TRAIN TIME: Progress on The New Layout

While progress on the new train layout has been slow, some positive steps forward were taken during the past couple of weeks. If you remember I dismantled my old 3-rail O-gauge train layout last year. It took what seems like forever to pull out the tables I didn't want (the old layout consisted of five separate tables/filler pieces all connected to for an inverted 'U' shape), get rid of the large scenery pieces, and pull the two remaining tables together to form an 'L'. This newer, smaller layout still needed work as the surviving tables needed sanding, hole filling, more sanding, and painting. (see photos). Well keep you up-to-date as time permits. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

This table had the large Styrofoam block attached to it with glue. That Styrofoam is what formed the basis of the Plateau on the old Marxville and Plateau layout. Now the glue had to be scraped off and screw holes filled in.

Getting ready to paint the table top. That 1 gallon container of paint is the same one I used five years ago to paint the Plateau! It's a medium brown paint and was still in great condition after all those years just sitting. It's Wal-Mart brand BTW

I used the other section of the layout for storage while this was being painted

Next up...

Done!

My first thought was to set up a temporary track arrangemt on this leg of the 'L'...

8' (243.84cm) x 33" (83.82cm)

...but then I changed my mind because this leg is bigger

9 1/2' (289.56cm) x 44" (111.76.cm)

I wanted to set these up on the layout just to see once and for all how they look alongside toy trains

The signal bridges connect the backdrops to the foredrops but won't work with the plastic roadbed on Marx 0-27 track

So I replaced the track on the curve with standard track

The scenery is in place

Just enough clearance between panels to allow trains to run

My Built-Rite Business Block has a messed up base. The bottom of the set box serves as a base for the buildings but most of the side pieces on mine were missing...

...so I quickly built a balsa wood frame for the block to rest on

AND THEN, I started playing with trains

Built-Rite Set No. 7 Army Hangar

Here's a terrific little Army hangar from 1940 by Warren Paper Products as part of their Built-Rite line of easy to assemble paper toys. We've featured a bunch of Built-Rite kits the past few years (with more to follow - hopefully) and this is one of their gems. For me it's a gem not so much because of the graphics -they're practically non-existent - but because of it's small size and compatibility with Marx's tin-litho hangars of the era as well as that vintage look and feel.

The kit only has seven pieces and goes together in just a couple of minutes using the tab-&-slot construction method . Mine was an unpunched kit but the base was already showing signs of handling wear-&-tear so the decision to assemble it was easy. The overall dimensions are 9 1/2" (24.13cm) W x 10" (25.4cm) D overall (including the 'runway') x 4 3/4" (12.06cm) H. The bottom portion of the box is used as a base for the hangar and provides a place for the bottom wall tabs to plug into. That poses a problem by raising the hangar up solved by the placement of a ramp Built-Rite calls the 'runway'. I've only ever seen one hangar that a plane had to roll up into as normally they are with the ground. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Base

Left wall (as you look at the hangar from the front)

Back wall

Right wall

Roof

'Runway'

A Marx 1930s era tin-litho monoplane looks terrific with the hangar. Tootsietoy also made planes which would work