Brett is 8 feet long and originally sat on a shelf in a smaller room. It's now on a wall which is 13 ft and there is potential to extend along two more walls, adding another 8 and 7 feet.
As much as I like Brett, there is an urge to start from scratch.. I miss the creative process of building stuff as I don't churn out the micros like I used to. Also - although I could swap things around a little, and use the current 'team' track as the entry point, it would feel a bit of a bodge. Brett is due to be shown at TVNAM in June (first time ever exhibiting anything for me!) so I might look to sell/scrap it about the same time.
So, the available potential space is;
- 7 feet. This is above my desk and Mac, so needs to be something fairly easy to operate.. I'm thinking of a yard or staging but unsure of the wisdom of that..
- To the right of that is a run of 8 feet. This is a stud wall, and the first few feet are also over my desk, so I picture a fairly narrow and straight run.
- Finally, another 90 degree turn to the right into the final 13 feet.
I intend to continue using rack shelving to support the layout , and most likely at a height of around 55 inches off the floor.
Period-wise I think I'll keep with a 'modern' theme.. although 80s/90s more than current day I think.
I'm fairly keen to re-visit my first interest in American Railroads, and go back to New England - Rutland territory.. perhaps a fictitious shortline which has connections with the VTR and/or Green Mountain, or perhaps even become part of the Vermont Rail System.
Beyond that - deciding on specific industries, scenes etc.. no decisions.
An early draft of the kind of plan I'm considering..
Obviously the plan needs work. I think the top half came from a Lance Mindheim drawing. The 'staging' would most likely make use of curved turnouts to make best use of the space on the corner. A stub ended yard is fine too, as I can use a switcher to release trains.
I would like to get even a simple loco stabling area in somewhere, but I am also trying to keep things simple. Who knows.. I may end up building something completely different to this!!
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