A big thanks to forum member SPIKE for coming by today and helping me wrap up the framing and drill all the wire chases. Ready for plywood here. 
Hi Charlie,
Wow great progress, all the bench work complete. Look's great !!!!
Thanks,
Alex
Happy to see you got the holes drilled before putting the "lid" on the benchwork. Can't have too many. Looking good.
Dan
Dan is right. My old eyes can't see in the photos how many holes you put but I would say at least three is good. I found out the hard way.
.....
Dennis
You have made a tremendous amount of progress in just a few days. Nice work Charlie. I love to see your progress photos.
Charlie - I too am really enjoying seeing your progress pictures. You are off to a great start.
Art
Charlie,
Great looking work! You are building an excellent foundation for your railroad.
Charlie, time to think about wiring.... The DZ1000s and accessories will need 14 volts AC. I will be using Alex's (Ingeniero No1) Non-Contact Point True Position Detector, which require 12dc. Also, most LED lighting will require 12dc. If you use many Miller Engineering sighs you will need 4.5v. All of these will need a distribution system. I ordered 6 of these distribution blocks, $8ea with shipping (found from the electrical forum). I also am using 18/2 and 18/3 bell/alarm/thermostat wire (solid). The 18/3 is useful for the DZ1000s. Today I order telephone cross connect wire 24/2 x 4 (solid) - 900 ft from eBay. I also recently ordered a bunch of red/black zip cord from www.allelectronics.com. These Euro style terminal blocks are very usefull , can cut into 3s and 4s.
I got my 14 gauge stranded in 500' rolls from Menards on sale. I use a different color for each loop. Plus white for all outside rails.
You thought I was kidding when I said make twice as many and twice the size holes in your benchwork.
Let the fun begin!
Dan
Oh yes the fun is beginning. I go tomorrow for my plywood and will deck the layout on Sunday.
Hi Charlie
Take a lot of photos, be an excellent feature article for O Gauge Railroading Magazine.
Great job Charlie, frame work looks super. Are you going to lay Homosote on top of the plywood for sound deadening or foam board? Each step in a layout is closer to your own miniature train world.
Steve, Lady and Tex
Charlie:
At those moments when you might get frustrated with this project, please know the following:
- You're doing a GREAT job.
- You're a much better carpenter than you're letting on.
- Your photos are VERY helpful to others who are building layouts.
Because I am at the benchwork-building stage myself, I am benefiting greatly just from what you've posted so far.
The major difference between us that I can see is that I didn't trust myself not to ding up the freshly painted walls while carrying around 2x4's and sheets of plywood/homasote. I decided to build out all the benchwork, take it back down, finish the paint, and then screw it all into place. I like your approach, however, because it gives you a nicer place to work.
All in all, a great job so far. Please keep us up to date.
Steven J. Serenska
I appreciate all of the positive comments.
Picked up my plywood this morning. Got some real nice 3/4" AC grade 7 ply material.
You definitely have a great foundation for the layout....room and all. Excellent job and choice of materials!
I've always said these are the best threads, to watch the building of a layout coming alive.
Alex
Charlie,
I cannot wait to see the next update. What leveling-aid did you use on the bottom of each leg?
Thanks,
Joe
Nice work. I wish I had a room for a layout.
Don
I've been at it 12 hours today. I have a few more screws to drive and some fine tuning of the curves with the belt sander but I about have this layout decked.
NICE! Those rounded corners are looking real sharp! 
Thanks for the tip on what you used for leveling the legs. Looks like a good option for the next layout here.
You'll have the trains running in no time now!!
Excellent you were a busy boy today.
Looking most excellent Charlie. You may want to paint / seal the plywood before putting down roadbed and track.
Let's see how many things I can remind you of to delay laying track.
Dan
It's all for your good.
Charlie - Really looking good so far. Very exciting phase in the building of a layout.
Art
Nice clean work, Charlie. This has, and will continue to be a fun build. I always look forward to your layout progress reports.
Coming along very nicely my friend!! I should have had you building my benchwork!!
I am with Alex on this...I always enjoy these threads when one can see the creation of what will be a first class layout...
Alan
Charlie,
As stated above, beautiful clean work. Very nicely done !!!!
Thanks,
Alex
Looking very nice, I hope mine comes out 1/2 as good. Hopefully starting next month.
Great room prep and woodworking Charlie. I look forward to future steps because now it will get really interesting.
Beautiful work, Charlie. Your benchwork is superb.
Looking fantastic.
Coming along nicely!
Peter
Charlie,
Great room, and the benchwork really looks nice. I really like the curves. Curves help make the layout flow naturally and the keep dummies like me from getting hurt on corners. 
I'm looking forward to seeing more photos and descriptions as you proceed.
Charlie:
Out of curiosity, what is your plan for the front facing of the layout under the tables? Will it be open so viewers can look underneath the tables? Will you hang a curtain or install something like luan board or bead board to the front? If it's not going to be open, what are your thoughts for how you will hang/affix these?
Really nice work so far.
SJS
Good morning Charlie
Good choice getting a better grade of plywood
Clem k
It's awesome...makes me want to start over.
George (G3)
If you are going to do anything else to your backdrop, now is the perfect time. You can sit or stand on it for easy access.
Regarding the fascia of the layout.. still kicking around a few options. Obviously I need something that will wrap the curves.
The backdrop is kind of an interesting question. I had a painted blue sky back drop with clouds and a mountain and industrial applique on my last layout. After a while the clouds really started to bother me. Not sure I want any this time. I may just go with abutting landforms and building fronts this time around.
Whoa. Fast is right!
I just looked and the walls were painted. Maybe tomorrow the trains will be running??
Great job!
I agree, this is a fun post to follow! That plywood must have been heavy, how many sheets did you use? I got one sheet of 3/4 inch plywood when I remodeled a bathroom. I got sticker shock, but it's worth the added cost since you minimize the warping, which is not going to be a problem with your benchwork.
Charlie that is very robust! 2X4's with 3/4 inch plywood? Are you parking a car on top of it as well?
Looking good.
What color do you think you will go with on the fascia boards?
