture is getting in. We don't have the manpower either because my son-in-law's dad, newly retired like me, and like me he had his knee replaced 4 days before mine. So, the home repair at our daughter's is on hold, moving the piano is on hold, so freeing up the rest of the layout space is on hold.
So, I mentioned it to a few Forum members, Mike, Chris A, DoubleDAZ Dave. Dave helped me with a simplified layout plan for the old small room, just so I can get some trains running until I can do the bigger project. Besides, I'm getting tired craning my neck to see trains run on the Ceiling Central RR and blinded looking into the lights in all the passenger cars. I still can't climb the two step ladder to replace them with freight cars. Also, I am finding like Jim, I am a Looper. Switching back and forth on the existing track on the new layout isn't what I want to do for the foreseeable future.
So here is the proposed track plan and there is a SCARM file in the attachments box.
You may recall I used this simple method to build my shelf on the wall that is to the left on the track plan. I intend to use the same on the top wall on the drawing next. This method has proven to be rock solid considering all the stuff I have had piled up on it over the last year and a half.
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Oh yes, here is what the room looks like right now.
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Mark, you really have been through a lot and it’s kind of surprising you’re hanging in there. As you know, I’ve been in flux too, originally designing for a 10x21 room, then a 12x13 room, then 2 stalls in a 3-car garage, then a smaller version of that and now a 4x8x11 “L” space in a corner of the original room. The big difference is I still haven’t started any construction, so it’s all just been a frustrating computer exercise. I’m finally ready to begin construction this year, so I’m trying to decide on bench work. I’d like Mianne, but the bench work requirements are so simple that a 4x8 section with a 4x7 leg out of 2x4s seems like the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to go. Once I get the framework done and my wife see’s the space there’s no guarantee something won’t change. 😉
Dave, It has been a challenge getting going. I bought one of the smaller Mianne kits, and it is great! I’m with you that if the layout doesn’t entail very much I could still build myself. In the case for this room, the only parts that would be free standing are the two sections on the right going to the liftout, lift up, or whatever I decide to do. Sometimes I am amazed with modelers who are able to come up with a plan, build it, and use it for years without any necessity to alter the plan. Maybe part of the problem for me is we have always had small houses.
I hope you get to build your layout starting this year!
Mark,
I am impressed that you continue to view these challenges as opportunities. Your perseverance is noteworthy!
palallin posted:Mark,
I am impressed that you continue to view these challenges as opportunities. Your perseverance is noteworthy!
Thank you! I have had false starts when I was in HO, so I guess I’ve gotten used to it! LOL. I don’t like trains sitting around. I bought them to run.
YAY!........
If medals were given out for perseverance you'd win gold hands down Mark!
Bob
Mark, if it is true that half the fun is in getting there then you are just having soooo much fun. 
But it's all good, isn't it? Every tweak and change I go through I learn something and every change and tweak people here post about I learn something too.
I'm looking forward to seeing your new project take shape.
Bob and Lew, Thank you very much!! Just before supper I was figuring out where to put the plywood and Homasote that is in the way. I have a plan, now I have to get the two sons-in-law over to move it for me.
Mark, it is great that you have the sons-in law that are willing to help out I have two sons and always without asking they are there to help do things I used to do alone.
Glad to see you might be making some progress on that room.
Ray, thank you. You are blessed with your sons. We don’t have sons, so it has been a joyful experience with the sons-in-law. It is a matter of scheduling since they both work odd hours, that’s all.
It is also handy that they both live within 2 miles of us!
Mark, your on the right track! I can tell like Lew stated your just having way to much fun! As for your lift out section, if you would like I could build you on like I have without the actuator. You could just put a little weight on the one end if needed to help you lift it!
Either way I will be fallowing your next step in your adventure of layout building!
I have a son and a son-in-law, but they both live about an hour away so we only see them maybe 4 times a year! So its all left up to me! LOL
Mike, Thank you. The offer on the lift out is very generous. How long is your lift out? I haven’t decided how wide to make the opening. That’s down the road.
Hi Mark, I think it's 36", but o can build itany length!
