I figured it was time to test some trains once I had all the track in place on the large module. Got everything wired and connected it with four other modules to make a small layout. Throttles and turnouts controlled by WiThrottle connected to a RaspberryPi running JMRI (small black case in the cable pit). I love not having to …

I let Josiah loose on decorating one of first two corner modules I built as a test. They’re pretty rough plywood boxes, but overall I’m happy with how they came out.

Once I confirmed that trains ran flawlessly across the foam, I needed to address the foam gaps before I could affix the track and start with scenery

Spent a little time each night this week cutting foam inclines and risers for the module. Tried a couple of different approaches for the inclines. I’m much happier with the 1.5″ incline strip that I cut into 2″ blocks than the strip with notches to bend.

Major progress on the endcap mountain module today. A bit of design frustration prompted a switch from XtrackCad to RailModeller Pro. There are a few things lacking, but overall it’s a much better design experience. I especially appreciate the ability to automatically fill gaps with track and manage inventory (saving me from needing to buy more track). Once the module …

Six coats of polyurethane later the module is nice and shiny.

Took time today to sand and stain the large T-Trak module. I’m delighted with how it looks. Next step track, foam and plaster.