I started installation at the center of the layout since the top of the closet set the elevation of the entire roadbed. There was insufficient space to mount the brackets below the top of the closet, so I devised a couple of wooden yokes to support the brackets above the top of the closet.
Once the yokes were set in place, I test fitted the deck plate bridge that spans the opening between the kitchen and the dining room.
I used an inexpensive ROBO Laser to keep everything reasonably level. I used the bolt holes on the brackets over the kitchen closet as a point of reference each time I set up the lazer.
That's the ROBO Laser on the yellow and black pole. You can just see the row
of red dots that it projects onto the wall above the bookcase. Once the dots
were aligned with the bolt holes on the existing brackets, I used a stud finder
to mark the holes needed for the next set of brackets.
The brackets are bolted to the studs using 5/16" lag screws.
On the second day, I bridged across the sunroom and installed turnout section for the sidings beyond the office. (Actually, the bridge was the last piece put up that day, since it is held up only by the two roadbed sections on either side.)
On the third day, I went the other way from the center of the layout into the living room.
I had more time to work on the fourth day, so I was able to complete both loops on the south end of the layout (in the sunroom and office).
At this point, the double track reversing loop/siding is not fully supported. It turned out that there wasn't a stud conveniently placed to put a long bracket in the center of the loop as the plan had called for. I finally ended up putting two short brackets off the center, but I left it this way until I figured out what I wanted to do.
The hanging bracket is only temporary since Eaglewings made a mistake in filling the order. But this gets the job done well enough to make progress.
The final piece in the loop is always the hardest. The technique I used was to wire one end together so that it was basically in the right place while I bolted the other end in place.
With bolts loosely in place, I then go back to the wired end and put the bolts in there.
Then I tighten everything up. Voila! a completed loop.
This was the hardest day, since I had work on a ladder
.
But the process was still the same. And the results were very rewarding.
Click here for before and after shots of the whole layout.
Click here for the overhead layout main page.
Click here to see the layout plan.