Where it all Begins

It's been a year since the track at Dad's old house was pulled up, where not to long after Dad moved out of the rental and into his new permanent house. Of course with the previous layout we never had ambitions of scenery as we knew it would have to be ripped up eventually so what was shown in my Workshop thread was the layout in it's final form. The best thing about a new house isn't the house, but the shed in which the train layout is going. So this thread is designed much like Rod's to update you on the progress on the new layout, which of course will take time! Dad's in charge of the construction and design of the layout, I'm in charge of electronics and moral support...

Preparing the shed - Stage 1
The shed is approx 9mx6m, however due to the fact it has to be insulated it will be a tad smaller than that. The previous owners added a section on at the back which gives the impression that it is two rooms. The rear door will be permanently opened. A false roof with manhole has been installed in the main room for added insulation (and for something to hang the lights off!). The benches are yet to be installed as work is still being completed on the insulation and plastering work.

The Layout - Stage 2
Still a lot to be decided with this stage as how much space there is around the room will determine a lot of things. We will be using Digitrax for our DCC system, including a 5amp command station, 8 amp booster and the Zephyr starter pack as another booster/controller. There will be 3 tracks, one standard gauge, two broad (up and down lines) however they can all be accessed from the storage yards below. There will be lots of industries along the line, including a number along the branch line which will run on a level above the main benches. A lot more to add to this section as a lot of the ideas are sitting in Dad's head!

Scenery and Detail - Stage 3
The branch line will be heavily populated with scenery to represent a display type layout. The main line won't be treated with as much scenery however will be detailed nonetheless. Scenery and detailing however are a long, long way off. The layout has to be running at 100% first!

Now before you see the photos I must say, please mind the mess! Most of it will be either thrown out or stored underneath the layout. Hopefully you can get a better idea of where everythings going once the shed starts to develop more.

 A lot more has been done since I took these photos so will endeavour to take some more next time I'm out there. As you can see there is a long way to go before the inaugural train run, however an educated guess will tell you it'll probably be before the Eureka R Class which has been ordered since 2005 arrives (Dad's live in 4 different houses and had 3 layouts since then...).

Till next time!