More Coming Soon!!

Check out the construction photo gallery at the right ---- >

Construction Photo Gallery

You can view the layout room as it progressed from unfinished basement  to a finished room and then the start of the layout itself through a series of construction photos. Click here to view that gallery in a new window.

The layout features L-girder construction. The peninsula is free standing, while the along the wall sections are supported by angled supports off the wall (no legs). Traditional plywood and Homasote along with spline and Homa-Bed will be used. Styrofoam sheets will be used to form the basic scenic elements.

Construction Updates and Milestones

•03/04/03 - Room preparations for in the first phase area are complete

•03/05/03 - My modeling buddy Anton and I started the initial benchwork under Sheldon Jct.

•03/08/03 - Curved backdrop corners from styrene installed

•03/12/03 - All basic benchwork under LVRC completed

•04/02/03 - Basic benchwork for St. J peninsula constructed

•04/09/03 - CP mainline from yard to Newport staging/LVRC Sheldon Jct. connection built from spline

•05/02/03 - Center peninsula backdrop built from sytrene and PVC pipe

•05/03/03 - CV St. Albans staging yard built, track laid and CV RS11 test run!

•05/20/03 - Repainted backdrop in lighter blue color

•05/20/03 - Installed 14 gauge stranded bus wire for DCC around layout

•05/23/03 - Built shelf for Digitrax components, hooked up to bus wires

•06/09/03 - Completed spline roadbed for Lamoille Valley track from St. J to Morrisville

•08/08/03 - Completed mainline trackage through St. Johnsbury yard

•11/22/03 - Installed temporary return curve, connecting St. J south with MEC track on peninsula

•11/24/03 - Completed basic trackwork on unfinished CP/MEC side of peninsula

•12/04/03 - "Tunneled" through wall on LVRC to get roadbed through closet and back to layout

•01/02/04 - Completed mainline trackwork on LVRC

•01/10/04 - Installed birch plywood fascia to end of peninsula

•02/13/04 - Completed birch plywood fascia, stained maple color

•03/02/04 - Started some preliminary scenery work in preparation for....

•03/20/04 - First Open House! Thanks to many NJ Division members for stopping by

•04/10/04 - Installed felt valance to see how I like it - I think it needs white cloth on inside

•12/20/04 - Some time off after the Open House, but now back in full swing with track completed in St. J

•01/01/05 - Installing Tortoise switch machines in St. J

•02/01/05 - Installed Digitrax DS44 turnout decoders for the 19 St. J turnouts.

•03/01/05 - Scenery applied to St. J south end, highway bridge installed, ballasting in progress

•03/24/05 - Completed walls and ceiling in workshop area, now it is a finished room with separate door

•05/01/05 - Continued scenery in St. J, ballasting all tracks and installing foam core mountain "flats"

•06/15/05 - Constructed car shed next to IDE building and Allen Lumber building in St. J

•10/20/05 - Constructed and installed propane dealer in St. J, freelancing a bit

•11/10/05 - Constructed grain elevator for Sheldon Jct.

•11/12/05 - Constructed mock up building for Caldbeck-Cosgrove in St. J

•11/15/05 - Installed hundreds of trees on hillside behind Sheldon Jct.

•11/19/05 - Second Open House! over 50 NJ Division members stopped in, thanks for visiting guys!

•11/25/05 - Started constructing "benchwork" for Whitefield. This will be on shelving brackets.

•02/05/05 - Removed temporary turnback curve at Gilman for open house continuous loop

•02/15/05 - Completed Newport staging yard, 2 long tracks, plus 1 shorter track for Amtrak train

•03/09/05 - Installed trackage in Hardwick to gravel pit and Cabot siding

•04/16/05 - Put roughed in scenery in Hardwick and Wolcott

•05/17/05 - Reworked Fisher Bridge scene, lowering scenery but preserving existing Lamoille River work

Web page written and maintained by Mike McNamara

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