Layout #7 is free-lanced, but based on some plausible "what-if" assumptions that make decisions about the layout, equipment, scenery, etc.  relatively easy.

The railroad (Rincon Pacific Railway (RP)) is a regional rwy. in Ventura County, in Southern California.  That's where I live; that's where I grew up; that's where I have the memories of scenes and operation that I want to reproduce.  Place-names will be local, sometimes obscure or now non-existant names, that are recognizable to my friends.

The year is 1958, which was the last year Southern Pacific ran steam.  (I've got to have steam!).  Much of the equipment is 40 foot freight cars, and shorter diesel power, so that allows the layout to fit better into the size of the room.

Rationalle for the railroad:  It serves the agriculture and oil production industries of the County, and connects with the outside world via the Southern Pacific.  Of course, in my world, SP wasn't first in, in 1877, but RP got the jump on the prefered routes, forcing SP to take to the mountains, and to agree to trackage and/or haulage rights with the RP.  (I'll work these out when I get to operations).

Scenery:  I don't have to make forests of trees; just orchards of citrus and walnuts, row crops, and rows of eucalyptus trees at field perimeters.  And, of course, the eroded shale/clay mountains and cliffs so identifiable to this area.

Here's where I have been attempting to model:

Here's the new work bench in the former closet of the train room. (What a difference!!!)

Yes, it does make a big difference. Now you can find everything assumin you remember where you put everything.

Irv

look like the old work bench!  Looks good.  It is nice to have a dedicated space in the house for a railroad isn't it!

Russ, Yes, that is always the battle.  The law according to Murphy says that wherever there is open space, stuff will accumulate.  At least the stuff that gets set on my desk in the family room doesn't end up on the work bench.

Irv, you're right!  At our age remembering anything for any period of time is a major portion of our effort.  My wife has offered to bring her little label maker into the room.  I'm thinking that would be prudent.

I'm also installing shelves under the layout benchwork for books, stuff, ... whatever.  And, (and this is important), I'm actually getting rid of stuff that I've had for years and never used, as long as it's not in the railroad plans.

And, (and this is important), I'm actually getting rid of stuff that I've had for years and never used, as long as it's not in the railroad plans.

Murphy's Law:

1) If you throw it away you will need it as soon as the garbage truck dissapears around the corner.

2) If you keep it you will never need it unless you can't find it.

Corollary: if you go get a new one, the missing one will pop up under your nose.

Corollary 2: If you try to return the new (and now unneeded one) you will not find the receipt.

Leaving Murphy and his (her?) laws aside, (Thanks pipopak, for those truisms);

A friend visiting the slowly evolving train room asked about the work lamp base, so I thought I'd share this tid-bit of information on how I built it.

The standard swing-arm clamp is an Ell that hooks under the table edge.  My former kitchen countertop has a rolled edge, so that doesn't work.  My previous work table was also a desk, so I had to remove that lamp a lot.

Because I have been salvaging electrical and electronic parts from throwaways, for most of my existence, I had an audio power transformer from an old stereo amp.   I just bored a 1/2 inch hole straight down the center of it.  I use several drill sizes to do it in stages.  The core is soft iron, so it was relatively easy to do.

I found that if I extend the lamp out a ways, it would still tip over, so I added a scrap of shelf under the transformer to change the center of rotation, then added some adhesive=backed felt strips underneath.

Now, I can take the magnifier lamp anywhere I need to in the layout room.   Here's a couple photos.

Thats a Great Idea as I have 5 different work benches and I have drilled a number of 1/2 inch holes in three of the work bench tops but dont want to drill holes in my Oak Roll top Desks. I get tired of un latching the clamp that holds the post support so as I have a number of the same type transformers that I have no other plans for.I'll try building one for myself.

Dan

benchwork assembly has gone pretty smoothly.  I used 2x4's and 4x4's, with 4x4's all along one wall for the back legs, because I needed to support the backdrop independently of the wall, and because I bought no new lumber for this project; I'm using up what's in the garage and extra pieces that have been coming from a friend's home remodel.. 

The backdrop was not part of my plans originally, but my wife intervened.   For a Christmas gift, I got the MRH videos that included the 5 video how-to set.  When we got to the part about overhead lighting with the soffits, she told me:  "We have to do this!"   So, we're doing it, and now I'm glad "we" made that decision. 

Instead of trying to find straight 1x4's to buy, I've been ripping 3/4" plywood to 3½" width for benchwork.  Generally, I'm using #6 x 2" drywall screws successfully, making sure they are centered in the joint.  Here's some photos:

The member with the holes was part of a previous module construction experiment to reduce weight.  It worked, but was a real pain to drill all the holes.

The squares on the floor are PVC squares for under the legs, so wood sap does not ooze into the carpet.  They're made from some pieces of broken PVC venetian vertical blinds.  (I have a reputation for not throwing things away).

The next photo shows the corner framing to support the 1/8" masonite backdrop.  That's a 26" radius curve.

I stopped the backdrop at the window because this room must still have the option of serving as a bedroom on occasion, so the window must be accessible for emergencies.

I see you did your corner like me - by standing on it!!  Nice work!

The next time I do one of these, though, I'm going to try out styrene.  But if you had this on hand, that' much cheaper!!