Well, it was good while it lasted. I had been quite busy over the past week improving my year-old layout, and was very keen. This morning, the carpet installer said he couldn’t possibly work under/around it. Since we have paid for $1800 worth of carpet, guess what happened today.
I just spend five hours destroying what took me 300 hours to build last spring.
Oh, well…
The only good thing that I heard today is that my wife directed me…yes, insisted,… that I get busy with another layout immediately.
Darn. I hate it when bad news comes in pairs. [:D]
Having been caught many times between the rock of a layout I was finally getting into shape for proper operation and the hard place of (frequently unexpected) military relocation orders, I feel your pain.
On the other hand, you are incredibly fortunate to have a wife who understands model railroaders. Count your blessings - then explain that it would be a good idea to do any rethinking about track plan, benchwork design or even support system (shelves bracketed to the walls?) on paper (or a computer screen) before charging head first into construction.
After our most recent move, my wife vocally wondered why I hadn’t jumped right into building my dream layout. My answer then (and now) is that this will almost certainly be my last layout. I want it to be my best.
Man, I would have just suspended from the ceiling! Few bolts here and there and presto out of the way!
Oh well 20/20. Enjoy working on the new layout!
Peter
I offered to do that, but the manager said he couldn’t ask his installer to be under a 250 lb layout temporarily suspended from the joists. It was his call, not mine, since I neither wanted to insure the installer nor to be sued. I would have had to get pullies, ropes, etc., none of which I can foresee needing again. It made more sense to undo it all and hope to be back in operation by the fall.
And I will take my time to get as few cardinal errors out of this next one. I, too, would rather run trains on a good layout than to be perpetually wondering what to do on it next.
Since my layout is in the 2 no-car garage, I won’t have to worry about it. But I am glad I chose to continue doing modules. I can always move them if I have to.
If nothing else, the carpet will be better when your locomotive takes a swan dive off the edge of the layout. It’s also a lot more comfortable on your feet when you’re standing around the layout, either working or operating.
But you should have put the creosote in the carpet installer’s truck…[}:)]
Ouch, that had to hurt! On the bright side, I KNOW you’ve learned a heck of a lot since first building that one and will apply it to the next one.
Jarrell
If I was a pseudo-shrink, I might wonder kinda sorta, if there might have been a intention, maybe an unconscious plan, to get rid of limitations and start with a clean slate.
I feel for you Crandall. I hate carpeting and now more than ever. [censored]. I hope you are able to reuse everything and it works out better.
I also hope this doesn’t happen again in a few years when the wife wants to replace the carpet. Sounds like your wife feels bad about it though.
That’s one of the reasons I don’t like carpeting. It wears out and holds dirt no matter how often you clean it.
I seal my cement floor and use the roll up carpet runners with the rubber backing. Easy to clean and replace.
What do you think about using wall brackets this time? Then again, the next carpet installer will find some way to hit his head on the benchwork. [banghead]
The installers that know their stuff got better job working as an associate for Home Depot or Lowe’s and been replaced by illegal migrant workers earning $.50 per hour.
Good point MisterBeasley. I’ve been there, done that.
I get anxiety seeing layout photos where the train on the tracks skirting the edge of the layout. It probably be better to bring the fascia up a bit as a guard. If the scenery isn’t in place, I’ve used unfinished hard shell, stapled on rags and other stuff as temporary scenery to stop gravity from pulling the trains off the benchwork.
So true. It’s nice to have something there.
If you don’t have or want carpeting other alternatives are Interlocking Mats, Anti-fatigue Mats or Carpet Mats. With the carpet mats, you can roll them up, take them outside, soap them up, hose them down and let dry.
Yes, and covered the old label with another that says “CARPET GLUE”