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The structure is cantilevered out from 2x4 interior walls using 1x4 or 1x3 supports. The structure along the outer walls of the building is built using 2x4 legs and 1x4 supports. The track work is on 1/2-inch plywood with 1/2-inch Homasote sub-roadbed. Scenery is supported on a variety of bases, including traditional screen wire, cardboard strips, crushed newspapers, and foam board, all covered by plaster-soaked paper towels. Plaster castings made in rubber molds made by Carl Winkler from rock formations from Picacho Peak were used extensively.
The track plans of the lower and upper levels are shown in Figures 1 and 2. There are staging yards on each level, referred to as Chicago in the upper level drawing, and Los Angeles in the lower level drawing. the two levels are connected in the layout by a long tunnel and a helix, so that the grade is 1.5 %. The two staging yards are connected by a double track helix such that a train that is scheduled to run in one direction during an operating session, can easily return to its starting point at the end of its run. This obviously applies primarily to scheduled passenger trains.
Scenery is eclectic, in that I like different scenes. The walls and terrain allow the viewer to see different ones separately. For example, the lower level starts out by passing thru a desert scene with orange groves, then through rugged SW rock formations and then a town, and eventually past a farming scene, a suburban golf course and into River-City and its industries. Leaving River City, the line climbs to the high desert, thence past a high plains town, an oil field, a long river valley, and a snow-covered mountain, before disappearing into the distance. Not all of the scenery is finished or detailed at this point, although almost of the basic shapes are finished.
Lower Level Upper Level