PoLA has been mobilized

The staging area in the closet was the first section we removed.

Over the past two days, Tom Pierpoint and I worked on removing PoLA so it could be reassembled in his basement.  Although I did not build PoLA in a sectional style, I did use open grid benchwork. The top surface was foam and taskboard.   So it was fairly easy to cut into four sections plus the staging yard. In the new location, Tom will not have room for the Borax extension, so we did not salvage that part.

Portable staging yard

Steak knife cuts though the foam and paving

First we identified where the cuts would be and cut the bus wires at those locations.  Then we used a moto tool to cut the track at the proposed section joints. Next, I used a steak knife to slice through the foam and the areas paved with task board. A few cuts with my Festool Carvex jig saw on the 1x2 open grid frame members and the layout was in sections.  Tom remarked that the Carvex had a lot less vibration than his jig saw. Festool strikes again!

Where did Bernie put those screws?

The open grid frame was screwed to the walls and legs in a minimal number of places. With those screws removed the sections came right off.

First layout section

Tom rented a box van. We loaded the pieces into the van and used some bungie cords to secure them. The construction technique I used to build  the layout resulted in light weight and very easy to move sections. One person could easy handle a section.

Tom plans to install the layout on benchwork that he previously bought from a commercial benchwork vendor.  He wants to back date the layout in such a way that it could be easily go back to PoLA in the twenty first century.

All loaded up

The new flooring tile

The next step for me is to continue to clear the basement of as many items as possible. I found a contractor that will repair the walls, install the damaged trim, put ceramic tile on the floor and paint the walls. We chose a medium grey, wood look tile and will have dark blue walls with white trim. It will be a whole new look for the basement. My niece, who is an interior design architect and decorator, suggested the color scheme. She also suggested painting the ceiling in the front room dark blue to match the valance. My wife agreed. So we will do that too.

I am starting to feel better about all this. I am excited to start the Aquia Line expansion, but not until we host the North East Interchange in November. And I have some ideas for a small switch layout in my office too.  Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel. I hope it is not an on coming train.