I described the On3 Hangman Creek Lumber Company layout in the May/June 2012 GAZETTE. The layout was built by a group called the Sunset Junction Modelers consisting of Stan Oxendahl, Jim Smith, Tom Jennings, and myself to be exhibited at the 2012 National Narrow Gauge Convention in Bellevue, Washington. When I heard that the 42nd National Narrow Gauge Convention was to be held near us in the Seattle/Tacoma area, we decided it was time to exhibit the layout once more. So, I reached out to Mike O’Connell and the Convention organizers and asked if I could bring the layout and share it with fellow modelers one more time.

Now comes the tricky part, the layout, though portable, is no joke to move and I am ten years older. It has 10 sections and overall is 28 x 9-feet 6-inches and weighs close to one ton. I knew that I would have to make it not only easier to move, but safer to move. The layout had been sold and stored for several years and had scenery and structure damage. After buying it back and getting over my initial shock, I decided that if I helped build it, I could fix it! Maybe even make it a bit better? After all, I am, hopefully, a better modeler then I was 10 years ago. After I conned my astonished neighbors into helping me unload the layout into its snug rehabilitation single car garage, I set about making the layout moveable by one person instead of the 4 to 5 people it took to move it 10 years ago. I added telescoping legs with pneumatic casters that allows work to be done at a much lower height than its show display height, and because each section is 100 percent independent, all areas of the layout are easier to access and maintain, clean, and refresh. The layout also has a much more cushioned ride on soft rubber casters, and since the sections are all independent, assembling the layout should be much easier.

Time is the enemy of all layouts, scenery loses its luster, details break, maintenance issues sneak into the picture. Cleaning track on a layout with 1000 trees 52 to 66 inches off the floor is a recipe for disaster. My decision to have telescoping legs was not inexpensive, but well worth it. The damage is mostly superficial, and I have set to work section by section to refresh the scenery and to do some additional things to the layout that time did not permit in 2010-2012 when the layout was built. Adding some detail to some areas that were done back then, but as with any layout, it is fun to revisit areas and let your imagination go to work.

The engine house interior is a good example. The engine house has a removeable interior. One of the first things was to remove it, clean and dust everything, and then add more detail. Such as grease and oil stains along with safety signs make it a better scene. That work has carried over to the surrounding area with some reworking of the overall area and adding a spur track off the turntable to store equipment.

Besides the work on the layout, rolling stock is getting upgraded, making sure it all runs well. Decoders with capacitors are being added to the fleet of Shays I have acquired and are now lettered for the Hangman Creek Lumber Company. We had zero decaled Hangman Creek Lumber Company equipment back in 2012. Now both Stan Oxendahl and I have plenty to run on the layout.

Of the 5 members of the Sunset Junction crew, myself, Jim Smith, Stan Oxendahl and Brian Murphy will meet in Tacoma to show and run the layout at the convention. The layout has had, like us, a lot of history over the last 10 years. The opportunity to share the layout again is a great goal to stay motivated and on schedule. Now I must get back to working on the layout! Please come by and say hi at the convention.