The ceiling in the previous blog post has finally been repaired and I am gradually moving back into the office/trainroom.
This is the tentative drawing of a plan
to fill a nine by eleven foot space of the eleven by eleven foot room with three of my favorite scences
from near my home. The objective (and preference) is not to create an
operations oriented pike, but model a set of scenes mostly for
display of my rolling stock. Any SP Western Division trains Eastbound
to Sacramento or Tracy and Westbound to Crockett and Oakland will be
able to move only a few feet. What action there is would be moving a
few cars to and from Avon and Walnut Creek.
This layout will be built on a series
of removable tables not attached to the walls of my townhouse office
and trainroom. The Walnut Creek module is freestanding with a two
foot space between it and a wall completely covered with built in
cabinets and bookshelves along with a wet bar. The design of the
freestanding shelf/table like structures is still in flux. The height
is limited to 40 inches at the sub roadbed surface. I plan to
maximize storage of rolling stock, parts and painting supplies under
the layout. I can no longer do any carpentry so the sub-roadbed will
likely be a foam board of some type. Under the Avon side is a 28 by
48 inch workbench. That wall also has a 6 foot long window. and Avon
yard will run in front of the window.
Port Costa with its 70 foot turntable
small engine terminal is a favorite. I have tried to include as much
of the trackage as possible but have had to resort to curved turnouts
at both ends and considerable compression through shortened trackage.
Outside the engine terminal trackage the turnout placement is
fictional. The Martinez junction has been moved to the east end of
Port Costa. Avon is a truncated small yard with the east wye leg
omitted. Walnut Creek is shortened at the south end with about 500
yards missing. It is primarily to display the depot and railroad
related structures I am building.
I have not sufficiently mastered any of
the available free layout design or drawing software packages so my
planning is stil pencil and graph paper.
