Thanks..... And thanks for the mushroom info. It's 28" wide on both levels. ( Step stool needed for top level. ) The end through the wall will go out to 3' and have 2' in the storage room giving 5' for the turnarounds, with a 3' reach. The other end will go out to 5' for the turnaround, the reach may be worse. I can figure it out as I go. So it looks like just an "L", I think a "C" or "U" will be too much to deal with. Loco1999
Loco1999: That sounds great..... Have fun this weekend with the rest of the benchwork. Stay cool and run steam...... [ November 25, 2005, 09:29 PM: Message edited by: Powersteamguy1790 ]
Storage is too full........ So I worked on the full turnaround.... I think I went off track somewhere.. Well, What do you think... Be honest, I can rework it... Thanks, Loco1999
Yes, N Scale on the top will have 4'. The outer mainline will have 20" radius. The bottom was going to come out 5' or 6'. But the reach was impossible, So I pulled the lgirder extentions off of the bottom( HO Space ). With only 4' the HO wont turn around there. I may put a 20" radius loop, just for a tight reversing loop. Otherwise that section will be point to point. Industries, parking, etc. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too. Loco1999
Thanks......... Issues... How far can you overhang crossmembers off of the lgirders. All of my L girders are 24". I have one section hangs 1' over, seems fine. Another section hangs 2' over, seems to sag. I was thinking off adding new L girders to extend that section out, but It looks like I will need an access hatch in the turnarond. Also the main straight sections are 28" wide, This seems fine at the 36" height, but the reach gets pretty bad at the 60" height. Any ideas, tips, suggestions, PLEASE!!! Pete Nolan, what did you do ??? Thanks, Loco1999 [ November 28, 2005, 10:42 AM: Message edited by: loco1999 ]
How about just a switching layout up top, and continous running underneath? That reach will be trouble!
Everything looks real solid. You are making excellent progress. Keep in mind that track and scenery will add more weight and will most likely increase the sag. As far as the reach goes I'm sure this is a bigger issue for construction than it will be for opperation. Maybe a bench for standing on that slides underneath? Small step stools get you up there but for me when my feet can't move I can't adjust my balance very well (not the spry youth I used to be ).
Loco1999: Two feet is overextending it a bit. You have the added weight of cnery and trains as well. Stay cool and run steam......
yes loco....2' overhang is gonna kill ya eventually. Use stiffer (bigger) timber for that overhang...and dont be afraid to use extreme overkill on it. looks to me like your using 2x1 or 3x1. double the thickness and go with 2x2 or 3x2. You an also cheat a little and add torsion strength to the beam by putting a 'strap nail'full length along the beam thats sagging. A strap nail is a steel strip with lots of little sharp bits sticking off one side of it...bang it in and the steel simply wont let the wood sag (within limits). Realise, of course, that this will increase the thickness of that beam by around 1/8", so probably isnt the best move. I think the stongest would be to use a piece of 4x2 and using a halving joint to interlock it with the beam that parrallels the wall. The halving joint would need to be TIGHT, but would give you fairly impressive strength out there (you could sit on it)
Thanks for the ideas. I will rework the turnaround and have no overhang greater than 1'. When do you paint the wood to avoid warping? Thanks, Loco1999
I used a flat black latex paint. Any paint covering all exposed surfaces is a must. Have fun ... Stay cool and run steam.....
Thanks for the reply. I will paint the wood later. Progress..... Problem..... Whoever finished the basement put many studs around the pipes and the I beam. One space for the 30" radius to come through the wall is 2 1/2" between two double studs. If I go straight through, will that be wide enough? The next available space is 10 inches over for the second track for a 24" to 26" radius. This one needs to swing in to avoid the post for the I beam. Fun huh? What are your thoughts on going back to a single deck? Thanks, Loco1999
Loco, This is a very interesting thread you've started here. Benchwork on your layout along with tips from the pro's. Great stuff and great pics! I was wondering about how you were going to handle that grade, but you've explained the dual scale concept. If you are doing dual scale can't you just use sharp curves on the HO for a continuos run? I know 18" looks funny, but it would allow for that unattended running that sometimes is nice to have in the background when working on a kit at the nearby workbench. It seems like the upper deck is slightly high, am I correct that it sits at 60" ontop of the plywood layer, so that you would operate while standing up. The lower deck is at a good height for operating while sitting in a rolling chair. would it impede your lower deck operation if you lowered the upper deck a small amount, since you would be running the lower deck from the vantage point of a chair? Had to get the tape measure out and test it....I measured reaching over 60" and it felt kind of hard. I am a tall guy and the inside of my armpit is at about 60", add a baggy shirt and i'm dragging fabric on the scenery everytime I reach across the layout. I would think dropping down to 56" wouldn't interfere with lower deck chair based operation, but would make upper deck use a little easier. Keep posting pictures BTW. I am looking forward to see how this develops.
Loco1999: Give it a try and see what happens. You should have figured this into your plans before you started the benchwork. Have fun..... Stay cool and run steam....
Thanks... The 60" height kind of stinks. I plan on step stooling for construction and operations on the rear of the shelf. The studs, pipes, and post..... The rest of the wall is studs every 16" . This spot was behind peg board. Ooops... Still clearing space in the storage room... Not much space left if I build two decks... Not really sure where it's going... I already have enough wood If I go single deck. It would just be a real pain to take down and start over. I really wanted to run some N and some HO. Loco1999
Loco1999: So work around what you have and I'm sure it'll turn out ok. I thought both elevations were in the same room. Stay cool and run steam....
Heavy handed commentary here, but meant with all the best intentions... If it's already a pain to deal with the upper deck height, I would say go ahead and lower it now. I know it seems like a pain, but it would really suck to get halfway into a layout and decided you need to scrap it. Maybe redo just one section and play with it at various heights till it feels just right. I gotta say that your dual level layout has me really inspired. I have the same multi scale problem and I dream of having a space like yours sometime in the future. I really think you have a nice setup so far. I am even considering the idea of having a layout that sits up over a desk and work bench area so that I can build my layout in a small space. It's basically the same concept as having bunk beds but it took seeing your bench work for it to really sink in how functional the design truly is.... This shot in particular really put things in perspective for me because of the chair being there. That is why when I started measuring different layout heights I sat in my desk chair and considered what upper deck height would still be clear of my head if I was running from a sitting position. [ December 02, 2005, 11:04 AM: Message edited by: traingeekboy ]
