Down the Left Hand side

 The three pieces of the jigsaw puzzle have been moved into the shed to allow assembly. The layout when first assembled in the bedroom was all done in separate baseboards to allow future moving and that is what is now happening.

The previous setup had grades built into it as firstly the boards had to pass around the back of three monitors and then raise up over a server in another corner. It was decided to remove the grades and make it a perfectly flat layout as grades will be provided in the outer shed extension. Also when a Trainorama 32 class was tried it seemed to have trouble hauling a load up a grade in one direction.  So now it should be able to haul a better load.

To achieve a modified track plan and make full use of the room but still retaining the basic plan an additional board was secured to the outside of the existing layout up against the wall. Just one track wide. This will add extra flexibility and eventually be able to run three trains independently. This all had to be done prior to assembling along the wall.

Some new legs had to be made as previously portions of the corner baseboard had shorter legs that were supported on the top of the desk. The initial baseboard had four legs for support and then as other sections were made they were cantilevered off the previous board. This has worked out okay.

The boards were joined together with 1/4" bolts and wingnuts. They have worked out well so far.

The top board that runs across the roller door also has an additional piece of timber added so it can hold to outside track. Also there will be an additional crossover added to give access to the container terminal from the outside track and vice versa.

Fun and games started when I had to start connecting up the baseboards together. The corner section had to be the first section added and the left hand side was to connect around to the station area. The right hand side will eventually connect up with the server baseboard when it is brought down from the house. As can be seen from the photo it was a flimsy setup with one permanent leg in the corner and the two other corners temporarily help up with the use of clamps.

After a bit of a struggle I managed to get the three sections back together. The bolt holes still lined up and once secured the whole structure felt more safe.

The above photo shows the three baseboards finally connected. There is trackage that shows where the extra track will join up to new baseboards to finally go around the rest of the shed. It also shows how the additional track will be joined into the current set up. Today I am happy that this much has been achieved.

The next board to go in will be the 'server board' Next time.