Good one Mike! Nice to see the bug catching on and that SWMBO has let you us a little space to indulge.

Russ

nothing wrong with shadow boxes Mike! i've seen some really good ones and you can pack alot of detail into a small area. its also not too overwhelming working in this size, as opposed to a large layout. I know i started a large N scale layout many years ago and got tracklaying done and some wiring and never progressed past that,eventually dismantling it. finally did some wiring on my Picton modules today and can run some locos in the partially completed yard. felt good moving wagons around with my 2 sound locos.

Done a bit more work on the shadow box. The fiddle yard module is next and then the legs for both modules. Its good to be building something rather than armchair modelling. After the modules are done, its on to laying the track, wiring, building the structures, scenery, lighting and then putting up the fascia not to mention building a loco or two and some wagons. For a small layout theres plenty of work to go.

Thats a great start, Mike.  What are you thinking of using for the roadbed??  Or are you just going to lay the track straight onto the MDF? (Either is valid).

Ev.  :-)

Good question. I'm going through the options at the moment. I've thought about laying the track onto some 3mm MDF or similar so there is some elevation and the whole thing isn't dead flat but because of its enclosed nature, closed cell foam might be a good option to dampen noise.

If anybody has any ideas or experience on this, share your knowledge. Thats what this whole project is about, learining and trying new things.

Cheers

Mike

Finally we have legs. The construction of the shadow box is complete. 

Lessons I've learnt building this...

1) Enthusiasm is good, Patience is better.

2) The 7 P's - Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

3) I should have listened to the wood work teacher at high school a little bit more.

On the plus side its done. 

looking good Mike. While you ponder on the next stage, you could drape a curtain around the legs and also a small pair of curtains across the front display area and  entertain the kids with puppet (Muppet)shows.  

Indeed to all of the above. Apparently our old woodwork teacher is amused by our efforts at woodworking.

Nice legs BTW, and I don't just say that to any girl...

Anybody used Atlas code 55 points? Any good? 

I'm looking at different track options including peco and handlaid. I really want something that will be 'bomb proof', reliable and can take a knock or two.

The more I think about which era to base this layout in, the more I lean towards the 1980's. Popsicle and fruit salad DX's, clean fruit salad DC's and DA's were still around plus diesel for loco depots was still transported by UC wagons.

Still there's that nice NZ Rail livery and the Kiwi Rail colours look good too....

Hi Mike, i am using Atlas code 55 track and points on my Picton modules , as well as linking std code 80 track and points to it. packing up code 55 to match the height is challenging, as well as connecting. code 55 looks fantastic , but definitely more fragile. i purchased my code 55 from "The Train Depot" online shop (also operates from home here in Tauranga)his prices are reasonable and based on currency conversion at time of ordering. i am using a combination of codes due to surplus stock i have and cost factor.eventually might replace all with code 55. i will be uploading a video of some operation so far on layout to you tube in the next few weeks and will post a link here.John