Re-post of my Indiana Layout

[John B]

I re-marked the board to a lower size

[John B]

If I do it in the front, I got to do it in the back. I knew now that the first cut was way to high. Joan had a hard time looking in from the side

[John B]

This is how it looks after the re-cut. Much better now.

[John B]

I have installed the other half of the 4x8 hardboard. This is along the mountain business side and the tunnel entrance.

[John B]

This shot shows the mountain and the tunnel entrance fascia.

[John B]

You can see the Topside Creeper in this shot and a few others. I paid $180 +$20 shipping for mine several years ago. I just did a websearch and found one for $120. I don't know if it's the same; but for just over one hundred bucks you can't go wrong. Here's a website that shows the dimensions of the Creeper. This website wants $220 for their version. Due to it's size, I "fold" it up a slide it under the layout when not in use. I made an area under the trestle end that the Creeper could slide into. A little sidenote: I have no financial interest in this company, it's just a handy device to have if you built your layout a little wider than you can reach

[John B]

This is the installation aid that I made to hold one end of the hardboard while I hold the other. I just place the hardboard on the holder and start clamping using those squeeze clamps that you can find at Ace, Loews, etc. (I have a bunch of these in all sizes, they are very handy. you can see the clamps in the first photo)

[John B]

This is the tool. I used aluminum. I can work with alloys and metal a lot easier that I can with wood. The round stock is 1-inch diameter aluminum. Probably an old broom stick handle would work just as well. Just cut one of the ends square and glue and screw it into a 2x4 or something. When the fascia is done; I going to unscrew the aluminum rod from the base and use it for something else, (Maybe)

The round stock is notched to the height of the bottom of the fascia.

I retired as a Tool Maker so working with alloys and metals is easier for me than wood

[John B]

I had a small card-table at the end of the layout that I had planned on using as a workbench; but it wound up being just a catchall. I decided to take it down and use the space for more layout. I added another 5 feet of layout by utilizing the space taken up by the card-table. You can just make out a rectangular screened it area to the left of and under the layout. Believe it or not, that's a puppy playpen. Our Cavalier King Charles use to sit at the top of the stairs and cry when we came down to the basement. There is just to many things laying around in the basement that could potentially hurt the dog, that we didn't want to let him have the freedom to roam around on his own. Both dogs can; but will not come down the stairs to the basement. I carry the Cavalier down the steps and put him in the playpen. He's happy and falls to sleep right away in the playpen.

[John B]

I had no particular plans for the new area; possibly some small industries. Joan surpised me with a Walthers Transfer Table. The paper plan is the footprint of the table. The plastic base with the hopper on it is a Walthers Backshop. I was kicking around placing a FSM 2-stall enginehouse next to the Backshop in a state of disrepair

[John B]

Another shot of the addition. I figure that I might as well utilize every square inch of space for the layout. You can see Joan's Sewing Room on the other side of my train room.
She does her thing in one room and I do mine in the other.

[John B]

We are almost up to where the layout is today.  (Note: this is surprisingly true, considering all that is coming up) I guess I went through a longer period of doing nothing than I thought. I was looking over my trackplan and found an ideal spot for yet another turnout. This area is right before the entrance in and out of the mountain. The track will loop around the end of the layout and support a small industry, something lumber related.

[John B]

After I extended the layout the extra 5 feet; I bought a Walthers Carfloat and Apron figuring that I could add the Walthers Crane and Deck with the Carfloat and Apron and make it a removable yard (so to speak). I could stage the cars on the Carfloat and then replace it with the empty carfloat at the Apron. Sometimes I just don't understand myself. This isn't going to work no matter how I dress it up. While the layout is big too me; it's still a relatively small layout. I might as well put a mock-up of Mount Rushmore in the mountain range and have Los Angeles International Airport in the add-on. These things would be fine (Not Rushmore and International) on a larger layout; but all these things I that I had plans for and bought would look stupid on a small layout. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). I have to remember this. My Basement as some of these red beam supports. They are all hidden inside of the walls that I built except this one. I did use it by making a u-bolt type clamp and tie the add on to the beam support to give it support. The add on won't even budge now.

[John B]

Here we see the original part of the track plan without any add-ons. I did install one turnout with the first add on.

[John B]

I got tired of looking at all the pink so I found some old brown paint, so I thought I would cover the pink with the brown, giving some sort of base color to the Styrofoam. I think the pink looked better.I feel that I need another turnout to get into the add-on area. The only available sections were all curved track. I looked through the Walthers catalog and ordered a curved turnout. This curved section looks like a likely candidate for the turnout. I cut the track with a cutoff wheel on my Dremel