Subway planning

I've been putting in more time planning of late - a subway area under the main deck of the layout.

I already have the train picked out. I've had it picked out for years now. I had originally given up on the subway section thinking that it was too much in too small a space. Then I was looking over my layout and thought, "Why can't I just hang another track from the bottom?" So...yup...gonna do it! :)


I have a a look that I want for the area itself. It's simple, modern and has a nice design element to it.

It will be a fun addition as long as I can keep my kids away from it. :)  The advantage of the layout bench work as it stands now is that the kids don't have access to it. However, if I go under the deck, they'll be able to get to it. I'm going to place a front of the scene so I can keep them away from it. It'll be covered with plexiglass, so you'll still be able to see in. Should work nicely. Even keep more dust out.

I want to detail things up a lot. One thing that's always bothered me is the distance between the train and the platforms. I need to work that out, but...you know..if I don't I'll still be ok. heh  I want lights, signage and all the small little details in the subway area including the grime found near the tracks. It'll give me a lot to work on, that's for sure.

Permil (M`s Craft / $34) has a subway platform, but i think I'm going to build my own. It does look nice, however. It might be a good start to planning - breaking down what they did and emulating it.

I'm also going to have a entrance to the subway as well, of course. I might go with the Tomytec version, but - again - I might just make my own. It's a rather simple design and I should be able to do something cool with it. However...I'll pick up this $7 item as a safety.   :)

I'll only be running one train, but I might go with double tracks anyway. Jury isn't out on that one yet. Honestly, that's one detail I may skimp on - going with a single track instead of double. Half the work, really. :)

There's a guy I follow on GOOGLE+ who's done a pretty cool tunnel. I like the look of it and will shoot for something like it. It's a cool construction and the overall feel is working really well, though I think he's still struggling with lighting. I thought it looked fantastic, but he's still tweaking.

So...the plan is in place. Now I just need to wait for funding for materials.   Hello FREELANCE! :)