The Saga of My Ever Shrinking Railroad

Thanks Guys,
Mick, glad your viewing issue has been fixed. I'm sure my pics were not the only ones being blocked.
 
Shawn, yeah I did, the YVRR is actually one of my favorite real RRs, the guy really got all the important bits into the layout, all thats really missing is the unique baggage car the YVRR used.
 
The new layout is going to be a decidedly more "urban" feel, the layout is based on an ultra compact N gauge microlayout I found online, maybe on Carl's website in fact. I had developed the layout for a friend who was retiring and moving and losing his outdoor layout. This was for a 10' x 10' spare room, but he ended up in a place where he could have another outdoor setup. I just was experimenting with this layout to see how it would fit into the area of my old layout and I quickly realized it would take up  very little extra room, in fact I built the extra benchwork with materials already in the garage, but that I would need to minimize the Pizza once again, and that one of my 2 Marxist O gauge mini-layouts will have to go. No independant thread as yet, had too many threads start with a flurry only with me having to back off so once I get the track down I'll start a new tread. No hurries, no worries.

Instead of an independant thread might as well keep this one going
 
New Indoor Layout  - New Reckless Experimentation
 
As mentioned above I have been working on a small switching layout, using a portion of the old benchwork left over from the old indoor layout: It’s based on an N gauge micro I came across a few years ago:
 

 
I have been feeling alot of regret after dismantling the large fixed layout, but I still know it was the right thing to do, it was just too large and ate up too much of the garage, but I found less satisfaction with just the pizza than I was hoping for, I was looking thru some old files and found this layout I had done for a friend who was retiring and looking for a small bedroom layout. He didn’t use it as he found room outside for a small layout, but I became intrigued if it would fit in the garage, laid it out and it fit very very nicely into the back corner. I extended it a little but it worked out well. I already had all the lumber, plywood and hardware laying around so a little bit of carpentry and the benchwork was built in a couple evenings. The track also was what I already had in storage, so far aside from some electrical wiring stuff and some connectors I haven’t spent a dime on this. I still to make a hinge assembly and rail connectors with the lift-up bridge.
 
This will be a much more urban themed layout this time, going to keep it simple this time maybe even go as more akin to Dave Barrow’s Domino approach where the scenery is Spartan almost to the point of being barren, while the track and operations aspect takes precedent over scenery aspects. I want to have something fun to run trains on but want to avoid creating something so involved that if I have to remove it again it gets very destructive to do so I might experiment with just painted scenery and façade only buildings, we’ll see. Trackwork is complete, electrical testing is underway, so far so goode, I will shoot the track with a coat of flat black spray paint. Need to think about an Ops system. Keep it simple to start. There are buildings to build, and scenery to paint, but don’t expect fast progress, this is a slower motion experiment.
 
Pics when I can.

seems, that you had enough "roundy-round"...

Gets a little dull after a few weeks

Glad to hear this one's got off to a good start. Did you manage to increase the walk-in space, I wonder, when the carpentry started?  Still think the cross-over into the Brooklyn Bros spur needs to go the other way round, but the proof will be in the operation, I guess.  The layout as a whole has lots of possibilities.
 
As ever, looking forward to the pictures.

Excellent track plan Vic - I'm really looking forward to this one ! I was musing on the fact that my middle aged spread wouldn't fit in the middle, then I swapped a car barn for the brewery and started re-thinking it for Traction - this could keep me amused for ages, and I'm not the one building it !

Thanks, I have already modified the plan so the lift bridge now goes straight across the gap, which is now 17" all the way thru. Giles carpentry began about the 1st of July and only took a couple days.
Lift bridge was wired up this morning. Just need to check conductivity and making sure the lift bridge stays in alignment. So far so good.

Some construction pics: Fiddle Yard area
 

 
Peninsula:
 

 
These were taken back when I was doing the benchwork. Need to upload current pics tonight.

Pics of the layout so far
 

 
Peninsula:
 

 

 
Fiddle Yard:
 

 
Lift bridge:
 

 

 
 

Wow! That looks a lot busier in 3D than it did on the plan. I look forward to seeing how the scenic work develops.

Updated track plan showing changes from original layout

Just had another look at the latest pictures. Is that a new loco in the fiddle yard view?

No, its just one I havent used very often as it used a Toytrain drive that later on was kinda notorious for failing;
 

 
So its not used too often.

Thought the square pink saddle tank was something new. Shame it's unreliable - sure looks convincing.

Days are drawing in, now. Does this mean we may hope for some photos showing progress, sometime soon?

Well I survived my first Rodeo  The Pizza layout went to the Southwest Garden RR Show here at the LA Fairplex, this is the ONLY all large scale show on the west coast;

 
My layout was right up front by the entry, so it got alot of attention. Had a really enjoyable time talking to other modelers, families and the kids sure got a kick out of all the things to look for on the layout. the best was people who looked at the bigger layouts an thought "Oh I can't do that" or "Oh I dont have room for that" then see my layout and say 'Hey I can do that!" Got lots of questions on how was it built. Big thanks to David Roberts for letting me bring it, and a big thanks to Bob, Sandra, Don, and Dave at the Door Hollow Shortline for all their help and encouragement.
Some pics a freind took as I forgot my camera
 

 

 

 
and a video taken by another friend
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kcXLPSudqc&feature=feedu
 
If I'm going to do other shows I need to make a few changes
 
Learned a few lessons about "organizing" as I forgot the rear scenery insert setting up on Friday, had to take that on Saturday. 
 
I think I will need to bring a second powerpack as running both circle on one LGB pack it got pretty warm 
 
I really need to break out the high steel bridge segment from the base and attach it to the display 
 
And finally I really need to get a better table skirt as the plastic party-store skirt in the pic looks kinda iffy 
 
So I hope it made a good enough impression that I can do this again at next year's show. 

Turned on the video with the sound up - thought I was beside a full sized RR!  Was all that sound yours, or a neighbouring layout??
 
What was the public reaction to such a small layout?  Seeing the video reminded my of those cartoons that used to appear in Model Railroader (or was it MRC) - Turkey Creek RR, was it? 
 
When you've done all the jobs planned on the pizza I hope you can get back to the permanent line you started earlier. Anyway, I look forward to seeing progress on both layouts.

Nice layout Vic - packed to the rafters with interest - don't know how I missed this as its nearly week since you posted!

Some actual progress on the indoor layout, been making flats for the backdrop area:
Piko facade reworked:
 

 
Upland Trains resin building cut up into a facade flat, used the rest elsewhere.
 

 
and the rest of the building:
 

 

 
In place with the House of Balsa hotel and the reworked cheap dollhouse model:
 

 
heres the rest of the Piko building converted to flats:
 

 
and part of the Upland Trains resin building:
 

 
I found 2 ceramic facades made in Mexico as tourist souveniers, they are perfect for LS
Heres one:
 

 
Heres the other with the Piko flat and a flat from a company called Backshop
 

 

 
Lastley here is another older Piko flat and a test of where the rest of the Upland flats will go:
 

 
and the last of my old Piko flats from the previous layout, should have kept more but oh well:
 

 
Begun the first of the total scratchbuilt buildings remaining, they will be foamcore with various coverings.
 

 
More on that as it gets done.

I think Carl would be pleased! Lovely work