The layout was pictured, but no track plan was shown. So, I had to go from the pictures, and come up with the track setup as best I could. The layout appeared to be an 8 foot square layout, so I had to go from the "closest" area that I had. A support pole in the center of the layout area required a split between 4 x 8 sheets of plywood. As such,

My previous layout had been 4 x 16, so I had the boards on which to base this layout. The re-arrangement took several days for me to get the layout readjusted. This was simplified by the fact that the original layout was two separate tables supported on saw-horses.

The above photo shows the majority of the board with 2 main lines. The passing sidings show a Lionel Pre-war freight passing a Williams FM. The second main line is in the background.

The biggest change was the construction of the second level that was mounted on top of the original table. I had to build that out of boards I had used for shelves in the basement display area. They were laid out next to the main table, and once turned into a smaller table, the track was laid. Lionel's 313 Bascule Bridge is on the left side, while a scratch built truss bridge is on the right in the below photo.

The above picture shows the assembled train tables. This view looks under the 2nd layer once the upper layer had been dropped in place by helicopter. The Buffalo Creek is lucky that Lionel shipped the Thomas the Tank set complete with Harold the Helicopter. Boy, did Harold have to work to lift this section of the railroad into place. Figure 3 has a K-Line MP-15 leading a train on the second main line while a Lionel 1689 steams past on the return from checking out the tracks on the transfer siding.

If you have sharp eyes, you will have noticed that the switches that are in view on the photographs are all Lionel O-11 manual switches. When the main lines were laid, I used these switches because I was not ready to rebuild all of my O-22 switches yet. They were one of the rebuilding efforts that have been ongoing. The right-of-way team surveyed the yard area, and dropped in another siding that was not in the original layout. Over the last several years, I have reworked all switches and replaced the manual ones with remote ones. On a layout of this size, it is not a large problem.

Track has been laid with O-42 curves for the outside main line, with all other inside mains being laid with older O-31 curves. Recently, all of my remote control tracks have been wired. I dropped in the tracks as I laid the main lines, and left wiring for a "rainy" day.

The above picture shows the outside main line in foreground with the two sidings in the background. Lionel's operating milk car is standing at its platform on the second siding. Thomas the Tank's two coaches are visible in the background .

This last picture shows the passing siding area of the outside main line. A K-Line C&O F7 A-B-A lashup is on the left as a Williams B&O 44 tonner leads a peddler freight into the passing siding.