Platform!

This weekend I ripped apart the frame for the 1.5 x 5 ft. platform I had built earlier and after a few tries, had used the wood to reincarnate it as a 2.5 x 4 ft platform. When you add on the 0.75 in. for the fascia, it is just about the size of my existing layout! But the fun is in doing the work so just modifying my existing layout would have been too easy. This time I am using 1 in. thick insulating foam as my base. It doesn't make it much lighter though since the majority of the weight came from the border and cross members and not the plywood. I will try to remember to post some pictures of it before I do too much work.

Along with the new platform comes a new track plan. Similar to the previous one I had been considering, except this one is tilted slightly. I still need to add in the industrial buildings, etc. but I like it so far.

I actually found a page with a number of small ( 2 x 4 ft. ) track plans. I found it really useful since most of the layouts I had seen online advertised as "small" had been micro layouts that fit in a briefcase or shelf. These were a little too small. From that you go to the 4 x 8 ft. table layouts and then the room sized layouts, neither of which fit my needs. I really liked the two engine yard layout that he came up with since it includes the ability to build trains, as well as switch industries, two things that I wanted to accomplish in my layout.