There are still a couple of things to do. I've got a few minutes tonight before bedtime, so I'm going to vacuum the floor thoroughly. Photos courtesy of Taylor, age 6.
I've seen some spiders and a few spider remains so we are going to vacuum around the edges well. Then I'll treat the area with spiders. It's important to get the room really clean because you are going to generate more dust.
The carpet is old but high quality and very comfy to the feet. It will make for good operations.
I bought a sheet of 3/8 hardboard and had the Home Depot guy cut a sheet for the top of my table. This will prevent damage to the table as I bring boards and screws and glue to the basement. Take the time and spend the money to make sure you don't damage furniture and important tools like tables.
A 2 x 4 sheet of of 1/8 tempered hardboard serves as a cover for the cabinet. My intention is not to put stuff there, but I'm sure drinks, lunch and Cheetos will find there way here. I spent about $15 for the hardboard pieces and have a few extras for the woodpile.
Wizdom:
1. Take time to clean thoroughly. It is good for your allergies!
2. Spend the time and money to protect furniture and valuables from glue, scratches and damage.
3. Let Home Depot do the cutting for you. Its free, they can cut straighter with a panel saw, and it saves making sawdust in the garage.
Thayne the Viking was kind enough to review all the dimensions a few days ago. Here's his email...
Hey Scott, Sorry for the delayed response. I remeasured the layout. Here is what I found. The back wall is 20'1" total in length, The front wall is 20' total in length, The east and west ends are both 7'4". The (total) door opening is 37". The bench work along the front wall is 17' 6 3/4" On your drawings you show 17'6"- 6"-23"-7", It should be 17' 6 3/4"-6 5/8"- 22 3/4"- 7 3/4 on the doorway dimensions. I don't know if that helps or makes matters worse on your end?
Thayne 13 aka the Viking! (I liked that comment!)
Well, it is very common for a room not to be truly square. That is why I always allow a 2" fudge factor when I'm drawing. Just to allow for that. Ok, let's make the changes.
Only slight adjustments needed to be made to the dimensions. These were mostly around the door area where I just incorrectly wrote some of the numbers. Click to enlarge.
We had a hard time getting started tonight. I had a hard time getting started. Suffering from jet lag from a week long trip to California and working 16 hours a day or more kills you. Really, I'm starting to hate doing this on Friday nights. It's the worst night of the week.
Thanks Rick for the photos...it really makes the blog!!!
Tonight's fun club is Glue Bob, Steve-bay, Coalfinger Ken, Popsicle Rick and Gator. We started off the evening with Ken assembling the rolling draw units I bought a month ago for scenery materials. Then he and Steve sanded and painted the benchwork with $2 reject paint from Home Depot. It is now a yucky gold color, but that will all be covered up. Its just to seal the wood.
Steve is taking the belt sander and leveling the spackle for a nice, smooth surface.
Bob, Rick and myself attacked the lights. I'm installing five sets of 4-bulb florescent in the room. This should light up everything.
Bob did the wiring, but we had to redo some of what Scott had done previously as the pigtails were not long enough.
Not sure who told Steve he could crawl all over the benchwork, but he was doing so well that we left him alone.
It is hard to take pictures of guys installing lights when there is no light. Where's the flash, Rick?
Ken had the roller and was making quick work of the painting. Inspection of "Coalfinger's" fingers showed no paint at all!
Rollin' rollin' rollin'...
The plugs didn't fit through the conduit so Scott had to take them apart and re-install them.
Bob is good for high level electrical work!
Please don't hit the watermain!
One by one the lights are installed...
Paint continues to flow...all the time the group chatter is brutal and divisive. Even Rick lost his speaking privileges!
We'll like it better when the big lights are in!
Bob rewires the pigtails...
The island is in the way! Time for it to float out to the main room.
Ken gives it a coat of paint while its out there.
It rolled back into place later...just perfectly!
This has become a very handy system for getting some layout out of the way.
Scott fell off the ladder. This time lapse photo shows him about to collide with the concrete. Rick mopped up the floor. Thanks Rick!
Painting was completed over half the layout, which is great! We will need more $2 paint.
Scott tried his hand at wiring. Good thing it wasn't hot like Kevin's wires last week.
The photos ran out here as Rick had to leave, but we were able to get all five banks of lights installed, discussed the backdrop, painted the benchwork and everything else in one evening. Thanks guys! I'll wire up the lights next week.
The men of the NCIOG gathered again on Friday like we do every week. This time we were glad to see our friend Glue Bob return from Canada! So we raided his house.
In attendance: Glue Bob, Popsicle Rick, Coalfinger Ken, Packrat Paul, Steve-bay, Concrete Keith and Gator.The first order of business was to check out Bob's homework. His job was to take non-train pictures of his home town in Canada so that we can use them for scenery. He did a great job but I did see a locomotive or two represented.
Gator carefully studies the photos and asks Bob if he wants to model the graffitti on the rocks or not. Concrete Keith is in from Chicago! Always good to see him. A top notch modeler even if he is scenery-phobic. The night continued as we shed some light on the subject. The back corner of the layout has been dark and the scenery team (Scott & Rick) have been complaining about not being able to see the colors in the dark. So Bob got some lighting for us.
Keith is a whiz with electricity. He's so good he took off the light without turning of the 120 volts circulating through the copper. Smooth! I stayed in the background with my cell phone ready to call 911.
Bob made a hole and shoved the wire up into the attic.
Scott begs Keith to turn off the power....nothing doing!
Terrified of the ensuing accident, Scott goes over to help Steve who is laying track in the yard. Scott helps by coating the bottoms of the rails with Pliobond and letting them dry.
Steve is quite handy when it comes to track! He's working on straight sections here and then will build in the turnouts.
Ken gets some supplies and helps Steve by staining all the ties from the yard to Swas Junction. They look great when he's done and his fingers are clean!
Paul says Ken missed a spot. This is the last known picture of Paul in existence. The widow Donna says send donations.
Here is Bob's rail jig designed to hold the rails while the Pliobond dries.
Steve works really fast under the bright light with the very hot soldering iron.
Logistics become a problem with seven men in the room and the air conditioning has to run full blast.
Steve heats up a rail to move it into position.
Bob and Keith make quick work of the wiring. Bob shoves it in and Keith is pulling on the other end.
"Hey, what's this? A whistle" ....NO, it's the wire with electricity on it!!!!
Bob moves in to relieve Paul from holding the wire as his arm is turning pail and his face is turing red.
Keith is working the yard on the upper deck. Nice, white shoes!
Scott is drowning in scenery...the guys will paint the backdrop later tonight!
Why is it not working? Oops...ALL the wires have to be connected.
I have a $10 spot saying he falls off the ladder...
What! No paint! Crap! Rick and Scott get in the car and go to Wally Mart. Apple Barrel paints are great for scenery! We buy $7.00 worth.
While Rick and Scott are gone, the rest of the guys paint the backdrop.
One color...that's easy!
Oops....add some white.
We're back with the paints. Rick blends the colors while Scott paints the rock facings. Messiness counts.
A blotch here, a blotch there and then some ink wash to blend them together. Perfect!
Just a light mist...two or three drops of india ink in alcohol.
A picture of Rick doing nothing. Thanks Rick for all these great photos! I'll remember my camera one day!
Bob's list of projects is really getting done tonight!
Check...check...check....we're done!
Here is Rick and Scott's rock work. Not quite right. Bob's photos show more yellow, so we'll let the dry and play with it some more next trip.
Removable scenery is a nifty idea. We may do more with this in the future.
Ken staining the last of the ties.
The trick is not to get it on the floor. Or your shirt. Or your hands. Ken has it down pat.
A rock cut with a little iron ore.
Another area of the rock outcropping. Bob is excited. Me too!
Tonight's fun club is Glue Bob, Steve-bay, Coalfinger Ken, Popsicle Rick and Gator. We started off the evening with Ken assembling the rolling draw units I bought a month ago for scenery materials. Then he and Steve sanded and painted the benchwork with $2 reject paint from Home Depot. It is now a yucky gold color, but that will all be covered up. Its just to seal the wood.
Steve is taking the belt sander and leveling the spackle for a nice, smooth surface.
Bob did the wiring, but we had to redo some of what Scott had done previously as the pigtails were not long enough.
Not sure who told Steve he could crawl all over the benchwork, but he was doing so well that we left him alone.
It is hard to take pictures of guys installing lights when there is no light. Where's the flash, Rick?
Ken had the roller and was making quick work of the painting. Inspection of "Coalfinger's" fingers showed no paint at all!
Rollin' rollin' rollin'...
The plugs didn't fit through the conduit so Scott had to take them apart and re-install them.
Bob is good for high level electrical work!
Please don't hit the watermain!
One by one the lights are installed...
Paint continues to flow...all the time the group chatter is brutal and divisive. Even Rick lost his speaking privileges!
We'll like it better when the big lights are in!
Bob rewires the pigtails...
Ken gives it a coat of paint while its out there.
Scott fell off the ladder. This time lapse photo shows him about to collide with the concrete. Rick mopped up the floor. Thanks Rick!
The first order of business was to check out Bob's homework. His job was to take non-train pictures of his home town in Canada so that we can use them for scenery. He did a great job but I did see a locomotive or two represented.
Gator carefully studies the photos and asks Bob if he wants to model the graffitti on the rocks or not.
Concrete Keith is in from Chicago! Always good to see him. A top notch modeler even if he is scenery-phobic.
The night continued as we shed some light on the subject. The back corner of the layout has been dark and the scenery team (Scott & Rick) have been complaining about not being able to see the colors in the dark. So Bob got some lighting for us.
Keith is a whiz with electricity. He's so good he took off the light without turning of the 120 volts circulating through the copper. Smooth! I stayed in the background with my cell phone ready to call 911.
Bob made a hole and shoved the wire up into the attic.
Scott begs Keith to turn off the power....nothing doing!
Terrified of the ensuing accident, Scott goes over to help Steve who is laying track in the yard. Scott helps by coating the bottoms of the rails with Pliobond and letting them dry.
Steve is quite handy when it comes to track! He's working on straight sections here and then will build in the turnouts.
Ken gets some supplies and helps Steve by staining all the ties from the yard to Swas Junction. They look great when he's done and his fingers are clean!
Here is Bob's rail jig designed to hold the rails while the Pliobond dries.
Steve works really fast under the bright light with the very hot soldering iron.
Logistics become a problem with seven men in the room and the air conditioning has to run full blast.
Steve heats up a rail to move it into position.
Bob and Keith make quick work of the wiring. Bob shoves it in and Keith is pulling on the other end.
"Hey, what's this? A whistle" ....NO, it's the wire with electricity on it!!!!
Bob moves in to relieve Paul from holding the wire as his arm is turning pail and his face is turing red.
Keith is working the yard on the upper deck. Nice, white shoes!
Scott is drowning in scenery...the guys will paint the backdrop later tonight!
Why is it not working? Oops...ALL the wires have to be connected.
I have a $10 spot saying he falls off the ladder...
What! No paint! Crap! Rick and Scott get in the car and go to Wally Mart. Apple Barrel paints are great for scenery! We buy $7.00 worth.
While Rick and Scott are gone, the rest of the guys paint the backdrop.
One color...that's easy!
Oops....add some white.
We're back with the paints. Rick blends the colors while Scott paints the rock facings. Messiness counts.
A blotch here, a blotch there and then some ink wash to blend them together. Perfect!
Just a light mist...two or three drops of india ink in alcohol.
A picture of Rick doing nothing. Thanks Rick for all these great photos! I'll remember my camera one day!
Bob's list of projects is really getting done tonight!
Check...check...check....we're done!
Here is Rick and Scott's rock work. Not quite right. Bob's photos show more yellow, so we'll let the dry and play with it some more next trip.
Removable scenery is a nifty idea. We may do more with this in the future.
Ken staining the last of the ties.
The trick is not to get it on the floor. Or your shirt. Or your hands. Ken has it down pat.
A rock cut with a little iron ore.
Another area of the rock outcropping. Bob is excited. Me too! 
