Layout Update Mondays: Show Prep Projects

An overview of the layout showing the installed skirting.

Last week was pretty busy in the shop with a number of projects checked off the list.  First, my friend Stu stopped by to install his Ardunio based DC throttles.  These are pretty interesting and I plan to share more details about these in a later post.  Debugging went fairly quickly and trains were finally running on the layout.

As can be seen in the photo above, one big piece which is needed for the show arrived this week - skirting.  This will give the layout a clean appearance and help focus the viewer on to the top of the layout.  The skirting was custom ordered so that it had Velcro sewn onto the back for quick setup and tear down but more importantly it was fire retardant. One of the requirements of most venues where modular layouts are setup - including at the Eastern States Exposition - is that the skirting needs to be certified flame retardant.  Fortunately there are a number of vendors which provide this product so I was able to find a supplier who could make up the sections to fit around the layout at the correct height.

On the actual layout, I was also able to complete a number of scenery projects this week - such as plant trees and add some more ground foam around the layout.  In addition, the loading dock is now complete and installed on the layout.  This was a fairly simple project - the base of the loading dock was a 2x4 cut to shape and then wrapped with styrene.  A few scribes were made in the styrene to represent expansion joints before everything was painted and weathered. 

New loading dock (front) and dwarf turnout signals (near grade crossing).

One of the projects I wanted to add to this layout that wouldn't be very prototypical for such a short railroad were turnout indication dwarf signals.  These were scratchbuilt from Right Angle PC Board LEDs (5mm) from LEDtronics.  (Basically, a pair of LEDs come inside a plastic case which was detailed to look like a dwarf signal.)  At the moment, these dwarf signals aren't hooked up yet but were planted so the scenery could be completed around them.

Overall, the layout is getting closer and closer to where I'd like it to be for the show.  However, I still have a fair amount of items I'd like to finish over the next 240 hours before this layout is packed up and heading on up the road to West Springfield...

Looking down the track on the MOW module. The dwarf signals can be seen in the distance on the left hand side of the track.