Renovations
Towards the end of 2015, the Pikemasters elected to do a large layout rebuilding project to create a more unified layout than the multiple loops we had in the past. After the completion of our Holiday 2015 open houses, we went to work tearing out the rear portion of the layout.
This part of the layout had suffered from some water damage in the middle of 2015, and during our talks about rebuilding it, up came the process of making a combined mainline.... We went from there. At the same time, another group started work putting backdrops up around the layout room.
These masonite panels will give a much better background to the layout than textured concrete.
However before we got too far along with this project, another project the city had been wanting to do came into play. The city auditorium had been talking about renovating the restrooms for years, and in the beginning of 2016, their plans finally came to fruitation. They got a contractor to
start work on the restroom renovations. The restrooms reside directly over our meeting room and part of the front of the layout. In order for the contractors to lower the ceiling for the restrooms upstairs, a chunk of our layout had to go. The east wall roundhouse was taken down to make room for the scaffolding
in February of 2016. Also at the same time, we've been asked to remain outside the building while the contractors are at work.
We are expected to be able to return sometime in the Summer of 2016, Stay tuned for more information.
Looking towards the rear of the club after demolishion of Taylor Yard and Hruban junction finished. This area will form the overlap of the new figure 8 layout between the west wall and center aisle.
The new masonite panels for backdrops going up along the back wall.
Looking where the grade descended from Sousa City past the oil refinery. There will be a slight bowl here in the new design, as the track climbs back uphill to the new taylor yard.
This low table will be our new power and command station base, instead of being on one side of the layout, it will now be located centrally in the middle, making the power drops much more manageable.
The former area taken up by Cawood Cement and the roundhouse. This area is in planning stages but we've elected to hold off on a precise plan until we can get back into the auditorium.
Prior to leaving the auditorium in March, we laid the base of the turntable out several ways to test concepts and ideas for future plans in our heads.
