Shield built & in place

With the water damaged ceiling in danger of possibly falling I built this temporary shield that I could put in place over the layout. The flat piece is a 4' x 4' x 1/2 piece of plywood with the legs an assortment of scrapes including 1 x 2, 1 x 4, and 2 x 2. I already had the corner gussets "in stock" from previous bench work. The shield is complete at this point. Although the legs are not sturdy, I couldn't use cross bracing and be able to straddle the layout.



Having double doors to the layout room was one of my best decisions that keeps paying dividends! My original idea to install this was to just pick it up, turn it "legs forward" and carry it into the room where I would gently place it over the layout. I quickly abandoned that idea when it became apparent that I'd probably knock half of Hoovertown down in the process!



I decided to take two of the legs off so that I could carry the unit into the room legs down. Before removing the legs I labeled each with a sharpie so that the would go back in the same place (sometimes even I have a good idea!)

Before making the move I positioned the removed legs roughly in place and used a clamp on one to hold it upright.

I carried the unit into the room and set it down resting on the detached legs. Next I crawled under the layout and attached the legs with my screw gun. I even brought extra screws with me in case I dropped one I couldn't reach (another good idea - 2 in one day!)

Here's a view looking up from the floor - you can see the bad spot on the ceiling. I have about 3" clearance between the top of the bridge and the shield. Now I can sleep better not waiting for a possible CRASH! in the trainroom.

A thank you to Scott for his offer to re-direct our Ops group work session to my house in case I need help.