Reset button

There comes a time in any model railroad where you stop and consider whether to keep going, or turn around and go a different direction. Sometimes it's precipitated by a move, or by a loss of interest in the hobby.

In my case, a leak from the kitchen above soaked a portion of the layout, and I was laid up with a broken ankle and not able to do damage control immediately. When I did get down there, I found the benchwork for the Prince, WV section was probably beyond saving. Doesn't look like it got into the Digitrax gear, so I stripped this section of layout (saving track and electronics) and threw out the benchwork. I'm considering my options, but I may strip the entire thing, and start over. After 5 years of this blog, still no scenery and incomplete track/benchwork... maybe I should build something easier (smaller) with a clearer vision from the start instead of trying to add 8 feet at a time until I have more benchwork than I know what to do with.

It just might be time to hit the reset button.

Finally, more benchwork!

Winter project... get the west end of the railroad functional!

The above picture is looking along the new benchwork from where it connects to the existing benchwork. Along here will be west mainline staging at the lower level, and Raleigh yard on the upper level as well as the wye at the far end.

Above is an elevated view of the new benchwork in the corner... you can see where the staging will be (4 double-ended, double-trainlength tracks) the access hole in the middle, and the upper benchwork for the yard and wye.

Above is a closer view of this area with some flextrack and stand-ins to better visualize the scale of it.

Time to hit the hobby shop for their entire stock of track... about five times over, the way the supply of track has been for the past few years.

Wet paint

With the weather turning into "modeling season", I figured I'd try to get things moving again in the basement. I'd stopped building benchwork just short of Raleigh yard and west mainline staging (Charleston / Handley / Thurmond) because that side of the basement hadn't been painted yet. Well, today I hung plastic and fired up the paint sprayer.

Top level will be Raleigh yard on the Piney Creek branch, below will be the west mainline staging and return loop.

I plan to build it to allow expansion to continue, including the branch up to Pemberton for interchange with the Virginian.

Clutter

I believe one key to having an enjoyable model railroad room is avoid clutter.

I guess I failed that one. I'm working on it though.