We are in the process of moving into a new house over the next few weeks, should be all done and moved in around Thanksgiving. This house is a big upgrade in more ways than one. Over the last 5 years, I've been trying to model in a 10'x4' closet, but there will be a finished, insulated attic space available that is about 44'x16'. A few design considerations I am going to have to deal with are: 1) Typical attic sloped ceiling with a flat wall height of about 4', most likely will limit any design to a single level. 2) We also want to use the space as a play area for our 2-1/2 year old, so floor space must be maximized. 3) I want to use Jeff Johnston's plywood shelf bracket technique to minimize the number of structural supports on the carpet. However, there is wainscoting (3/4" thick, hardwood floor material) on the 4' flat wall height that is throughout the room. It is unknown at this time if it can support the weight of bench work. I think it should, especially if I can place screws through the wainscoting, through the drywall and hit a stud every so often. 4) Access doors to the eaves must be able to open (water heater, and more storage), so bench work design will need to have some lift-outs in a couple places, or a reinforced "bridge" between sections that would allow the doors to open. 5) An around-the-walls, shelf-style layout seems like the best fit for my needs. Perhaps a "C" shape design with like a 30' run, 15' or so run, then a 20'+ run up the opposite wall. Am I thinking too much "inside the box"? Maybe there is a better way to maximize the running length better than a point-to-point shelf layout?
You own the home, and will be able to stay there for a good, long time? So any fears of needing to move are very small?
Yes, we expect to be here 10 years at a minimum. Whatever the configuration, the next layout will be built in sections, regardless.
Do you have vertical access to the layout space? Can you come up in the middle of a "doughnut" around-the-walls layout with no duck-under? That used to be my ideal until my knees started to give out.
I'm not exactly what you mean by vertical access, but there is a nice, full-size oak stair well up to the finished attic room / layout space. I'd prefer to stick to point-to-point. The more I think about it, I may be able to at least have a partial length second level below. That depends largely on how high the top/main level bench work would end up being. It would have to be partial length as not to interfere with the access doors and the built-in book cases at each end of the room. We're moving our first load this morning, I'll try to get some actual measurements of the room today so I can develop some preliminary plans.
In addition to room measurements, it would be good for the floor plan to show exact location of stairs, eave access doors (and which side they open on), bookcases, and any windows/dormers. There are probably light switches somewhere in the attic. Locate them on your floor plan because any layout plan should permit you easy access to them. Same with electrical outlets (and phone jacks or TV/internet cable jacks). Before going too far on track plans, you may want to consider how you will illuminate the layout: Will existing lighting be sufficient, or will you need to change the current lights, reposition them, or add more to the same or a different circuit. Your floor plan should show any existing overhead lighting fixtures that must NOT be changed (e.g., stairwell light?), and also any that you are willing to change. FWIW, I just had some electrical work done on 4 of the 6 circuits that serve the whole basement that is filled with my layout. The work would have been MUCH less expensive if I'd had the work done at the time of moving in 12 years ago.
Somewhat crude sketch of the floor plan in the attic. I don't have access to anything better at the moment other than for actual track planning.
It would seem that such a length would make it possible for a nice 'walking along with a train' type of layout.
Haven't been around in a long while and just happened onto this. Yeah, it does look a bit problematic standing room-wise, anyway. Just now thought: Make it a completely sit down MRR. so that all the space is available to design the trackage. Use those small black cloth office chairs on wheels which go up and down. They are quite comfy and roll smooth. Perhaps change the rug to a hard surface and you and others will glide around real easy. Lowest level could be about your son's height when sitting. Make sure to include enough aisle way for chairs to pass each other. Unusual but logical for your situation. Bench work could, of course, rise above you and actually go over you in places ..Middle areas you could stand up sometimes. Freight or staging yards could be right in front of you. Well, something like that.....
I agree, That is about the same idea that I've been having for the space. I failed to measure the height of the wall, but seems to come up to the middle of my chest. Approximately 4' height for a guy 6' tall. That also puts the top shelf right at eye level in a sitting position.... perfect! One problem is that the floor covering is not a rug. It is fully carpeted with padding, possibly 20 years old but in great shape. I think the amount of work to remove that would be vast for little gain. If I can build my bench work entirely wall-bracket mounted (other than a helix) and find some plastic office floor mats, the rolling office chair idea should still work.
My first thought is that since you have a small model railroader right there, I would explore the possibility of lego railroads. Your little train engineer really needs a lego layout on that carpeted floor. What have your previous layouts been like? What scale do you prefer? You could build a single track mainline with a folded double oval on one half of the room for continuous running, and then extend two long shelves off of that for a couple of city scenes. This is an image of small double oval, but I am thinking you could build a larger one with an operating pit in the middle. http://singerscrossing.yolasite.com/resources/Gorre & Daphetid.jpg Ok, now to actually read everyone else's responses.
He has several Thomas trains, and I know Santa is bringing him a table for his wood sets. That is the main reason why I'd like to maximize floor space with a primarily shelf design. My past three layouts have been point - to - point switching due to confined space, all HO. Sent from my PantechP8010 using Tapatalk
I'm going to stick with point to point on this next layout. It is being designed with operation in mind, so with a partial lower level as well as hidden staging in one on the eaves (see floor plan: bottom right hand door), the plan I'm working on should keep 3-4 guys busy. The staging in the eaves (for lack of a better term) should work well. A 4 foot door opens into an 8'x8' space where our water heater is, I have no trouble standing up in. Uninsulated, but useable 8 months of the year. Sent from my PantechP8010 using Tapatalk
If you put the layout at the right end of the floor plan and family/kid space at the left end (stairway end) of the floor plan, and don't use the cabinet tops for layout shelves, you will only be able to avoid duck-unders, liftouts, or swing gates if you confine the layout to one side of the room. If you are willing to use the top of the cabinets by the door to the water heater space to run a 1 to 2 inch thick shelf (1'6"x 11'3") with 1 or 2 tracks going from the top right to bottom right (passing in front of the window), you will be able to have walking access from stairs to water heater door...potentially twice the square footage of layout footprint compared to not using the cabinet tops. Given that the ceiling slants in to intersect the wall at about 54 inches (give or take a few), and assuming the top of the access doors is about 48 inches and you set a 1 to 2 inch thick, 6 inch deep shelf along the wall crossing just above the access doors, the track elevation near the access doors will need to be about 50 inches, although you would be able to raise or lower your track elevation as you move away from the access doors and away from the wall/ceiling. I would strongly urge you to leave a wide enough aisle in front of the cabinet doors that permits you to open both doors while standing in front of the cabinet. (The shallow shelves along the bottom wall over the water heater access door and along the top wall onto the top of the right end cabinets should be positioned to minimize how much they interfere with accessing the top shelf inside the cabinet.) Where is the water heater located within the 8x8 space under the eaves? Could you show us where staging might go...and where you might need to put a hole(s) in the wall to pass a train from the layout in the attic space to the staging in the eave space? Does the roof in the eave space continue down at the same slant as the ceiling in the attic space...so that to have adequate clearance between the staging tracks and the ceiling of the eave space just 1 foot into the eave space from the attic wall, you would have to set maximum track elevation at 44 or 45 inches instead of 50 inches (i.e, 1 to 4 inches lower than track in the attic space). Would you be able to have tracks pass through the wall to enter staging in the eaves at the top of the floor plan instead of (or in addition to) staging in the water heater space at the bottom right of the floor plan?
I'm about 70% done with the rough draft of a track plan for the space, that will illustrate better what I have in mind more than what I can try to explain. I can use the tops of the cabinets on the right end of the space, it would be nice to open and close the doors, but eliminating the doors and making the cabinets de facto book shelves would be an option. I measured the actual wall height last night, it varied from 52" to 53" depending on the location. The access door is 48" with 3" wood door trim around, so the trim could be modified if necessary. I am thinking about a 12" deep by 36" long span over the water heater access door out of 1x3's. Should provide for adequate strength when fastened to the adjoining bench work on either side. The water heater is straight back against the back of the outside wall. Just open the door and there it is about 10 feet away. The head room in the eave is full height once you crawl through the door, should be able to run level through the wall and onto a shelf for the staging area. The "top" of the floor plan (the back side of the house) has no eaves, so the roof line drops down and leaves me with about a 5' deep space with no head room at all. I attached a picture of the house from the internet listing, since I didn't get any pictures of my own. Gives you an idea of how the eaves are. The specific one that I'm going to plan for staging in is the one to the right that is cut off in the picture. Again, I'm more than half way with the rough draft of a track plan, I think it will help illustrate what I have in my head and something to go off of from there on.
I'm really not too happy with this initial track plan. I feel like I didn't do a good job of utilizing the space available. Good: 1) I like Burning Springs to Grantsville area. 2) Avoca #6 Mine can handle two 20-car coal trains at once. 3) The Gas and Carbon Black industries are a good representative of the region of WV being modeled. Carbon Black industry is rarely modeled. Bad: 4) Wasted space 5) Overly large yard at Elizabeth 6) No plan for towns / communities. 7) Very little boxcar or covered hopper traffic Ideas: 8) If I have hidden staging in the eave, I don't need a giant yard at Elizabeth... I should trim a few tracks and the turntable off. 9a) If I scoot the helix to the left, I could draw the Burning Springs area out into a peninsula with a big curve. 9b) Extra peninsula creates a little more room for a small town. 10) I would like to have more traffic for my covered hoppers and boxcars. I found a few nice track plans online today to use as inspiration, back to the drawing board!
I revised my plan many many times before I got it how I wanted. Then changed a couple things while building it too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Even my very small switching layout went through eleven versions before I was completely happy with it. You've got a good foundation, now comes tweaks both large and small.
