A few pictures....

[jglfan]

the need to finish the scenery on the lower level, as I don't want to be trying to do so with the upper benchwork in the way

Funny, my layout is two level, and I built and started operating the lower level first (which seems like the obvious choice) But I was scenicking one scene on the lower level sorta simutaniously as laying out some trackage on the upper level when it occured to me I stood a very good chance of damaging structures, etc on the lower level while I was trimming rail and such on the top. So I decided to finish the upper level first and then do the scenery below. God knows when that will happen!

Perhaps the deciding factor in any given situation would be how deep the lower level scenes will be, and what the difference in height between levels is. In my case difference in height is 14 to 16 inches, but also both levels are kinda high, as I recall they average about 45" and 60". And with just one exception being 2" deep, most are 18" or less.

Gary

[doctorwayne]

Gary, the depth on mine varies between 21" and 36" deep, with the bulk of it at 30". The lower level is 39" above the floor (easy to view and operate from a rolling office chair) and the upper level will be at 59". Since the upper level will be a solid plywood tabletop, and as wide or wider than what's below, I'm not too worried about dropping anything on what's already in place. My main concern is whacking my head on the lights attached to the underside of the upper benchwork (proabably 6 or 7 double-tube 4' fluorescents) and being able to work far enough above whatever I'm doing. Most of the layout that will have benchwork above it is "done", as much as any layout is ever "done". Adding details, moving vehicles and people shouldn't be a problem with the upper benchwork in place. However, I need to build (and string) several feet of "Titelock" farm fencing in the 3' deep area, which looks to be a real challenge, even with lots of "airspace" in which to work. Also, I need to finish the buildings and scenery in the town of Elfrida, shown on the drawing below.

Most folks who visited the Photography Forum at Zealot are familiar with my layout (some might say too familiar with ), and I've had several requests for a track plan. Since I still don't have a scanner, the trackplan will have to wait.
The crude drawing below (which explains why you haven't seen a trackplan done using "Paint") will help you get your bearings.
The grey areas denote the parts of the layout that will eventually be double-decked. The drawing is not to scale, and the room size is approximately 560 sq. ft.

[album]38[/album]

Wayne

[LynnB]

Hey Wayne I enjoyed your previous pics so much I'm going to be so bold as to ask for more pics if its not too much trouble.

[jglfan]

Careful what you ask for Lynn You may want to check out his gallery pages at Zealot.

Wayne, yes, we have very different cicrcumstances. The area in particular I was concerned with on my layout has the lower level extending out anywhere from 6" to 12" further than the upper level, so the chance of damage is great. The upper level in this area is accessable from aisles on both sides so is average 40" wide. The level beneath it has scenes on either aisle seperated by the backdrop supporting the upper level so even tho they are not so deep, perhaps 1/3 of them are exposed. Multi level designs are an interesting topic in themselves.

Gary

[Beamish]

I always am amazed at the detail and the quality of of Wayne's modeling. Thanks for sharing.

[Drew]

A great looking layout, Wayne!
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour!