Some of you know me from my last venture that ended well...abruptly. Anyway, the new layout is underway. I was going to try and publish my work in one of our many fine model rail publications, but I guess that either I can't communicate clearly or no one is interested. I did arrange some help with my layout design, if anyone would like more details, PM me. Layout design is not one of my skills. Anyway, let me introduce you guys to my fictional layout plan. I am calling it Appalachian Southern for lack of a better name. I plan on modeling Norfolk Southern and CSX but not exclusively. My last layout was confined to a 15 x 12 space with an oddly placed closet. For the new layout, I ripped out the closet, demolished the wall, replaced the flooring, hung sheet rock, and added some wood trim. The new space is approximately 25 x 15. Here is the layout plan: Please note that the wall shown in the middle of the plan was removed to open up the space as discussed above. My grades on this layout are limited. I have had enough of that with the last layout. Here is an image of the only grade(s): My progress on the benchwork has proceeded well. I am working on completing the joists and finishing the masonite backdrop. I hope to get the remaining wood details finished in the next couple of days and begin making templates for the plywood underlayment and 2 to 4 inches of foam on top of that. Would like to go with 4" of foam, but I am worried that I may have problems making a tortoise activate through 4.75" of underlayment. Any opinions here? Enjoy
Building this all level was a bit challenging. In a 60 year old building, NOTHING is square. The walls, floors, even the ceiling is skewed. The bench work is pretty much by the book...If you have the 'book'... the bench work is verbatim. You know the one. Once all the island support 'legs' were in place and leveled, I attached them to the floor to keep them in place with 90 degree angle brackets. Worked well... just don't run into them... nothing moves and it hurts a little. I managed to keep everything level and plumb... that was the biggest challenge. I was rewarded when installing the backdrop. Flawless and level. I could not ask for more.
Fantastic! Great progress and I know exactly what you mean about dealing with uneven floors & walls; unfotunately I have the same problem in a new home. Also can't comment on your Tortoise question (yet) since I am also not yet at the track laying stage. Looking forward to following your progress. Jamie
Hutch that is great. What a nice job you did finishing the room. I love your trackplan. I remember you previous layout and I bet this one will be fantastic. Jeff
The bench work is looking good Chris. You'll be much happier with this plan than with the previous one. Have fun with back drops......
Hutch Progress looks great. Nice and clean room. Benchwork is also nice and clean. What program did you use to draw the track plan? Also, I would keep a good photographic history of the construction. Once you are closer to being finished I bet NSR or N scale will jump on an article. Just one last question. What made you change from BN to NS?
Lance Mindheim drew the layout for me, I am not sure what application he used. I was quite pleased with the results. He interpreted my wish list and developed what seems to be the perfect track plan for me. The biggest reason for the BN to NS change is my familiarity with the geography of the respective regions. I remember trying to figure out what a particular scene should look like on the last layout b/c I had never actually seen it in person. With NS and CSX, I have grown up here and know how the layout should look. Not to say that you won't see a BN locomotive running this line, but it wouldn't fit in with the geogrpahy I am attempting to model.
Hello Hutch, it is great to see you in "full swing" again. The benchwork looks very substantial and solid: A very robust foundation that can compemsate for slight "imperfections" in the building. (I figured too late that the floor in my layout room was not level, so I have a few "unwanted" grades). Two comments on the layout design: I assume that the "Industrial Park" to the left of the partition wall is a switching point for wayfreights? If so I would lenghten the siding on the main to make it easier for the crew to swithc cars whithout blocking the main. Basically the siding should be able to hold a complete train. I have a siding at a coal mine that is too short to hold a typical local freight: It is either a dispatching nightmare (making sure to hold trains until the switching is done), a yardmaster nightmare (make sure that the train is short enough to fit) or a crew nightmare (how do I sort the train into the available tracks whilst getting the work done). Nice challenges, but not really positive ones. I would also rethink the "Pusher Grade" concept. The grade appears much too short to really warrant a pusher engine. 1.75% will be easy work for the model engines, so they do not "need" a pusher. But if the main purpose of the garde is to add operational interest I would continue the grade right up to the (staging?) yard. Trains could be either staged with the pushers attached, or the pusher crew could run back down the hill. Operations could also very between trains as some very heavy trains might require the pushers for braking power coming downhill again. As you might recall from previos exchanges I do model a pusher grade that is 2.25% over a distance of 24 feet: The elevation change is noticable / substantial, some freight trains would not make it without the pushers, so the need to "work" besides adding operational interest. But we found that sometimes with an ABBA set of F-units we run through rather than to add the helper. I guess that this might happen on your layout if the grade is merely a hill. Food for thought.... Cheers Dirk
Looks great! I know what you mean about "NOTHING is square", I USED to own an 1889 Queen Anne Victorian... 'nuf said! Speaking of your excellent benchwork and backdrops, do you have a contingency plan for replacing a broken window? Since you cross a few windows, not sure if they will be accessible once you've got everything in place. Just want to save you a lot of aggravation down the road if you have a storm or, heaven-forbid, "troublesome neighbors"... I agree with Tony, keep a good photographic history... My wife is going to scrapbook mine once I get started... Would be neat to sit down with the great-great grandkids and show them the album... "This is how we built model railroads back in my day...by hand..." "Model what?" :tb-biggrin:
Maybe I should rethink this grade all together. It really serves no purpose and does not add much to the layout as a whole. Hmmm.... I see the point about the small industrial switching area, will revisit that. I have never considered the idea of a broken window. I do have storm windows and even they are difficult to service as some exterior trim was installed over the mounting flanges years ago. Replacing a window would be tough.... Most of our storms do approach from the west, this is good....but the dreaded hurricane blows directly into these east facing windows....
You could always install permanent shutters on the outside. They can be decorative with some custom made "train" shutter dogs. At the very least, position your backgrounds so they are just as wide as your interior trim, fastened with screws or other easy-to-release fasteners.
Hutch, covering the windows with your backdrop might indeed not be a good idea: If you ever need to get to the windows you will "hack" your way through the backdrop. I suggest that you consider building an "access hatch" into the backdrop. I needed to cover 2 windows with backdrop and the upper level benchwork, so I left a gap between the benchwork and the backdrop, so I can pull the backdrop access hatch forward and out. The hatch itself is the same material (masonite) as the backdrop. It sits in a metal U-channel at the lower edge and is held in place by two magentic latches at the upper corners. My layout is in the basement, so I have not opened the windows in about 10 years, but it is reassuring to know that I could. Here is a pic: The gaps are small, so most visitors do not even recognize they are there.... Cheers Dirk
I am not trying to dismiss these window concerns, but this is not a residence. I only use one room of this house for my office, and we don't want to demolish it b/c it was my grandparents home. No one ever sleeps in this house, it is really just used as a big hobby room and my office. From a safety perspective, I have an outside door in this room and another route to an outside door should it be needed in a fire. Shutters are a good idea.... Just to keep the windows from breaking... Not to mention they would look nice. Dirk... that is a beautiful shot... nice work!
Hutch: I wouldn't cover up the windows with a back drop. You can use a back drop that is temporary and slips in place. That's what I'm doing in my new train room. I have 3 windows to deal with. A temporary back drop that can be removed is the way I'm going to handle it.
Hutch, looks great! I am new to this group but I am also in the process of building a new layout. Looks like you are doing a nice job. Please keep the progress coming! Thanks Geoff
Heyy, this looks really great. I wish I could have so much space to built a layout:tb-sad::tb-sad:. Looking forward to seeing other pictures about future progress.
