I realize you're professional an probably been building layouts for quite a few years all the while building your skills up to level you are now but I would love to have a small amount of your skills to just to build my small layout. You are a huge inspiration that does amazing work. Thankyou for sharing the amazing work you do on all your projects.
Yes we all have to start somewhere. Keep at it and you will improve. I've been doing carpentry most of my life - everything from framing houses to crafting $1000 jewelry boxes.
The quality of your craftsmanship and bench work are amazing and the speed at which you work is incredible. I’ve seen you build something in a day that would take me weeks and it still wouldn’t rise to your level. It’s also quite impressive to build a free standing layout for a room that does not exist for you except in a plan that you did not create, with no walls to support a layout that would typically be supported by attachment to walls. Thank you for sharing your expertise, it’s inspirational.
Thank-you. When working for others, I have to find ways to work more efficiently because customers generally don't want to spend any more than they have to. "Time is money"; I'm sure you've heard many times before. Building a layout freestanding really isn't a problem. I just have to make extra legs. Those surplus legs go with the layout upon delivery, often being used as bracing in the trailer and sometimes getting cut up on site if we need some extra framing material to make modifications. That was the case on this layout (although you'll have to wait until the installation video is released to see why).
Hi Peter, yet again another very enjoyable video. I truly love the framework being built, you truly are a craftsman at your job. I find this part and then laying track the most enjoyable part of building as layout. Your workshop is to die for and your working environment with those lovely gardens outside are wonderful. All I have is a cramped loft with the rain and wind pounding the roof whilst living on the coast in southern England. All of this and you do this for a living, what a wonderful life you have Peter and no doubt well deserved. Cannot wait to see the next video. Regards Chris
Beautiful work, if I started mine all over I would definitely change some things now after watching your videos. Thanks for sharing your work with us. - Steve
Your bench work is great watching your work, how you a work around is really helpful because I am building a double deck layout and have not started the lower section. Looking forward to the next video.
What great work you do! I thought I’d done a decent job on my layout, but there’s such a huge difference between a normal hobbiest like myself and a Professional like you. 👍
Some cracking benchwork there ! lovely and cleanly done just what I like to see. I will be employing a similar method for my layout when the time arrives. Thanks.
Peter, wow! For us amateurs it’s hard enough to do this inside the space. You have to build outside the space and then move to a seemingly unknown space, ( client’s drawings excluded ). That’s just mind boggling to me. It’s just a testimony to your expertise and your professionalism. Thanks for another insightful tutorial. See ya next time.
@@mpeterll if the room it's going in was measured correctly there shouldn't be many issues other than the floor being level or thre walls might be curved/bowed.
@@step2191 James From AffordableModelRailroads.com, we can attest to several times the client's dimensions are not always correct but we make do and Peter's math skills are indispensable.
Hi Peter looking forward to laying tracks ,awesome job mate ,hope to see a test train going before it goes to its new home ,from Down under Australia 🖒🖒🖒
You obviously are a master of Modelling Railroads and I enjoy your posts. ?What kind of plywood do you use? thickness? and do you prefer foam roadbed ? to cork? or is it just customer choice?
The woodwork is looking great and I am looking forward to the progress. Don't be afraid to redo some of the work if you need to because if you are not happy with it now you will always regret not fixing things up. Can I also suggest to use a tripod for the camera and point things out rather than making the viewers seasick. A handheld, always moving shot is very hard to watch. Cheers.
Incredible amount of work. I think if I were employing your talent and knowledge, I would have utilized them earlier in the design to avoid issues only experience like yours could foresee.
Peter, you are the master at this I really hope I can do half as good as you do, like I've said before I learn a lot by watching you work, and that tool you made looks like a great idea hope you don't mind if I us that one....thanks for sharing....Jack 🙂
Feel free to copy any technique I present on one of my videos. That's why I show you my innovations. For that grade tool, start by making the ears slightly bigger than you think you need them, and then gradually shave them on the miter saw, a hair at a time, until they are where you want them.
Good day. I am impressed. This is going to be a wonderful facility. That is already very good. worked clean. Since I like to leave a subscription there. I want to see how it goes on. greetings from Germany Andy
Great. Looking forward to that. New layout in the early planning stages and I'll need to install one. A previous attempt at my old house didn't work very well.
Hello Peter, watching your video I realized that at the join of the curved incline to the straight incline alonge the marshalling yard at the back there is a step between the two trackbedsections.
Well spotted. That step is exactly the same height as the pink foam that will cover the incline. The foam is added to make it easy to carve landscape into the benchwork, but there's no reason to add it to the staging level.
I noticed the same, but so glad that I read the comments before saying anything. Stop me looking like a total prat. By the way Peter, even though all your layouts and designs are for American outline layouts, I will certainly find great help from your processes when I come to build my own (small attic) layout here in Great Britain. British outline of course.
How do you screw into plywood without spliting it? What size screw are you using? I would think there isn't much grab of the screw while turning in the ply layers.
I use standard coarse-thread 1 5/8" dry-wall screws and pre-drill with a compound drill bit. I'm not sure what it's called, but it has a tapered shaft with an adjustable countersink collar. The main strength comes from the glue (the screws only hold it in alignment while that sets. You do need to be careful not to over-tighten - but that's the same with any screw. Even with pre-drilling, occasionally an end will split, but it's not a problem provided all the joints have adequate glue - just as extra glue to fill the split and move on to the next one.
@@mpeterll I believe you had mentioned in your video's that they are drywall screws. I do alot of woodworking and a helpful tip is to rub some hand soap on the screw threads so they twist in easier. Might not split any plys also.
@@mpeterll Are you referring to a step drill for predrilling holes to accommodate the actual screw? I think I know which you are referring to. I use that twist drill for assembling wood items. It's part of the Kreg screw system. Works well and creates a very strong attachment. Check that out. Might be something you could use to hide the screw heads. Just a thought.
Good morning, good day, or evening. Not sure where you are located. I was thinking about your hole drilling process with the spade bit. Have you tried using what's called a Forstner drill. It's a circular bit that shaves the wood as it penetrates the wood material. Several advantages are that it creates a cleaner hole. You can drill entirely through your wood piece in one motion. It also produces a cleaner exit on the other face. The only down side is it creates ALOT of chip shavings. A shop vac would help with that. Just a suggestion. I heard you mention that you prefer to look professional in your work. I agree, the best results visually goes a long way. 👍
There are 49 turnouts and a double slip on this layout (with one extra turnout added during installation). The main yard is laid out with #8's. Most other areas are #6's. I didn't design this layout. I think the designer used "anyrail". I prefer "3dr-plan-it" for all my design projects.
@@mpeterll Peter is building this for us at AffordableModelRailroads.com and we did the design in Anyrail. Beside Peter and Myself we have a third designer who prefers anyrail, like Peter I find 3rdPlanit the superior program howerver Anyrail is more than sufficient for most model railroaders.
Agree, at least imo the ladder at each end should be the same side turnout as the other end. That way all of the yard tracks could the same basic length. But if its what the customer wants.
IMRROcom: Yes, you are absolutely correct. I said last week that I didn't think it was a particularly good plan, but I didn't bet the chance to submit a plan; I'm just building what I was given. At the proof stage, I did make a suggestion to improve the yard, but it was totally ignored.
Proof once more great minds think alike 👍😜 I pl personally think anyone seriously thinking about getting into model railroading should consider a few things. #1) Do not bite off more than you can chew. Trying to build a huge layout first time is in my opinion a disaster waiting to happen. Decide what you want and then look at what you can cut back on. But do keep expansion in mind #2) Even if one starts with a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood 32 sqft do not have to be that shape. #3) Negotiate how much space in the home you can be allowed to use. Others live there also. If the layout is in a garage do you need to park your car in it. Yard tools? A lawn mower? Or God forbid a snowblower (although a garage layout and a snowblower really do not go together) #4) Your budget. Not only money but time also. One can always make more money. Time is something we only have so much of. If you are single you could devote every single minute to a layout. Not that I would advise it. But if you have a family they have to come first. Anybody who is married and devoted all his/her (we need to be inclusive) time to MRRing is as likely to wind up divorced as a person who spends all their time in a bar or on the golf course. #5) Excessive motive power. Especially when first starting out. A small layout on DC power could get by with one locomotive. Railroads exist to make money. They do that by moving freight. The fact that some of it is people they are still freight. Think about that. If they cannot make a profit they will stop doing it. That said a Mikado pulling two freight cars and a caboose is as funny as a SW-1200 or RS-3 at the head end of the Broadway Express or the 20th Century Limited. #6) Join a local club if one is close enough. The closest to me is about a 1/2 hour drive. #7) Buy a book. One of the books focusing on operations is a good place to start. #8) If your thinking about a prototype RR to model or freelance off of. Consider something local. Sure the Denver and Rio Grande cutting through the Rockies or the Feather River Canyon look great but on a small layout are in reality slightly ridiculous. #9) Operation scheme. Point to point? Continuous loop? Switching layout. All can be combined but for a small layout I think the last two work best. You could have a yard operation or a heavy industry (steel mill, auto manufacturing, coal mine etc) in the center with a continuous loop around the outside. Guests like to see trains run. #10) Heres where I'm going to out on a limb. Currently the main operating systems are DC and DCC. But there is a third option. Consider Dead Rail. One benefit is no track wiring. Battery and controll systems have advanced far enough that for somebody just seriously getting into the hobby it is a viable option. Eventually I think this will be the standard system it will take a while. Standards are needed.
I always use the best plywood I can find. Usually it has a hardwood veneer. The important thing to look for is the number of layers in it (more is better).
@@mpeterll Thanks, Peter. It will be a stretch between quality and price. That stuff is incredibly expensive here in New Zealand. Without a trades account you can easily pay up to $150 for ONE high quality 12mm sheet of ply!
@@mpeterll I have a building that's finished inside, sheetrocked and painted walls, linoleum floor, heat and a/c, and its 13' 6" × 23' 6" inside dimensions, built specifically for a model train layout. Lately I've been looking at benchwork arrangements that would fit and I thought this one might be close to what I'm looking for. Thanks for all your advice and shared wisdom on the subject of model railroading. 👍
@@mpeterll please don't take this the wrong, knowing you are a Craftsman. Did you use the scraps from other jobs? I ask because i have no stock pile of stuff. Would we be better of to use 1X3's for the frame work cost wise? Really looking forward to the next update.
you might know this and be able to help me out ,, HELIX, I want 1 helix area, ( so one helix ) . from first level to the second. then runs a dog bone and comes back, second level to the third level. goes around and comes back, the dog bone again, then from the third level back down to the first.. The helix I want is ALL in one spot . any thoughts,, ideas.. PLAN you can send me
Yes, what you need is a two track helix. The inner track goes all the way from 1 to 3. The outer one is actually two separate stacked helixes 1-2 and 2-3. Put some grade on the middle level so that it returns to the 2-3 helix higher than it left the 1-2 helix. You will have part of one lap with no track around the outer helix. If you need the inner and outer tracks to cross each other at entry/exit, the inner helix needs one extra lap added, so you may end up with a 10-lap helix in the middle with two 4-lap helixes around it.
ONCE, in a day....I lived in a house that had a basement....NOW I live in California, where we don't have basements. I had to abandon my train layout. It was nice....it had a run-around track....and what was going to be a hidden staging area....the idea was trains IN...(empty) then loads OUT. OK....right now? A shelf layout. Well I can focus on detailing...
wow bench work by a pro, it looks amazing, and build rock solid as you say. great job
I realize you're professional an probably been building layouts for quite a few years all the while building your skills up to level you are now but I would love to have a small amount of your skills to just to build my small layout. You are a huge inspiration that does amazing work. Thankyou for sharing the amazing work you do on all your projects.
Yes we all have to start somewhere. Keep at it and you will improve. I've been doing carpentry most of my life - everything from framing houses to crafting $1000 jewelry boxes.
The quality of your craftsmanship and bench work are amazing and the speed at which you work is incredible. I’ve seen you build something in a day that would take me weeks and it still wouldn’t rise to your level. It’s also quite impressive to build a free standing layout for a room that does not exist for you except in a plan that you did not create, with no walls to support a layout that would typically be supported by attachment to walls. Thank you for sharing your expertise, it’s inspirational.
Thank-you. When working for others, I have to find ways to work more efficiently because customers generally don't want to spend any more than they have to. "Time is money"; I'm sure you've heard many times before. Building a layout freestanding really isn't a problem. I just have to make extra legs. Those surplus legs go with the layout upon delivery, often being used as bracing in the trailer and sometimes getting cut up on site if we need some extra framing material to make modifications. That was the case on this layout (although you'll have to wait until the installation video is released to see why).
Hi Peter, yet again another very enjoyable video. I truly love the framework being built, you truly are a craftsman at your job. I find this part and then laying track the most enjoyable part of building as layout. Your workshop is to die for and your working environment with those lovely gardens outside are wonderful. All I have is a cramped loft with the rain and wind pounding the roof whilst living on the coast in southern England. All of this and you do this for a living, what a wonderful life you have Peter and no doubt well deserved. Cannot wait to see the next video.
Regards Chris
Beautiful work, if I started mine all over I would definitely change some things now after watching your videos. Thanks for sharing your work with us. - Steve
Hi, Excellent progress, it looks superb bit of base boarding, i have to say, superb workmanship. 👍Thumbs Up 👍
Peter, the benchwork is stunning.
Your bench work is great watching your work, how you a work around is really helpful because I am building a double deck layout and have not started the lower section. Looking forward to the next video.
I do enjoy watching your videos keep up the very good work 😎
Very great work. Top construction and mounting.
Best regards from Switzerland Klaus
What great work you do! I thought I’d done a decent job on my layout, but there’s such a huge difference between a normal hobbiest like myself and a Professional like you. 👍
Excellent work. Enjoy watching your layout builds.
Peter, greetings from Virginia. Your new spread and workshop look great. Plenty of room that's for sure. Keep up the good work sir!
Some cracking benchwork there ! lovely and cleanly done just what I like to see. I will be employing a similar method for my layout when the time arrives. Thanks.
Man that's awesome work.
Peter, wow! For us amateurs it’s hard enough to do this inside the space. You have to build outside the space and then move to a seemingly unknown space, ( client’s drawings excluded ). That’s just mind boggling to me. It’s just a testimony to your expertise and your professionalism. Thanks for another insightful tutorial. See ya next time.
I had to chuckle when I read this. You'll see why in a few weeks when I present the installation video.
@@mpeterll if the room it's going in was measured correctly there shouldn't be many issues other than the floor being level or thre walls might be curved/bowed.
@@step2191 James From AffordableModelRailroads.com, we can attest to several times the client's dimensions are not always correct but we make do and Peter's math skills are indispensable.
Wow that's some progressive work. 👍
thats a ton of measuring and very careful cutting. you are a master
Hi Peter looking forward to laying tracks ,awesome job mate ,hope to see a test train going before it goes to its new home ,from Down under Australia 🖒🖒🖒
Yes, this time you will see a train running prior to packing it up for installation.
You obviously are a master of Modelling Railroads and I enjoy your posts. ?What kind of plywood do you use? thickness? and do you prefer foam roadbed ? to cork? or is it just customer choice?
The woodwork is looking great and I am looking forward to the progress. Don't be afraid to redo some of the work if you need to because if you are not happy with it now you will always regret not fixing things up. Can I also suggest to use a tripod for the camera and point things out rather than making the viewers seasick. A handheld, always moving shot is very hard to watch. Cheers.
Coming along really nice
Brilliant! What a transformation!
Thank you for details video and great detail worship build frame of layout
Awesome progress my friend.
Incredible amount of work. I think if I were employing your talent and knowledge, I would have utilized them earlier in the design to avoid issues only experience like yours could foresee.
As always the start of a dream layout.
that is a piece of art ...
Peter, you are the master at this I really hope I can do half as good as you do, like I've said before I learn a lot by watching you work, and that tool you made looks like a great idea hope you don't mind if I us that one....thanks for sharing....Jack 🙂
Feel free to copy any technique I present on one of my videos. That's why I show you my innovations. For that grade tool, start by making the ears slightly bigger than you think you need them, and then gradually shave them on the miter saw, a hair at a time, until they are where you want them.
@@mpeterll thanks👍
Good day. I am impressed. This is going to be a wonderful facility. That is already very good. worked clean. Since I like to leave a subscription there. I want to see how it goes on. greetings from Germany Andy
Superb one again. Any chance of a close up of how you did and fastened the swing gate?
Hinges, of course :-) I want to incorporate a swing gate like that into my layout
There's already a video in the pipeline showing exactly how to do that.
Great. Looking forward to that. New layout in the early planning stages and I'll need to install one. A previous attempt at my old house didn't work very well.
Hello Peter, watching your video I realized that at the join of the curved incline to the straight incline alonge the marshalling yard at the back there is a step between the two trackbedsections.
Well spotted. That step is exactly the same height as the pink foam that will cover the incline. The foam is added to make it easy to carve landscape into the benchwork, but there's no reason to add it to the staging level.
Hello Peter, that make sense.
I noticed the same, but so glad that I read the comments before saying anything. Stop me looking like a total prat. By the way Peter, even though all your layouts and designs are for American outline layouts, I will certainly find great help from your processes when I come to build my own (small attic) layout here in Great Britain. British outline of course.
How do you screw into plywood without spliting it? What size screw are you using? I would think there isn't much grab of the screw while turning in the ply layers.
I use standard coarse-thread 1 5/8" dry-wall screws and pre-drill with a compound drill bit. I'm not sure what it's called, but it has a tapered shaft with an adjustable countersink collar.
The main strength comes from the glue (the screws only hold it in alignment while that sets.
You do need to be careful not to over-tighten - but that's the same with any screw. Even with pre-drilling, occasionally an end will split, but it's not a problem provided all the joints have adequate glue - just as extra glue to fill the split and move on to the next one.
@@mpeterll I believe you had mentioned in your video's that they are drywall screws. I do alot of woodworking and a helpful tip is to rub some hand soap on the screw threads so they twist in easier. Might not split any plys also.
@@mpeterll Are you referring to a step drill for predrilling holes to accommodate the actual screw? I think I know which you are referring to. I use that twist drill for assembling wood items. It's part of the Kreg screw system. Works well and creates a very strong attachment.
Check that out. Might be something you could use to hide the screw heads. Just a thought.
Good morning, good day, or evening. Not sure where you are located. I was thinking about your hole drilling process with the spade bit. Have you tried using what's called a Forstner drill. It's a circular bit that shaves the wood as it penetrates the wood material. Several advantages are that it creates a cleaner hole. You can drill entirely through your wood piece in one motion. It also produces a cleaner exit on the other face. The only down side is it creates ALOT of chip shavings. A shop vac would help with that. Just a suggestion. I heard you mention that you prefer to look professional in your work. I agree, the best results visually goes a long way. 👍
hey could you tell us what number turnouts you used(?) . also what track planning software did you use ? love your benchwork BTW :)
There are 49 turnouts and a double slip on this layout (with one extra turnout added during installation). The main yard is laid out with #8's. Most other areas are #6's. I didn't design this layout. I think the designer used "anyrail". I prefer "3dr-plan-it" for all my design projects.
@@mpeterll Peter is building this for us at AffordableModelRailroads.com and we did the design in Anyrail. Beside Peter and Myself we have a third designer who prefers anyrail, like Peter I find 3rdPlanit the superior program howerver Anyrail is more than sufficient for most model railroaders.
Some of those yard tracks should not even be called yard tracks, they are ridiculously short and should be looked up as ways to waste money.
Agree, at least imo the ladder at each end should be the same side turnout as the other end. That way all of the yard tracks could the same basic length. But if its what the customer wants.
IMRROcom: Yes, you are absolutely correct. I said last week that I didn't think it was a particularly good plan, but I didn't bet the chance to submit a plan; I'm just building what I was given. At the proof stage, I did make a suggestion to improve the yard, but it was totally ignored.
Proof once more great minds think alike 👍😜 I pl personally think anyone seriously thinking about getting into model railroading should consider a few things.
#1) Do not bite off more than you can chew. Trying to build a huge layout first time is in my opinion a disaster waiting to happen. Decide what you want and then look at what you can cut back on. But do keep expansion in mind
#2) Even if one starts with a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood 32 sqft do not have to be that shape.
#3) Negotiate how much space in the home you can be allowed to use. Others live there also. If the layout is in a garage do you need to park your car in it. Yard tools? A lawn mower? Or God forbid a snowblower (although a garage layout and a snowblower really do not go together)
#4) Your budget. Not only money but time also. One can always make more money. Time is something we only have so much of. If you are single you could devote every single minute to a layout. Not that I would advise it. But if you have a family they have to come first. Anybody who is married and devoted all his/her (we need to be inclusive) time to MRRing is as likely to wind up divorced as a person who spends all their time in a bar or on the golf course.
#5) Excessive motive power. Especially when first starting out. A small layout on DC power could get by with one locomotive. Railroads exist to make money. They do that by moving freight. The fact that some of it is people they are still freight. Think about that. If they cannot make a profit they will stop doing it. That said a Mikado pulling two freight cars and a caboose is as funny as a SW-1200 or RS-3 at the head end of the Broadway Express or the 20th Century Limited.
#6) Join a local club if one is close enough. The closest to me is about a 1/2 hour drive.
#7) Buy a book. One of the books focusing on operations is a good place to start.
#8) If your thinking about a prototype RR to model or freelance off of. Consider something local. Sure the Denver and Rio Grande cutting through the Rockies or the Feather River Canyon look great but on a small layout are in reality slightly ridiculous.
#9) Operation scheme. Point to point? Continuous loop? Switching layout. All can be combined but for a small layout I think the last two work best. You could have a yard operation or a heavy industry (steel mill, auto manufacturing, coal mine etc) in the center with a continuous loop around the outside. Guests like to see trains run.
#10) Heres where I'm going to out on a limb. Currently the main operating systems are DC and DCC. But there is a third option. Consider Dead Rail. One benefit is no track wiring. Battery and controll systems have advanced far enough that for somebody just seriously getting into the hobby it is a viable option. Eventually I think this will be the standard system it will take a while. Standards are needed.
Agreed. Anything less than 3 foot is a waste of turnouts and flex.
Parabéns, trabalho excelente esta ficando.!
That is some neat benchwork! Well done. What type of ply are you using?
I always use the best plywood I can find. Usually it has a hardwood veneer. The important thing to look for is the number of layers in it (more is better).
@@mpeterll Thanks, Peter. It will be a stretch between quality and price. That stuff is incredibly expensive here in New Zealand. Without a trades account you can easily pay up to $150 for ONE high quality 12mm sheet of ply!
hello, would you be willing to redraw a plan into 3rd Planit? If so how should I proceed?
Send me a private message with the plan as an attachment and I'll give you an estimate. My email is mpeterll64@gmail.com
I was wondering on average how many layouts you do a year? What size is the one in the video? 14 × 24?
It's around 12x24
@@mpeterll I have a building that's finished inside, sheetrocked and painted walls, linoleum floor, heat and a/c, and its 13' 6" × 23' 6" inside dimensions, built specifically for a model train layout. Lately I've been looking at benchwork arrangements that would fit and I thought this one might be close to what I'm looking for. Thanks for all your advice and shared wisdom on the subject of model railroading. 👍
Did I understand you to say that all of your bench work framing has been cut from plywood ? 3/4 x 3 on average ?
Yes, I cut everything from 3/4" cabinet-grade plywood. There's no solid wood in the layout at all.
@@mpeterll please don't take this the wrong, knowing you are a Craftsman. Did you use the scraps from other jobs? I ask because i have no stock pile of stuff. Would we be better of to use 1X3's for the frame work cost wise? Really looking forward to the next update.
@@622wesc I've personally built my two layouts with 1x4s and simple table construction. I wonder what's up with using 100% plywood?
Other then being straighter, i am not sure if plywood would be cheaper. Especially cabinet grade.
@@622wesc I'm wondering if you work with one product like plywood you don't have to worry about warping of dimensional lumber?
you might know this and be able to help me out ,, HELIX, I want 1 helix area, ( so one helix ) . from first level to the second. then runs a dog bone and comes back, second level to the third level. goes around and comes back, the dog bone again, then from the third level back down to the first.. The helix I want is ALL in one spot . any thoughts,, ideas.. PLAN you can send me
Yes, what you need is a two track helix. The inner track goes all the way from 1 to 3. The outer one is actually two separate stacked helixes 1-2 and 2-3. Put some grade on the middle level so that it returns to the 2-3 helix higher than it left the 1-2 helix. You will have part of one lap with no track around the outer helix. If you need the inner and outer tracks to cross each other at entry/exit, the inner helix needs one extra lap added, so you may end up with a 10-lap helix in the middle with two 4-lap helixes around it.
@@mpeterll perfect. now I just have to build it.. thank you
ONCE, in a day....I lived in a house that had a basement....NOW I live in California, where we don't have basements. I had to abandon my train layout. It was nice....it had a run-around track....and what was going to be a hidden staging area....the idea was trains IN...(empty) then loads OUT. OK....right now? A shelf layout. Well I can focus on detailing...
and I thought my 5ft x 3 ft exhibition layout was complicated :)
If Michael Jordan or Tom Brady want a train layout, I believe we all know who they going to call.
Well if you have their ear and can convince them of the need for a model railroad, we can talk about some kind of a finders fee. :-)