We have continued to install the drywall ceiling. So far we have hung 24 of the expected 60 sheets of drywall over the existing railroad. No one should ever build a layout without finishing the ceiling first. It is a real pain to hang drywall over a layout. However the improvement in the looks of the layout will be worth the pain and problems incurred now. I am also installing Can type recessed lighting to illuminate the aisles. The layout during construction and during operation will have it own lighting system consisting of 100+ CFL 13 watt lights, some spots in areas of special interest and blue rope lights to allow for night operations. We also have red ropes at the horizon to create a sunrise and sunset look. When LED lights become more affordable, the CFLs will be replaced as they burnout with LEDs. When we then reach the point that the entire layout is lit by LED and rope lights, I will add dimmers and some type of automatic day to night sequencer.
Hopefully the drywall work will be done in a couple of months and we can then return to scenery, the CTC system, structures and rolling stock.
My layout is based on the Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad from Randolph Street Station in Chicago to South Bend, Indiana. It is based in the mid 1960s when I first saw the railroad in South Bend. The layout is 30 by 60 foot. Running NCE DCC and signaling via CTC using C/MRI.