Bruce - Thanks, but I can't claim credit for the landscape fabric idea. I don't remember where I saw it, but I liked it right away when I did. It might have even been here on the forum. I will take credit for how we executed it. The rail we installed was my idea. It was the best way I could think of to follow the edge of the layout. Then we just stapled the fabric on. Technically, I'm not really at that stage of completion to have done this. There's still a good deal of messy scenery work to do. I just have to use drop cloths to keep it nice. The very last thing is the carpet. Maybe next year for that.
Mike - Thanks. If anyone is in this hobby for the money, they made the wrong bet. We do this because we love it. I have to really talk to my son about this. What I don't want is for him doing the trains to please me. I want him to do it because HE wants to and enjoys it.
Tom - I might get the occasional daddy long legs in the train room, but not much else. The exterminator comes out quarterly. For a while I had a mouse problem, and would find those little black grains of rice on different parts of the layout, but after a couple visits, we taught those mousies to keep out, on penalty of death. We have gotten ahead of that problem, and stop them before they get in. We do get box elder bugs in the fall many years, and last night my wife sent me a picture of a raccoon on the front porch.
