A New Home for the TMMC

"Helicopter view" from the studio ceiling.

Exciting news in Thunder Mesa Country, the TMMC has officially moved to its new home in my refurbished art studio! The studio is a cosy 16'x16' outbuilding on my property with one large corner dedicated entirely to trains. I knew that I wanted to get the layout moved to this new (and hopefully permanent) location before work got any further along. Fortunately, the layout was designed to be portable and the top detaches easily from the supports. In addition, the legs for the trestle-like base are fitted with castors so it was a simple matter for my oldest son and I to carry and roll the whole shebang from our dusty garage to its bright new home.

Primary viewing angle. That white wall will soon be covered
with a blue sky backdrop.

The layout is lit by compact fluorescent bulbs in six adjustable fixtures, giving plenty of light for good photography. And speaking of photography, once the backdrop is installed, castors will allow the layout to be rotated so that blue sky, rather than studio clutter, always shows up behind the scenery.

View from the Rainbow Caverns side with my workbench and
some memorabilia visible beyond.

Of course, the exterior of my studio still has much work to be done on it, including replacing some rotted wall boards and repainting. When all is said and done though, "Dave's Barn" should be a great place to work, play and run some trains!