Tempe Layout

You may have noted in the section About Us that Mary Jane and I have purchased a small townhouse in Tempe to have a base of operations when we are visiting the Nick, Pat and Yvette and in particular Brynn. Part of Mary Jane's suggestion when choosing the unit we bought was the area in the living room that would hold a small layout. And since no home should be without one, it was only a matter of time before one would take shape.

The space is small, about nine by twelve feet, so just to prove it, Peter will build a small layout for once.

The plan was pretty straight forward, an oval with a couple of loops built in so trains could be reversed along with a couple of spurs and a siding. A second level would be a basic figure eight in design. As I was very impressed with Lionel's new track Fastrack system, we decided to use it. Finally, we decided to create a very simple landscape design focusing on the delightful ceramic buildings that are everywhere now. A highlight of the design would be an "ocean" courtesy of a great blowout price on Lionel's tugboat and lighthouse.

The only question was of how much sound the Fastrack would make as reports were that it was pretty noisy. So, after the table was constructed using a traditional plywood and Celotex sandwich, track was laid out and a test power connection allowed a train to run. And yes, in a small room with ceramic floors, it was noisier than we wanted. So out to Home Depot we went and returned with some carpet padding. Sheets covered the whole layout and were painted the green base color. The layout happily operating with TMCC and is now ready for wiring of the buildings and accessories. Following that, we will add the second level.


Here is the table up with carpet foam underlay to lesson the sound from the new Lionel Fastrack which by reputation is quite noisy.	The rest of the table is of very traditional construction methods.


The main theme on the left hand lobe is a harbor scene. The "ocean" has been lowered and you can see the orange foam for the gap between the main layout and the "ocean".	Here is the harbor scene after finishing the layout and adding ceramic buildings and landscaping the scenery. The Lionel tugboat is wired and its whistle blows and lights turn on.


Here is the layout and benchwork painted and waiting for permanent installation of the buildings and trees	The Lionel Chessie freight set provides the power and cars for the freight portion of the line.


A Lionel Pennsy Atlantic provides power for the passenger train.	Downtown, with a horse and carriage waiting for a fare.


Here is the newly installed upper level. Its track plan is a simple figure 8. A mountain will be added on this side while the other loop will be filled with a farm settlement.	More of downtown and a Dept 56 train station. The Madison cars are by K Line. The station platform is embossed thin cardboard from a craft store.

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