Last year's slow listless progress on the layout was a sure indicator that all was not well. I finally came to the conclusion that I was being over ambitious in trying to build a room sized layout. Well I'm no stranger to giving up projects part way through, and the decision has now been made to abandon the large layout and go for something more manageable. 

The old benchwork has already been dismantled and the timber reused to just build a straight shelf along one  wall rather than spread out into the room. The height has also been lowered. The former project had the baseboards at a height of four feet, designed to be operated from a standing/walking position. The new layout is at table top height and operated seated from a rolling chair. The viewing height with respect to the model is about the same in both cases, however the lower structure is a lot less overwhelming when you walk into the room. 

OK, its not looking particularly tidy at the moment, with a mixture of boxed and unboxed modules on top of the framework. In due course the older open modules will be enclosed and the scenery filled out. 

The layout itself currently consists of four of the pre-existing modules, with a few extra bits of track hanging off precariously. This is only a temporary arrangement in order to keep the trains running. Although the modules are plugged together in a different configuration to previously, they still allow the operations to continue much the same. The sketch below shows the current setup. 

The new long term idea for the layout is to eventually create a double deck system, with a couple of layers of modules stacked like bricks. Cassettes would be used to swap trains between levels (simulating an off scene passing place). The double deck scheme has been tested with mock ups and seems feasible. I found that if I restrict the module heights to around 8 or 10" it should be possible to run the both layers in a visually satisfactory manner from a seated position (adjusting the seat height accordingly). The extra deck is not likely to happen this year though. It may not happen at all if this turns out to be yet another dead end! But for now it serves as something to aim for and keeps the enthusiasm going.

Meanwhile construction has started on a new module, four feet long, divided into two scenes. It will replace the Slaghill module at the left, which will be used elsewhere, but more on that as things progress. 

Cheers, Alan.