We previously looked at modifying the Elfa twin slot uprights to add an additional screw hole so that we can use them to support the upper deck, back scenes and eventually the lighting for the layout. The uprights will be fitted at 600mm intervals meaning i need 33 in total. However I was only able to get 11 of these from my supplier, I am hoping to get the remaining 22 shipped to Orkney by the end of this week.

With only a limited number of uprights it made sense to work on the hardest to reach areas first. this means working in the area marked in red on the plan below. As the layout is modular i was able to remove the left hand 4 modules of the layout and the intermediate module on the right hand side before moving the whole section againse the wall out to enable access to the rear. If you were not concerned about damage to the wall of course you could just ignore my step and screw the uprights straight to your wall.

So lets get on with getting these things fitted.

I levelled up the base of the upright with the base of the module and marked the hole for the upper screw. being sure to ensure that the screw would be going into the cross support of the module and not hitting any of the brad nails used during the modules construction.

Then I used 3.5mm x 30mm screws to secure the upright.

Using the top of the module I squared the upright to be vertical and then ran in a 5x60mm decking screw (mainly because i had them on hand) into the lower hole securing everything square. These are probably over kill but this should prevent the uprights from moving when under load.

Here you can see what the uprights look like in place on the module I removed to allow the large rear section to swing away from the wall. it certainly was alot easier to do this module than the others.

Here you can see the completed view of all 11 uprights in position. There are above my workshop area and over the coming weeks I’ll be adding the back sceneswhich will permantently take away my ability to take these overall shots.

In these two shots taken whilst the modules were detached you can see the brackets for the second deck and eventually the lighting rig. The second deck supports are 120mm long which will enable a small shadow box effect above the lower deck. The upper supports are 320mm and will extend just in front of the lower module deck supporting lighting for both decks and completing the shadow box look.

Look out for tomorrows post where we will look at scenery planning on the Ackerville section of deck one.