Benchwork is L-girder for the older part of the layout. The newest part is suspended from the wall in order to allow furniture and appliances to co-exist underneath. The interchange yard is hinged so that it can be moved up out of the way and provide better access to the washer. The layout averages 54 inches off the floor to give a good view, and also to accommodate the appliances and bookshelves.

The backdrop is masonite attached to the wall; joints are taped and covered with drywall mud. In two of the inner corners, the masonite is curved. The one outer corner is rounded somewhat to ease the transition. The part of the backdrop in front of a door can be lifted out for access. After priming the masonite, I painted a dark blue sky with clouds with acrylic paints. Although this is a lot of work compared to the usual latex paint, I was looking for a particular effect, and was familiar with the use of artist’s paints. The lightest part of the sky is near the horizon as usual, gradually becoming darker. Working with an almost dry brush, I painted in clouds, which blend together to make a somewhat stormy sky in places. In one corner, I used bright orange colors to represent a sunset, which with the very dark sky makes for a unique effect. Once the sky was finished, I painted the landscape, using a variety of hues to represent distance, fields, and trees. I did not try to define the various elements of the landscape and sky clearly, because I am an amateur at this, and much of what I did was trial and error.

One thing I set out to do was to mix landscape colors—especially the color representing grass—to match the color of the Woodland Scenics blended grass. This color has much more yellow in it than one would expect. In so doing, I could achieve a better transition from the scenery to the backdrop, and create an ambiguity between the two that would help disguise the boundary between the two surfaces.

Rough forms for scenery were made from screening cut and tacked into place, balled up newspaper, or styrofoam. Over this I used the plaster-impregnated gauze used for casts and also sold for scenery. A final coat of sculptamold smoothed some contours, filled in depressions, and covered the texture of the plaster gauze. I then painted the landscape with acrylics once again, using green where I wanted grass, and browns (ochre) for other areas; and after the paint was dry, glued down ground foam with diluted white glue. The advantage of this approach is that places where the grass is thin, the underlying plaster is the same color, and there is not a gradual "browning" of the layout over time.

Track is all code 70; as much as I would like to handlay my track, time is unavailable right now. I paint the rails and ties before ballasting.

Building structures and rolling stock is the part I enjoy the most. Structures are largely built from photographs in books, so I have to guess what is hidden and the freedom to construct what I need. I select structures appropriate for the part of the country I am trying to represent. I have a large proportion of the structures I require, and now the problem will be holding back so the layout does not become overcrowded. I want some rural areas in addition to the necessary small towns. Because of the small number of structures I need, I can spend the time scatchbuilding. Some of my earlier structures are constructed from sheet wood and castings for windows and doors, but in recent years I have been using board on board methods, which I find more satisfying.