If you have been paying attention to tom mann over the years, you'll know that I always struggle to build a layout. In 2002, I was building small layouts on 2x4 foam and 3x5 plywood, in 2004 I built two dominoes and modeled Goose Island, in 2007 I was designing a lightweight aluminum structure to support an On30 layout, and in 2008 I converted my garage with an insulated door and sheetrock to model the Los Angeles Junction. Interests over this time span included Milwaukee's Kingsbury and Lakewood branches, as well as Milwaukee's Beer Line, and finally SP's Lordsburg subdivsion.
What always kept me back from finishing anything is the lack of a good layout room and the fear that I will lose interest in what I'm building. However, we moved last August into the house where we will be staying for many years and I have a nice 11x13 room in the basement that is perfect for a layout.
The last piece to figure out was what to model and how to "organize" that into the room. I came across an article by Bill Darnaby in a early 90's MR that showed a wall bracket that he designed to hold up a narrow shelf. With some modifications, I built a few of these over the weekend and attached them to the wall. They are more than strong enough - I can almost hang on them. Using these allow me to create a generic 16" shelf layout framework around the room.
For the layout base, I settled on 1" foam, glued to the brackets. This is wobbly by itself, and requires another layer of 1" foam placed on top. As the trackplan or industry extends past the 16" bracket, I'm planning on gluing more foam to the edge of the existing two layers, staggering them for strength. Bracing between the wall brackets, and an extension of the wall brackets, may be necessary. Intrusion into the room will be minimal.
I can then build a series of scenes and join them together on top of the 1" foam sandwich. As interests change, These can be untacked and new scenes can be added.
I'll get some picture soon.
