8 Months of Progress

Very nice...sometimes pictures just don't capture the whole scene...but I can see that this layout is much more impressive then the pics can show...no offense....very well planned out and executed....great job....good luck going forward....

Wow! You have been busy!

It was at the end of April that you finished the track plan.

Did all of the features add enough play value?

Oh yes!  I had the setup probably half done in april.  It reconfigured quickly to the April plan. Wiring to the power blocks so that I had power feeds every 4 to 6 ft of track and between any switches took a while.  The only real change from April was reconfiguring the engine yard so it was more usable to reduce turns. I also just added a cut-over from the rail yard to the engine yard to the plan so I don't foul the main lines.  Hope to add that in this weekend.  I just cut and glued together a custom length of fastrack to make that happen.  Getting better at that.  Much cheaper to make a 8 3/8 piece out of a $4 ten inch straight than buy 4 x 1 3/4 and 1 x 1 3/8.  That would run 20 bucks.

I have ALL the details to do.  Ground cover, painting the blocks on the arches, Trees, rock facings, and side rails, and the skirts around the bottom.  Not to mention the custom backdrop pictures I plan to add on the wall.   All that is fun though!!! It just takes time and money.  Considering the corner area on Jan 15th looked liked this,  the first pic.  Then the after on Aug 15th. My wife gave me her old dance studio she had in our basement, thus the pink paint. 

Great work!  Nice layout coming together. Looks like the track plan affords lots of variety. 

Thanks for sharing. Hope you keep us updated as your work continues. I really like all that you have done so far and your track plan.

Tom

J,

Take about 4 photo from the same location and rotate. I can try a stitch for a panoramic shot.

I could only stitch 2 together.

J Martin, what material did you use for the retaining wall and arches? Is that foam?

thanks,

JD

very cool design and hard work!  I hope to start this fall

You made great progress!  The layout looks great, and you can be happy you can run some trains.  Speaking of the pink wall, my new layout will be in our daughter's old art studio.  Yes pink!  It is blue now like yours!

J Martin posted:

 

I have ALL the details to do.  Ground cover, painting the blocks on the arches, Trees, rock facings, and side rails, and the skirts around the bottom.  Not to mention the custom backdrop pictures I plan to add on the wall.   All that is fun though!!! It just takes time and money.  Considering the corner area on Jan 15th looked liked this,  the first pic.  Then the after on Aug 15th. My wife gave me her old dance studio she had in our basement, thus the pink paint. 

Are you able to access the walls easily at this point?  Is usually best to prepare the walls/backdrops before building the table. I do see that you've been able to repaint them blue!

Great execution on your plan.  What size is your layout, I  didn't  see.

JD2035RR posted:

J Martin, what material did you use for the retaining wall and arches? Is that foam?

thanks,

JD

Just pine 1 x 8 trimmed to 1 x  7.   Cut each arch by hand.  Not perfect but neither is the world.

Jushavnfun posted:

Great execution on your plan.  What size is your layout, I  didn't  see.

192 sq ft. 

325 ft of fastrack. 

c.sam posted:

J Martin posted:

 

I have ALL the details to do.  Ground cover, painting the blocks on the arches, Trees, rock facings, and side rails, and the skirts around the bottom.  Not to mention the custom backdrop pictures I plan to add on the wall.   All that is fun though!!! It just takes time and money.  Considering the corner area on Jan 15th looked liked this,  the first pic.  Then the after on Aug 15th. My wife gave me her old dance studio she had in our basement, thus the pink paint. 

Are you able to access the walls easily at this point?  Is usually best to prepare the walls/backdrops before building the table. I do see that you've been able to repaint them blue!

The walls got prepped and painted before any track went in.  The pop ups offer good wall access for the most part.  The cost of the backdrops would have stopped the project for a while.  I would rather have had them from the start but the backdrops I want have changed as the track plans changed.  The elevations can be moved if needed to get access to wall.  Not easily but possible.  I really love trains.  Great hobby.  I can spend hours in the basement and it feels like minutes.  Just like when I was a kid building with legos.