Major Benchwork Progress

After taking a break for Thanksgiving, I decided to get back to work on the benchwork. I actually built the narrow section along the wall shortly after the initial 4 x 8 section but just never got around to posting it. Yesterday I built the large peninsula in the center of the room.  Nothing really to exciting to report here, just a whole lot of measuring, sawing, clamping, drilling  and screwing.

The main challenge will be the back corner. As you can see, there is a small white door that leads into the attic space. There's no storage beyond it but it does allow access to the duct work and therefore must be able to open. That particular section of benchwork will be four inches higher than the rest and topped with a thin sheet of plywood. The rest of the layout will be topped with four inches of pink Styrofoam, so it should be seemless.

Now, I would have been well served to remember the old adage about measuring twice and cutting one. It turns out the room was a foot wider and a six inches longer than I first thought. So yay, a happy accident! My railroad empire is even more vast than first thought.

Also you can probably see I added some new track lights. These came from Lowes and are equipped with 60 watt GE Reveal bulbs. I prefer the Reveal bulbs as they show everything in their true colors.

I also decided it was time to go ahead and acquire a fire extinguisher. The one I selected is the dry chemical type. It's rated to put out A, B and C-class fires. An A fire is buring debris, like wood. A B fire is buring oil and chemicals and a C fire is electrical. All three types of fire can occur in train room so it's best to have an extinguisher intended for all three.