Very quickly, I became unhappy with the engine house section. Too much track, too tight curves, and ultimately, the four foot depth was too great. Even though I am fairly tall and the benchwork was relatively low, my comfortable reach was only about 30" deep. With the trackwork all funneling through the back 6" or so, I did not want to be in the position of climbing over the benchwork for maintenance or recovering derailed equipment. So the decision was made, it would be removed.
And poof, its gone.
To build the replacement section, I picked up a sheet of my standard 3/4" plywood and a sheet of homasote. I cut the plywood down to 4'x6' to match the size of the section I removed. I next layered a similar sized sheet of homasote over it. The sheet was a little, narrow, but there's a reason we will get to later. Next, I laid out the cutout I wanted to provide access all the way to the back wall. The results can be seen below.
The next step was to build a frame to keep the sheet rigid. Out came more strips of 3/4" ply, and within an hour, the frame was together and the module was ready for install.
A nice view of the underside. With the 3/4" sheet, very little framing is needed.
A early from departure from work for a day without family distractions, and the section was in place.
Meanwhile, the missing strip of homasote makes its appearance in the form of the future yard, which bridges the gap between sections. Finally the benchwork is connected.
And of course, I wasted little time laying track. This new section jumps the radius from the yard to the peninsula from 18" to nearly 28". A big improvement.
looking great :)
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