Hi. I'm Kev Smith and I contribute regularly to the Z forum but thought some of our methods of transporting and erecting exhibition layouts might give people in other scales some ideas. Over the years I have been involved in show layouts from Z to gauge 1 and one thing that experience gradually brings home is carrying big lumps of stuff around all Autumn and Spring is a really bad idea. Our two gauge 1 layouts, Mardy Colliery and Gottersee, were both 32ft long and the stock boxes filled the floor of a high roof van ,needed racks in the van to take the base boards and needed to be carried up two flight of stairs on Sunday nights when we got back to the clubrooms! Nowadays we do it rather more simply. our standard layout size in Z is 4ft by 2ft 6 inches and we use a plinth system that these two youtube videos explain ( I hope) It means that one plinth and lighting rig can be used by all four of the smaller layouts part one is the plinth and flight case idea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UdkOlWdI8 part two is the electrics and lighting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx3IKfE3uDg Our USA Z layout based on the Nickel Plate Road in Cleveland is more conventional but still reflects many of the lessons we have learned over the years. Again it is in two parts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5CWXgDECPA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yWLShcMGfA hope these give you some ideas KEV
