• Micro Engineering code 70 flex track was used with 1/3 of the track hand laid. All but a handful of the turnouts are scratch built in place.

• The lighting system is a combination of fluorescent and incandescent embedded in a dropped ceiling.

• Wired for DCC (North Coast Engineering).

• The clouds & sky are all hand painted. Photo backsdrops are made from our fall photo shoots.

Time Line Photos.

Fellow modelers are always curious about what I've done and how I got there, so my photo series are a combination of completed scenes and areas under construction. I have developed a series of FLICKR pages in a rough cronological order.

Click on a button below to access a slide show. Dates are approximate, but will give an idea of the work flow and progress over the years. Except for the dioramas placed in the layouts, there is plenty of extra detailing to do.

The "landscape" for us is very important. Views that stretch as far as can be managed can be said to create a very large diorama. The circulation space has been minmized to maximize landscape and to hide non- scenery spaces. This means narrow isles. This results in longer, more realistic views. It does mean more cramped quarters and no pure walk-around operation, but our intent was never to do that. Seriously - what does it matter if you have your own vision and a system that works for you and your friends?

This presentation would not be complete without giving credit to some significant help I have received along the way. Dick Elwell helped (and provides ongoing guidance) with planning, benchwork, wiring, DCC and keeping me from making bad decisions. Karl Laskey talked me into doing a new lighting system. He also did the lion's share of planning and construction of the lighting system and dropped ceiling. Kudos to Peter Abuzo for a fabulous job building the Lenticular Truss bridge over the stairwell.