A couple new switches/turnouts showed up today, so I was able to get the yard area laid out and an extension past the turntable for the servicing area. For some reason cannot get my pics to download tonight. Will try again tomorrow.
Finally [thanks to my wife] I was able to get the pics to load. Center section will have a town area across from the yard area.
Couple of quick pics from today's mail. First, some more switches turned up, so now I can start planning the Upper Extension. Also, the little prebuilt station from Woodland Scenics is a charmer. I would be very hard pressed to do anywhere near this good. I will definitely be adding more of their prebuilts as I find them on sale.
Okay, question for the Brain Trust here. I will need to add a lift out panel over the two mains in the rear of the layout. I am going to try to keep it small enough to avoid the trackage running to the front. How small is too small for a lift out?
that's a tough question. Guess a lot depends on what you are needing the lift out for? Just to get a hand into a space to retrieve cars that may have derailed or something you can stand up through to reach and work on an area of the layout? I'm a pretty round guy so I'd need a bigger space that most of you
I would say 24”x18” is about the smallest most men could fit through and that would be tight. A little bigger would be better.
No, I'm not trying to fit into it myself, just an area that I can get my hand through in case of a derailment.
Well, my hand is about six inches across, and eight inches from wrist to tip on index finger, so I'm thinking at least eight inches square to allow for some "wiggle room" once you get your hand in. Clarifying question: How far in does one need to reach in order to get to the potential derailment site? If you have to go in up to your elbow, for example, you might want a bit more access space.
The downward reach should be no more than 6-8". Thanks, this is what I was trying to get across so poorly in my original post.
If this lift-out will include trackage, then dimensions that can be made up with standard Unitrack pieces would be easier.
I am trying to figure out how to avoid lifting track. The section hopefully can go behind the track, and the scenery or track camouflage the cut.
Hit the local Train Store today and found a small building just the right size for covering the motor unit on my Atlas turntable. Will have to bodge up a couple of doors, but that should be no problem. At least it wont have the same building every other Atlas turntable has covering the motor. Also picked up a couple of locomotives he had been working on, at least one will be relettered, just not sure to what yet.
I've been looking at that very same station from WS! Nice to see it alongside UniTrack, as it will be on my layout. I think it might work well for an RDC I have, but not take up too much space. I found some un-lit WS Built-ups (before WS started installing lighting in them) at a discount at my LHS. Alas, not that one. There may come a time when I add lighting, but not planning on it now (I may regret that...) My LHS dealer said that when WS started making them with lights built-in, they did not change the stock #s, so it's a pain for dealers to handle when they have some stock on hand that is lit, and some stock that is unlit.
