I started with my 1st N gauge system in September last year. Worked out what size I could get in the space available, and used some old cupboard doors to make the base covering them in a large green old beach towel.
Then put the base firmly in place before buying any track or rolling stock, which I purchased on a visit to the U.K. and brought back with me.

After laying the track which included about 15 manually operated Peco ST-5 & ST-6 points, I  tested it out using my 1st 2 engine purchases, an "IVOR" diesel tank and a Class 25/3.

It soon became apparent that changing some of the more distant points (in far left corners) was rather awkward with me having to leave the control area at one end, move to the far end of the room, and stretch over the board to reach the points I wanted to change.

That made me realize I should have opted for at least some electrically operated points in the first place, and when I did acquire some side mounted PL-11s, that doing the wiring was going to be quite tricky as getting at the underside of the baseboard in order to lay & fix the cables  I would need to be something of a contortionist.

I have now almost finished doing the wiring, testing the point operation as I went along after cutting 2mm off the spacers (as recommended by whiteswan), but it has taken some time and my knees are cut and bruised and my back sore.
The big mistake - not making provision for the extensive wiring before fastening the baseboard down in place.

The attached layout diagram shows where all the points are located, and the baseboard is attached to 3 walls at just below eye level when sat down on the swivel chair at the right hand side control end. I have a Morley twin track controller located on a shelf just below the baseboard with now 2 racks of Peco switches (12 in total) to one side of it for operating the majority of the points electrically.

The Scarm software I used for the layout design does not yet have a library of N gauge engines & rolling stock, so I have used various coloured rectangles to represent engines and rolling stock positions.
Click on the Layout Image to see it enlarged.

Hello,

I am facing a similar problem, I have no access to the underneath,  but I have put Sundeala board on top of plywood which means that I can hollow out a trough for all the wires to run through and I can cover it with undergrowth later.

Would that be an option for your own layout?

Regards, Peter.

PS. Could you possibly take the wires around the edge of the baseboard, tight to the walls and then cover them later?

Peter - most of the wiring is now in place underneath the board. Used numerous small hooks plus sticky tape and lots of little electrical plastic joiners screwed to the underneath to attach it all. A bit messy but it appears to work. Perhaps when finished I will take a picture of the underside to show how it should not be done.
The Trastero (store room) that I rent is on the 7th floor of our complex and is only small being just 47 inches wide and just over 6 feet long excluding the door and a small recess and a window.
My wife refused to let me build a layout in our own apartment, and I can't really blame her for that as it is not all that big (compared with the large 4-bedroomed detached house we used to live in in North Wales), as living in a warm climate we now spend most of our time out of doors, and bricks & motor no longer have the same significance as they once did.

Quote from: Tdm on February 07, 2014, 07:46:28 PM
(compared with the large 4-bedroomed detached house we used to live in in North Wales),

so that's the second mistake, whehehehe, sorry

Quote from: Maurits71 on February 07, 2014, 07:50:22 PM

Quote from: Tdm on February 07, 2014, 07:46:28 PM
(compared with the large 4-bedroomed detached house we used to live in in North Wales),

so that's the second mistake, whehehehe, sorry

No, no, no - Emigrating was the best thing we ever did, and neither my wife nor I would ever go back to the U.K. to live, even if one of us dies. Short visits are fine, but anything longer than a week and we both get homesick for the warmth and completely different and healthier way of life, and where a pint of decent local Lager can be had for just 90 cents, or a Porterhouse steak with all the trimmings for under â,¬9. You don't need a large home when you live here as you are hardly ever in it. 
For example tomorrow morning I'm off to play snooker till 1pm, then when I return will probably spend a few hours by the Pool, then later on adjourn to my lock up to do some more work on my railway. Always some free entertainment on in our Bar on a Saturday night, so may pop down for a pint or two and maybe a dance at the end.
Just remembered may skip the Pool in the afternoon as Liverpool play Arsenal at 1pm and I want to watch that.

whehehe.

what a boring live

Quote from: Maurits71 on February 07, 2014, 08:31:56 PM
whehehe.
what a boring live

Yes - it's a very hard life and I have to struggle to get through each day.
Strangely enough I have less free time now that I had when I was working in the U.K.,
never know what day it is except Wednesday & Saturdays are Snooker days, Mondays & Thursdays run a Fun Quiz in 2 nearby local Bars and Sundays just chill out.

90 cents a pint? I've emigrated once in me life - I think it's about time to do it again! 

Quote from: Bealman on February 08, 2014, 01:24:42 AM
90 cents a pint? I've emigrated once in me life - I think it's about time to do it again! 

Yes - and it's good strong Belgian Draft Beer as well. The Bar owner is one of the chaps I play snooker with on Wednesdays, and there are about 5 more Bars in the particular strip where his is (his Bar is called "Java" by the way) all competing with each other and none of them charges more than a â,¬1 a pint. Of course you can pay more, in a Restaurant you are likely to pay anything up to â,¬2.80 a pint.
Usually Beer is cheaper than soft drinks such as Coke and Lemonade, and when it comes to Spirits there are no such thing as "measures", they pour straight from the bottle and half fill your glass just leaving enough room for some ice or an equal measure of mixer.

Hey guys, please just stop and think.

Quite a few people left the UK to get away from the nonsense. (Not me.......) If you carry on persuading everyone how nice it is in foreign climes where will the existing other ex-pats escape to ?

I see you are a published author too Terry, does this found your railway 'habit'? Look forward to seeing some pics of the real thing 

That Java Bar sounds pretty good!

Quote from: Lawrence on February 08, 2014, 05:43:47 PM
I see you are a published author too Terry, does this found your railway 'habit'? Look forward to seeing some pics of the real thing 

How did you know that I have published a couple of books in ebook format that are available on Amazon?. One is my Autobiography, and the other a short Travel book about a recent journey my wife and I undertook traveling around the World - starting and ending in Tenerife.

I didn't write them to make money, just something to leave for the kids & grandchildren to read, although the travel one might appeal to a more wider audience. Over the years have also written a number of car based articles for the Stag Owners Club magazine, part 1 of my latest (entitled "My 50 years of motoring history") appearing in the February 2014 edition.

Writing is just another hobby which I have never had time for before, but I enjoy it although my literary capabilities are somewhat limited. Both the ebooks are fully illustrated containing lots of images, and I used Amazon's "CreateSpace" facility to Self Publish. Below are pictures of the front cover of the two books referred to.

I decided to create them in ebook format as that is where the market is at present, when I look round our Pool area, the greater number of holidaymakers are reading on Kindle or IPads, and very few have paperbacks and less still hardback books. With luggage space at a premium - a Kindle takes up far less space and you can store hundreds of books on it.

Quote from: Agrippa on February 08, 2014, 06:55:17 PM
That Java Bar sounds pretty good!

As you are from Scotland did you know that each Canary Island has it's own Flag,
and Tenerife's Flag is identical to the Scottish Flag - a white cross on a dark blue background.
The Canaries "as a whole" have a different Flag made up of light blue, yellow, and white vertical stripes. Tenerife's football team are known as the "Blanques y Azuls" which translates from Spanish as the "White & Blues" as that is the colour of their strip and a couple of years ago were in "La Liga" and we had teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid coming over to play. They are currently in a lower league but doing quite well and could end up in the Play-Offs for promotion to La Liga again.
Just a bit of Trivia and a little Off Topic.

Well I did say wiring electric (side-mounted) points after laying the baseboard down was a mistake. Just finished, and it does look a bit of a mess underneath, but it works and I can now operate the majority of my points using the Peco switches at the side of and just beneath the Controller (see attached pic.)
A schematic of the layout I have stuck to the wall to the right of the Morley.
Tested the running and points operation using my latest engine acquisition - a Farish J39 which I also have included a picture of - it runs very well.