...big enough for me to run multiple trains
...built using all the things I've learned from my past mistakes
...built with my children and teaching them all the joys of such a rewarding hobby
...having a much bigger budget than my current 2'x4' layout
...taking me much longer to build than my current layout
...big enough to capture lots of big scenes and the variety of cities, towns, mountains, and plains
...started when I'm done renovating my house (which at the current rate will probably be like 5 years)
...fun to build and run trains on
...very well planned out before the first piece of benchwork is put together
Version 1.0 of my N scale table top layout was tore apart when the all foam base proved inadequate.
Version 1.1 added a door under for support, 4" more in length, a second span of bridge, and a clock-wise operation connection from my staging/fiddle track to the main. Progress on this version was suspended due to holiday/budget/excess-spending issues.
Visions of version 1.2 began to formulate the last few days, while version 1.1 has been on hold. A full double track main and a different staging/fiddle track configuration...along with some getting back to the KISS principal (and less spendy) simplification.
If I ever get layout 1.whatever far enough along, and I can wrap my brain around the idea of a dead-end shelf switching layout, version 2.0 will use the HO stuff I have stored, and one or maybe two 8' walls in the computer room. Beyond that, no clue.
My "first" layout was two 4'x8' sections joined like an "L" with a 12' back edge. It eventually expanded to turn into a "J", 16' along the longest side, and eventually would resembled more of a "G" or "@" with a central island. The move to England killed that.
If I had the space I would start from the same plan, but ensure only 24" was the maximum depth from any one side. That 48" wide table against a wall was a pain.
Many of the features in the current layout were originally conceived in the 'old' layout, but never built. Who knows, maybe one day...
Dennis
England
My current layout is being designed around Green Town Illinois as written by Ray Bradbury in Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Trolley tracks and a carnival train. And a little bit of Waukegan thrown in for good measure.
But my next layout will be out of this world. I'm thinking about Mars. I may need a gallon of red oxide.
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