Thanks for the kind words.
And I know all about "the only space available" so glad you're going for it!
I advocate for a glass/acrylic cover rather than a curtain.
There's just something psychologically off-putting about a curtain (which is itself a dust-magnet/sponge), a barrier, a cover to hide something you want out of the way, out of sight out of mind.
Or maybe I've watched too much Twin Peaks 🙂
You're going to have a beautiful layout, & it'll make you happy just to see it every time you pass by, so perhaps there's a way to have detachable frames you can store above when operating or hinged frames like on a garden cold frame:
Or a kitchen/medicine cabinet:
Would just hate to have your fab layout hidden behind a curtain, no matter how great & powerful 🙂
The other aspect I'm sure you've thought of is storage, not only for cars & locos but also where to put throttle, car cards, phone, etc. while operating.
A long time ago at a previous home, I built in angled shelves right into the framework:
Which worked pretty well.
(Side note: that shelf was too low & the viewing window waaay to large).
I did drape a blanket over it to keep dust out, but really wanted to see it.
The current set up has a shadowbox without shelves (except the top, where trains are stored–a bit precarious here in earthquake country).
So when I built more shelves to hang below it on the french cleats, I made sure to incorporate an angled shelf with lip:
You can see the wedges for the LED pucks in that bottom pic.
(Yes, that's a pickle xmas ornament)
Lance Mannheim built drawers directly into his shelf layout.
Others have pockets & clips along the fascia.
So many options.
The Voice of Experience says: "Better to have a dedicated place for throttle, car cards, phone, etc., otherwise they're going on the layout itself." 🙂
Anyway, I don't mean to hijack the thread.
Just excited about your layout & all the magic you'll make.
Cheers!
