Thinking and Planning

Since I can't work on the layout this week, I have been spending some time trying to draw the layout in XTrakCAD. I am getting close and really I just want a reasonable representation to share electronically as well as to annotate with comments, like where are the electrical blocks (for isolating shorts in the DCC). I am hoping to complete this by the end of the week - it has only taken about 18 months!
Also, I am making some plans for the coming few weeks. I will have several free evenings - and possibly even a vacation day or two - to do some serious work ON the layout. I figure it will take 2 evenings to complete the track laying - one to glue down the cork roadbed and the other to lay the actual track. Then next step will be to create the gaps in the rails for the 5 separate power districts for isolating any shorts. I set up the following:

• Irwin Yard
• Mainline 1
• Mainline 2
• Herminie
• Penn Hills (not sure if this will be the name of the town yet)

With the track laid, the power districts set, I can them work down my list as far as possible before work interferes again.

1. Run the bus wires.
2. Build a shelf for the future DCS-200 Command Station under Irwin Yard
3. Build a shelf for hte DB-150 Booster under E. McKeesport
4. Feeders from all the mainline points
5. Feeders from all the yard spurs
6. Feeders from all the E. McKeesport spurs
7. Feeders from the remaining spurs on the peninsula
8. Rust any rail
9. Ballast the mainline
10. Ballast the yard
11. Ballast the spurs
12. Mockup the scene dividers

Of course, what is cool about all of this is I could do some things in parallel. Once I drop feeders for a particular section of track, I can rust the rail and ballast it. While this is a long list to complete when I only have 2, maybe 3, slow work weeks, I will have so much more done than today thanks to the plan.

Oh, and the Cincinnati NMRA Div 7 and Dayton NMRA Div 3 trains shows are coming up. Time to make more lists!