Finally admiting my mistakes

When we bought the new house, I had not had a real layout for over 10 years.  I was so excited to have space to build, I tore right into it.  I had all the supplies that I needed, room to build, and 6 months to wait on paperwork and licenses before I could start my business back up.

 

 

  I told myself to stud out the walls, insulate heavily, and put up sheetrock but, was in a hurry to run trains again and didn't listen to my common sense.  So, now, after spending more in 3 months keeping he layout at 40 degrees than it cost to heat my entire house to 68 for a year, I came to understand that I need to tear it all down and do the walls right.

 

 

I plan on spending this weekend finishing up a few workbench projects and then packing up the rolling stock.  Next week, I will commence pulling the buildings and trees, salvaging what can be of the scenery, and demolishing the layout.

 

But, it's not all bad.  The renovation will almost double the size of the room.  I plan on sticking with the same basic industries and not expanding so much as stretching the trackplan's legs.  It will have about the same amount of switching, but will involve more travel between stations.  I have a very early plan sketched out.  Very, very early considering that the old layout is still operating as I type this up. 

 

 

In the meantime, there will be plenty to blog about.  While the building is being renovated, I will be building a small switching puzzle layout in an 8X8 office inside the house.  Just need to decide if I will mount it to the walls or make it modular and super detail it to take to shows.

 

 

 

I am pretty disappointed because I am happy with my current layout.  It is 95% done and it's a very enjoyable afternoon to operate the 3 trains that it takes to switch all the industries.  It can't be helped though.  With it being so cold for so much of the year up here, I have to fix this or it will bite me in the ass every year.  

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my thoughts and looking at all the pictures.  Look for pictures of the destruction soon and then the start of a new blog not only for the small switching layout but, for the new and improved Bangor & Aroostook.