Getting Real Column - 4
managed to get the tear-out finished, and modified the 1x4
grid benchwork to fit the underpinnings of the bridge and
river in place. Another couple of evenings were needed to
reroute the mainline to align with the bridge tracks. I ended
up replacing the Styrofoam subroadbed and deep chasm with
new birch plywood subroadbed, and relaying about 12 feet of
mainline.
Composing the new scene
After installing the plywood subroadbed, I played around with
various arrangements for the remainder of the scene. This
5. After a long afternoon (and most of the morning)
the Williams Creek section was securely fastened in
its new home. Obviously the mainline needs some
realignment!
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section of the layout is about 17 feet of single-track main-
line running through the countryside. I played around a lot
with this section, considering all kinds of possibilities rang-
ing from a large water-powered mill complex to a small town,
to a large “destination industry” like a paper mill or plywood
plant. I arranged, and rearranged structures and track so
many different ways I lost track.
In the end, the answer became clear – simpler is better –
“Less is more,” as some of my friends are fond of saying. But
6. Initial plans called for adding a road (represented by
the gray cardstock), a country store, and a stub-ended
siding with a small freight house and station. Not only
would this scene have drawn undue attention to the end
of the backdrop, it was still just a little too “busy.”
6
MRH-Jun 2014
