Cat-proof the layout with acrylic cover - ideas?

atsf_arizona Apr 3, 2010

  1. atsf_arizona

    atsf_arizona TrainBoard Supporter

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    Hello, all,

    My dearest wife has prevailed upon me to have a cat in our house.

    Of course, as we all know, a cat, however beautiful:

    [​IMG]

    Added to a model railroad:

    [​IMG]

    is asking for an 'event' sooner or later.


    The idea is to keep the cat out of the room, period.

    However, as a 2nd level of protection, to double as dust protection, and to
    avoid rebuilding the door with a latch...

    Hence.... now I have this goofy project to architect......


    Has anyone built a clear acrylic cover for your layout? Ideas, plans, tips, or experiences?

    (or friendly insults to me for agreeing to such a silly idea as having a cat and a
    model railroad in the same house :) ....... Yes, OK, I know..... :)

    Anyway, I was thinking about something along these lines:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    It would have the important side benefit of keeping dust off the layout.


    I'd love to hear any ideas about protective coverings for the layout.

    Yes, I resisted getting a cat for a long time. My model railroad
    priorities definitely in order.

    But, what can I say, my dear wife is highest priority of all. I'm happy my
    wife prevailed upon me.


    Thx, guys. :)


    Signed, the goofy layout cat-cover project manager,
     
  2. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    John,

    You could either put small (1/4") framing along the sides, and attach the sheets to that, or, just carefully tap holes and screw the sheets directly together. I would hinge the top. Since your base already has nice sides, I see no reason to worry about attaching the cover to the actual layout. Have it more like a see through "cake cover".
     
  3. river_eagle

    river_eagle TrainBoard Member

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    100% effective
    [​IMG]
     
  4. atsf_arizona

    atsf_arizona TrainBoard Supporter

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    River_Eagle, thx for the reply on both forums.

    I smile at all the pictures folks posting 'Protection Ideas' here and on the A-Forum. Got to have
    fun with this topic.

    RBrodzinsky, thx. I see you/I are in the same part of the world, I'm in San Mateo. Maybe run into you sometime. Like at the Train Shop in Santa Clara. :)
     
  5. Jerry Tarvid

    Jerry Tarvid TrainBoard Member

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    Very nice looking cat John! Why not build the clear viewing enclosure for the cat? I could not resist, just joking of course. I love cats and also have a Siamese house cat; however my train room has a door and is off limits to the feline. You may also wish to consider a finished wood frame with glass top insert / side inserts much like a coffee table. This would offer the beauty of a fine looking piece of furniture without any sharp corners / edges and offer storage underneath. The top could also be hinged.

    Jerry
     
  6. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Or, even, some day at work! I'm the Storage Engineering Ops Mgr in San Jose.
     
  7. atsf_arizona

    atsf_arizona TrainBoard Supporter

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    So, RBrodzinsky, you're the same 'R. Brodzinsky' that I just found on our company Bluepages?
    If so, geez, amazing small world.

    Let's get together sometime, and you can also get to me at: http://snjgsa.ibm.com/~singj/ (sorry, rest of all, that's inside the firewall, but I believe Rick can see it).

    By the way, over on the A-Forum, there's some really good ideas, as well as
    some great laughs as well as good construction ideas on this 'cat-cover' topic,
    being posted over there as well:

    Atlas Forum - Cat-proofing layout with an acrylic cover - ideas?

    Thanks, and hope those of you reading this thread are enjoying the info and some smiles also. :)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 3, 2010
  8. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Only one of our cats has access to the trains, since the shed is outdoors. He loves to come in and watch them run, then curls up on the chair and "helps" me, by falling asleep. Then, he gets bored and wanders out. If I'm doing any actual scenery work, he leaves immediately. Since the shed is kept locked when I'm not in there, no problem with unauthorized access.
     
  9. porkypine52

    porkypine52 TrainBoard Member

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    YUP!!! River Eagle has the RIGHT answer! No cat in my house, both wife and myself are DOG people. Both dogs will come down to layout room and make sure the big dummy that puts the food bowl down, is still in the house, but otherwise they have little or no interest in the trains. Now if a mouse or squirrel were to be running around the layout, you'd see some real action. Two dogs would be going NUTS trying to get up on the bench work.
     
  10. bigford

    bigford TrainBoard Member

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    this guy spent the better part of the day keeping a cat up a tree:tb-biggrin:

    [​IMG]

    it was very funny! he had no plans for a sunny saturday and said cat
    did not want to play so up the tree he/she went
     
  11. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Congratulation on the cat John. I love cats and despite the challenges of having cats, I can truly say that they are the thing in my life that makes me the happiest. They are guaranteed to put a smile on my face every day no matter what else is going on.

    Charlie
     
  12. MP333

    MP333 TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ditto what Charlie said, cats are incredible animals. My cat is 14, and does not mess with the trains at all. He is fascinated by them, but also smart enough to know it is mine and he had better not fool with it. Cats can be taught boundaries, believe it or not. My current train room is open 24/7, and he goes in there all the time, but does not get into trouble.

    All that said, the cover should work. You need a place to put it when operating.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. retsignalmtr

    retsignalmtr TrainBoard Member

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    When something happens in my house, my dog and one of my cats are usually in cahoots.
     

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  14. atsf_arizona

    atsf_arizona TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thx for all the good words and pics, folks.

    FYI, the A-Forum version of this thread has a lot of great info (and stories) as
    well:

    "A-Forum" - Cat-proofing layout with an acrylic cover - ideas?

    There's more to think about here than I ever thought I would
    find out in less than 24 hours..... thanks to all of you.

    Incredible, the collaboration power of the Internet.

    Clearly, what is emerging is something like:

    1) First line of defense: no kitty allowed in train room (that was always the idea anyway), and I should update the door so that it has a positive lock

    2) 2nd line of defense: if it's decided that this is warranted (as well as serving as a dust and display cover which we all could use anyway), then there are some great ideas here and over on the A-Forum thread, for some sort of 'box' of clear plastic material, that balances weight, portability, strength, cost.....

    I'll keep everyone updated on what ends up happening and document the results for all to benefit.

    Now, back to our thread, feel free to keep the ideas flowing..... Meow! Woof, woof!

    Happy Easter holiday weekend to all. :)
     
  15. Mike Sheridan

    Mike Sheridan TrainBoard Member

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    Mine are made of plywood - they are mainly for dust, but would also keep the cat, and probably (in the event of an earthquake) the roof off the layout :)
    [​IMG]
     
  16. Jack28

    Jack28 TrainBoard Member

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    How about a big cardboard box, it will be lighter than the acrylic.
     
  17. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Our club (TCSME) just talked about covers for displays at the Niles museum, and they mentioned that they cost a couple hundred to have Tap Plastics make them.

    I have 3 cats, and made masonite box covers for my modules, but the one module that has no cover has cat hair all over it. It gets in the air and wraps around loco axles.
     
  18. Flash Blackman

    Flash Blackman TrainBoard Member

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    There is a Regal Plastics near my home that sell acrylic in 4 x 8 foot sheets (and larger). This is the same place you can get the styrene in 4 x 8 foot sheets. For the acrylic, they have some chemical they use for bonding. Also, for a small fee, they will cut the pieces to the size that you specify. This would be one way to che the box constructed.

    BTW, they also sell plastic by the pound. When I go over there and pick up 4-5 pounds, they usually just say, "Take it!"

    There are many variations of colors in the clear acrylic, too.
     
  19. geoffrey

    geoffrey TrainBoard Member

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    My cats also stay off the layout! One of them has become so fascinated with my work on the layout that I call him my chief inspector! The are both short haired and shed very little anyway. I still want them to stay off and they seem to do very well!


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idoymw5TzWs
     
  20. dstjohn

    dstjohn TrainBoard Member

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    If you go with acylic (lucite/lexan) you can drill and tap it quite easily and it takes threads nicely. One of my early machine shop projects was to build a box to guard a piece of equipment and it had to be assembled with 4-40 flat head screws.

    You could also string some wires on the poles and hook them to an electric fencer! The cat would only touch it once or twice! Of course you want to make sure you turn it off before you reach across the layout:mwacko:
     

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