Ingleton and New Module Updates

Ingleton shelf ready for "action"

While it has been awhile since my last post, some work here in the basement has gone on. In addition to helping my wife with gardening and rewilding, I have been getting some things done. I cut, painted, and installed a "baseboard" for the stud wall behind Ingleton, and I installed a hardboard valance above the shelf. While the long term plan for this area is to be the final TOMA section, a harbor scene, for now I want to try out the design concept for a valance here to both hide the LED light fixture and suggest a a more finished presentation of the scene. My feeling is that I'm ready to either bring out some rolling stock for trial operations or renew scenery work here on this independent shelf layout. 

Although I am not that far along with the new module, some progress has been made there as well. I moved through the first phase of trackwork and wiring starting with the two turnouts. They are both in place and soldered to a short spacer between them with frog feeders and feeders in the spacer dropped. In addition to drilling holes for the feeders, I cut slots in the roadbed and plywood below the throw bars so that the spring wires from the switch machines can later be installed.

Once the turnouts were in place, I added a full length of flex track to the main with feeders dropped and temporarily fastened everything in place with a couple of track spikes. Then I turned the module up on its side and installed the DCC bus. I went ahead and attached the power feeders with suitcase connectors. The next step while the frame is still up on its side will be to wire and install the Tortoise switch motors. I found that I do have the two necessary switch motors, but they may not have long enough spring wires. 

My thinking now is that I want to get a lot of the work done under the module, before mounting it in place. Before mounting it, I should extend the backdrop behind it. Once it is in place, it will be time to prep and paint another section of the basement floor. To keep up with our plans outside, I need to put in a fair amount of time teaming with my wife on those projects, but I can still make progress with the railroads.