Layout Update #2: One Piece at a Time, Although Requiring Dimes

Shortly after I posted the first update, it became clear that progress was going to be slow based on the small amounts of spare time I have to work on the layout. I therefore came up with the One Cut a Day strategy for the carpentry portion of layout construction, wherein I would seek to average one saw cut or equivalent carpentry action per day. So far I have been able to hold to that more or less, aided by a surprisingly large amount of time I was able to devote over the past weekend. Things are moving slowly but they are indeed moving.

For reference, here is the track plan we saw earlier, now overlaid with lines and letters indicating the framed plywood sections comprising the foundation of the layout.



The letters indicate layout sections as follows:

A) West Yard
B) East Yard
C) Rural-to-Yard Transition (hereafter "Transition")
D) Rural
E) Engine Terminal

All sections will consist of one or two layers of 2-inch extruded styrofoam insulation (that pink or blue stuff you see at construction sites) laid on 1/4-inch plywood, framed with 1x2 lumber.

Sections C and E each will be secured to a frame of two 1x3/1x2 L-girders with 1x3 crosspieces attached to boltless steel shelving, which I am pleased to report is quite stable and level, and has the advantage of providing storage space underneath. The other, narrower sections will be secured to 16" shelf supports attached to the wall, using a section of 1x3 as a cleat between the shelf support and the 1x2 frame. Finally, the sections will be connected with 3/8" bolts run through corresponding holes in the 1x2 frames.

At this point the steel shelving is assembled, and the L-girder and 1x3 frame for the Engine Terminal is complete. I have also completed the plywood/1x2 frame for the East Yard and have marked the "raw" 1x3s and 1x2s for the Rural section, as well as the 1x2s for the Transition section. Further, thanks to the timely loan of a saber saw and circular saw (the latter with an initially scoffed-at then absolutely vital laser sight), all plywood is cut to shape. (Note that the square surrounding the turntable on the Engine Terminal section represents a hole in the plywood, required to get at the underside of the turntable assembly.)

Random Running Glossary:

Yard - series of tracks designed to hold and sort railcars according to their destination (factory, back to home railroad, etc.). Specific track types will probably show up in future glossary entries.

Engine Terminal - facility for servicing and storing locomotives, usually located near the yard. These vary from a single track for fueling a diesel engine, as was the case until recently in my hometown of Lyons, NY, to enormous complexes capable of repairing and even constructing locomotives and rolling stock. In the good old days the centerpiece of the engine terminal was the roundhouse with its turntable, although these are gradually falling victim to age and the demands of efficiency. As I 1) am modeling the good old days and 2) have a nice roundhouse model from my first layout stashed in my parents' attic, a fair amount of space will be devoted to the engine terminal on the layout. In fact, most of the important design questions could not be answered until the turntable/roundhouse found a home on the track plan. Frankly the engine terminal is disproportionately large relative to the size of the yard (compared to the real thing) but given that even an N scale mile would require 35 actual feet to represent, the hobby of model railroading is a continuous exercise in compromise and personal prerogative.

L-girder - Commonly used support for model railroad benchwork. It usually consists of a vertically positioned piece of "wide lumber" on top of which is attached a horizontally positioned piece of "narrow" lumber, forming an upside-down L.