Tom, you just have to depend on someone else to stock the display shelves before they close it up! 
I am very sorry to report that I have consulted the American Journal of Psychiatry, and there is no definitive diagnosis for the obvious mental condition of the poor folks with the massive banks of shelf displays I have seen on this Posting.
The closest I could come was "Pathologically Compulsive Organized Train Hording Syndrome." :-)
Sadly, no pills for that yet. :-( But I hear that shock treatment is still available!
Mannyrock
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Tom, you just have to depend on someone else to stock the display shelves before they close it up!
GRJ he will pre stock them and secure everything in place that way he is assured he will have want he wants when he reaches that roundhouse at the end of his time!!!!!
@Mannyrock posted:I am very sorry to report that I have consulted the American Journal of Psychiatry, and there is no definitive diagnosis for the obvious mental condition of the poor folks with the massive banks of shelf displays I have seen on this Posting.
The closest I could come was "Pathologically Compulsive Organized Train Hording Syndrome." :-)
Sadly, no pills for that yet. :-( But I hear that shock treatment is still available!Mannyrock
Mannyrock: I am guessing you do not have any shelve displays or just not admitting so!!! I disagree with your diagnosis . The shelve displays are there because the layout has limited room for everything we have on display. But I do believe the little sign I have hanging on my stairway wall going down to my man cave train room is the proper diagnosis and the sign states it is an Train Collecting Addiction! and can only be treated by acquiring more trains.
It's just jealousy Rick, don't be fooled.
In a slightly serious vein I had gone overboard in collecting stuff on at least three occasions over the last 20 years. Each time I went through a purge to bring about a more reasonable inventory.
Not sure if it was John Armstrong or another wise 0 scale person who mentioned that too much is too much. Your RR will get clogged and your sidings will become unmanageable. I just completed a purge of sorts by selling off about half of my stash. Now there is just enough stuff to run a RR and fill up all the shelves for which my walls have room. Took 16 months to get down to a fleet of very good running cars and most of my remaining powered units getting a tune up.
Now I am going through my remaining mainline turnouts and replacing most of them with Signature Switches by Brad Strong.
The Strasburg show was just a month too soon for me this go 'round. Nothing ready to sell at this time.
@Tom Tee posted:In a slightly serious vein I had gone overboard in collecting stuff on at least three occasions over the last 20 years. Each time I went through a purge to bring about a more reasonable inventory.
Not sure if it was John Armstrong or another wise 0 scale person who mentioned that too much is too much. Your RR will get clogged and your sidings will become unmanageable. I just completed a purge of sorts by selling off about half of my stash. Now there is just enough stuff to run a RR and fill up all the shelves for which my walls have room. Took 16 months to get down to a fleet of very good running cars and most of my remaining powered units getting a tune up.
Now I am going through my remaining mainline turnouts and replacing most of them with Signature Switches by Brad Strong.
The Strasburg show was just a month too soon for me this go 'round. Nothing ready to sell at this time.
Yup.......Tom........it doesn't seem to go from having fun running trains.........to understanding the mentality of Cornelius Vanderbuilt. 😨
Well, wait'a minute. Don't be too hasty in selling off. Don't you still have lots of room left under your bed?
Mannyrock
@Mannyrock posted:Well, wait'a minute. Don't be too hasty in selling off. Don't you still have lots of room left under your bed?
Mannyrock
😂🤣😃😚😄😅☺😂 😉
@Tom Tee Tom kind of curious on your use of the 5mm plywood for you light modular sections. Is the material naturally resistant to warping or does the framing lock it into place. You also use separately cut sections for your elevated road beds. What do you do with them to prevent warping over time?
After 3 years I am finding my 3 ply 1/2 inch nominal ply is warping, creating dips and operating problems. The 1x4 frames are holding up well. I am fixing certain areas, but since this layout will be torn down in 6 months or so, I am primarily thinking about my next larger layout. I have used some of Wescott's techniques on this last build, but have found I did not pay enough attention to keeping the track on plane, to the point where trying to run scale wheels was a failure. I would like to have a 2R scale line as well as 3R on the next one.
When you look at the structure Tom builds, you'll see that it's not just the materials that provide the rigidity, but rather the overall design.
One thing is for sure, 3-ply paneling is not very resistant to warping. One of the reasons I bit the bullet and went with the 11-ply Baltic Birch for my layout was that I never wanted to have to look back and wish I had used better wood! I'm sure I could have gotten away with cheaper materials, but the difference in price simply wasn't that great as to tempt me to cut corners.
For my freight yard bridge I might have been tempted to just do it with a chunk of plywood. However, with Tom's guidance, it got a frame for rigidity and of course I used the 11-ply Baltic Birch for the top. I'll be very surprised if this ever warps in any way.
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@gunrunnerjohn - lesson learned on the 3 ply plywood. relatively cheap stuff, but when it warps after track is laid and all the scenics are in - its not so cheap anymore.
The corner gussets - are those glued and nailed in place?
I had previous layouts with cheap wood, and one with particle board. This time I took the good advice and did the whole thing with quality materials, and I'm very glad I did!
That whole bracing box is attached with Loctite PL3x adhesive. If you haven't used PL3x, it's amazing. It was recommended by @Tom Tee, and I swear by it now, really good stuff. The only precaution is, don't get it on something you don't want permanently bonded! Once it cures, the only way to get it off is chisel it off. If you bond two pieces of wood, trying to separate them will pull the wood apart, not the adhesive bond!
Tom did the corner braces before he brought that bottom bracing framework up, so the corner gussets "may" be secured using Titebond III glue, also a glue that once it's dry will take the wood apart trying to remove it! We glued it to the bridge top with the PL3x and a few power brads to hold it in place while the glue dried. The bridge is one piece now.
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The corner gussets - are those glued and nailed in place?
Answer: Yes. Both.
If the corner block is a perfect fit and I can get a good clamping application I shoot it, use T/B III & clamp. 
I make my valley upside down and leave an upper cord in place to hold shape. After it is setup I unclamp it, cut to desired profile, add support members to make a finished module then install it. Shown below:
If the fit is less than perfect I will use the urethane adhesive and shoot it.
If I need the job done and installed right now I make it perfect & I shoot it, use the T/B III & clamp it.
If I can leave it set up over night I shoot it & use the PL3.
In any event I only use 18 ga brads to hold whatever together as I clamp the assembly.
Sometimes when installing panels on to a frame I will dowel the panel to index them on to the frame so as to not lose position during a clamp up.
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And that is the complete answer!
@gunrunnerjohn @Tom Tee Thanks for the insights. I think I've seen some of Tom's clamping photos before. I have a few clamps but nothing like the assortment of Tom's. The work you guys do is a far cry from slapping plywood on a frame.
One last question, how do you handle the raised track sections that do not have the solid substructure? I was thinking about attaching a gusset either down the middle or along the sides of the roadbed to add stability (spline and spacer Wescott).
Hey Gunnrunner,
Try using the PL8X. It is much thinner so it is much easier to spread from the caulk tube in a thin even coat.
It is much stronger than PL3 X. Dries to a tremendous grip in must under a minute. I use it on all gussets, including attic structure work.
But be sure to have lots of ventilation! I swear, I think the fumes are explosive!
Mannyrock
You asked about risers, here are some suggested ways to develop risers.
In building bench work my pattern for years has been to use Russian Birch 23/32". However in recent years I have been using other materials harking back to earlier stressed skin construction.
I get 13 three and a half inch wide by eight foot long strips which is great for cross members and up rights.
For up rights or risers one way is to use 6.0mm lauan gussets on each side at the base to fasten it on to a cross member. They are shot on over TB-III with a 1/4" crown stapler.
For the top of the upright I add a plywood "L" bracket cut at the same degree as the incline and fasten to the upright.
Another way, you could also cut the cross members and risers out of a slab of plywood as seen in the next two photos.
You may balk at the apparent waste but trust me, the scrap will be used in many other aspects of layout construction
Even without using curved side frames dramatic topography can be made into modules.
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@ScoutingDad posted:@gunrunnerjohn @Tom Tee Thanks for the insights. I think I've seen some of Tom's clamping photos before. I have a few clamps but nothing like the assortment of Tom's.
i go with you Scouting Dad............my hardware specialist doesn't have this many clamps 😨in his inventory .
I think Tom should change his screen name to "Tom Clamps" 
