Been a while since I last posted up. Been moving, and moving, and yes, moving. Got most things somewhat unboxed. Still have a ways to go, but this weekend I started on my NEW TRAIN ROOM. It’s been a bit over 20 years since I had a room to set anything up. But now the time is here. I took a few photos and even got on the computer to draw out the room with a small free cad program. I hope you all can get an idea of the room as it’s got some “features” that I’ll need some help planning around. I’m excited as all get out!!
This is a diagram of the overall room. It’s an upstairs room (271" by 171") with a small alcove (37" x 100") the ceiling is a bit sloped in on the sides with stair case going down. I used XTakCad and then exported a bitmap. ((Big learning curve this weekend))
This is a photo with my daughter, she was a big help putting in the flooring. Which, BTW is a laminate hardwood 12mm with a 3mm foam/rubber backing over the 3/4 plywood. Yes, it’s a bit spendy and I would have been just as happy to leave the plywood, but the wife wan
Congradulations with the new room. It’s always nice and exciting to be starting fresh. Plus, it looks like you’re going to have a very comfortable environment for building.
Oh man, if I had a room like that you’d never see me again. Still trying to convince the wife thatt I need to basement family room(when it’s complete) to do an around the walls layout like that. So far it’s a no go, but I have time to work on her.
Congrats on the room, looks like it’s very spacious and well ventilated. good luck and keep us posted.
I am very excited. It’s heated/cooled with the rest of the house as the stair case opens from the downstairs living room.
Now I just have to figure out the track plan… That’s going to be a huge undertaking for me. I’m really going to need some input from ya all. Never done it. Heck, maybe run a contest! LOL, can you tell I’m just a big kid in a candy store. I’ve waited so long, been collecting and then just packing the stuff in blue bins.
And please, no worries on anyone who may have comments. But like I mentioned, I’ll get some more details posted up here soon.
Welcome to our world. Don’t admit it to your wife, but we’re all really big kids. [swg]
You’ve got a nice space that has lots of possibilites. What sacel are you going to be model railroading in?
I’m in N-Scale abd have been since 1978 or 1979. Unfortunately I hadn’t done anything in it since 1987 until last May. Since then I’ve dismatled what used to be my layout and started a new one. Just finished the painting the walls and and about to strat putting the clouds on them.
All of us are looking forward to reading your posts.
Good stuff. I just got trains running in my new trainroom a couple of months ago. It was the down stairs bed guest room/bed room and I wanted to allow for occasional guests, so I did a rather narrow around the room layout. Bench work was 1/2" plywood panels with 3/4" pine frames around the edges, and 2 inch foam on top. It is completely self supporting, hung on wall brackets. I made the wall brackets up from 2*4 and plywood, held to the studs with sheet rock screws. On the outside cinder block walls, bracket spacing is as wide as four feet, but the layout feels solid and doesn’t wobble. It’s probably strong enough to stand on, but only probably. Being narrow, a foot stool on the floor gives me access everywhere in the room.
The three doors (bathroom, closet, and hall) are crossed with lift out sections. Lifting out and fitting back is tedious enough that I tend to leave them in place, resulting in a layout entered by a duck under. Not ideal, but I have no better suggestions. Layout height is 42" largely to clear a couple of pieces of furniture.
For track planning, I relied heavily upon the classic "Track Planning for Realistic Operation " by John Armstrong. It has marvelous ideas, practical methods of estimating what will fit, and graphs and tables for easements of curves, turnouts, and clearances.
I located turnout controls and block toggle switches on the fascia for walk around operation. Ther is no central control panel. I will buy or build a walk around throttle one of these days. Right now I just hold an ordinary wired MRC power pack in one hand.
Road bed is home made 1/4 inch pine. I resawed ordinary 3/4" pine down to 1/4" on a bandsaw and beveled the edges with a router. It holds track nails beautifully and will permit hand laying should I get that fancy.
Great room. I built 5 layouts over 50 years without a good room and none ever really ran or looked good. Now I also have a room, and it is ever fun. May you be the envy of all who read here, and may you enjoy the room as much as I have mine.
Wow you have a fantastic space there! You’ll be happy with the laminate flooring; I installed it in the new basement 6 years ago and we love it. Just beware it will scratch a bit, so I would recommend placing protective padding under any benchwork legs that rest on the floor. Looking forward to watching your progress on this layout–be sure to post often! Jamie
I will be modeling Union Pacific during the transition era - freelance based on prototypical. Not sure on the exact dates yet. But thinking anything pre-1960. I have Big Boys, Challengers, GP 7 & 9’s, EMD SD7’s, F7’s, PA’s, SW7’s, NW’s, H15-44’s, Veranda Turbines, a Coal Turbine, 0-6-6 Sadle switcher, and a few others I can’t remember as they are boxed up still.
Digitrax DCC.
Would like to use Iowa Interstate and KCS as a branch/interchange line and thus the main would be in the midwest and running west.
I’ve got some design elements in mind: a coal or ore mine/plant, John Deere plant, sock yard and a meat packing plant (Walthers Chapion Meat Packing), a engine servicing yard (I have a 132 Walthers turn table), a military base, a grain (Walthers ADM) plant, one city, and a smaller town, or two.
Would like to have a two line main that can be looped for continuous running and also point to point.
Thinking of a two shelfs, and or maybe a third for extra staging. And that means a helix.
I like puzzle track works (if that makes any sence). I just joined a RR Club and they do alot of operations and it is KILLER fun. So that’s got to be included. So with the track workings and running big steam, I’ve just about figured to use Fast Tracks for building turnouts. They look killer and operations are key so I’ll do what it takes for solid track preformance.
I want to do this first layout as best possible - taking all your insightfull recomindations and not making costly mistakes. Not going to be penny wise and pound foolish. If it takes longer for me save a few bucks to get the better item, so be it.
Nice room. Use it wisely. Maybe this will help you some.
What I do for layout design (have done so far) is define my area and benchwork first. Next I decide on a theme. (Mainline running, with a branch line(?) or other special interests.) Then I put in a mainline. (I am fond of twice around the room types divided by scenery and grades.)
Since I have gotten into operations, I also have a staging area of some sort, whether it is a lay-over for entire trains, or a yard that simulates an interchange yard. One track in staging is a through track for continuous running. If I put cars on it, the layout becomes point to point for operations.
Next I try and determine how many small towns I can have, and possibility one city with a yard and loco facilities, without them crowding one another. Usually small yards and facilities unless I have the room for larger ones. I will try to fit in a way-side industry or two just for variation as long as it won’t crowd things.
Then I go looking at plans for modular railroads. I look for ones that would make good towns or cities because their track plans are usually fairly compact, and most of the way they will be switched is already determined with a good track plan themselves.
Because I freelance, I don’t worry about town and city names etc., but if you want to model a specific prototype, you can name the towns as the railroad you are modeling would, and build or plan you scenery to suite the area you want to model. Also, some of the industries that may be recognizable in a town you choose to name from a real one may have to be built or otherwise implied to achieve the “feeling” of the real town.
When building starts, I try and get all of the benchwork built first. Then plan where the towns will go and install the mainline to get some trains running. Then I work on one of the yards so I can store stuff when not running. Then I plug along on the other track work and scenery design and continue from there.
Me, too! But with a twist! I have an 8’ x 28’ front porch that was a mostly unused catchall that I have aquired dominion of. In process is building and installing stud panels, sheathing and windows to match the house, lighting, and underlayment flooring. Now comes the fun part… I do Free-mo Modules for big setup with others and here in the northwest we can run at 42" or 50" rail height. So, what I am doing is setting up 42" high modules along one wall and 50" high along the other. I have long wanted to try building a spline helix, which I now get to do at the blind end of the room to join both sets of modules so I can run actual trains at home, and still be able to take my modules to setups and shows! Actually it will be two splines, spacing is maintained with glued-in blocks so that the passing siding is 38"r. and the main line is 42 1/4" r. The side of the helix exposed to the room will be open mountainside along a river, and the rest will be tunnels. At Last, my own layout! jc5729 john Colley, Port Townsend, WA
Here is my very basic and preliminary around the walls design. Taken me a while to get the hang of using a cad program. No yards yet, but I did put in an interchange into the alcove. It will be a sight duck-under, but I’m good with that. I’m thinking of putting in an oval helix within the peninsula to get more main line. The yard would seem natural to be located on the south wall. But heck, what do I know, never done any of this before!!!
Nice size room to start with. preliminary track plan looks good as well , I like the wye. Plan gives you lots of opportunity for scenery as well for adding in the industry spurs.
Someone mentioned painting walls blue with tinge of white for horizon , great idea , I did it the hard way and had to paint afterward.
We have had just great weather here in the midwest these last few weeks - clear beautiful skies so I went out and took several photos from the horizon up through the zenith. Also went to the paint store and selected several paint samples to see what it will look like inside the room. I am going take everyone’s advice and at least get a basic sky up but I’m not sure what I’m going to do about lighting! I only have a ceiling fan with four bulbs in there at the moment. That’s not going to cut it. If I match the sky photos with the paint samples will it really change much if I do some addional lighting later??
The paint colors will appear a bit different as you add additional lights since they will provide additional illumination and brighten the overall appearance of the backdrop. However, what will really change the appearance of your backdrop colors is what type of lights you end up using. For example, you state that right now you have a ceiling fan with four bulbs. Assuming these are typical incandescent bulbs, your backdrop will look different–possibly much different–if the layout lighting you install is not the same as your ceiling fan lights, say fluorescent tubes or compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). This is why I highly recommend deciding on the layout lighting, installing at least a fixture or two, and then use that lighting to view your sky photos and color samples side-by-side (with all other room lights off that will not be on when you operate the layout). This will give you the truest match and will insure the sky appears as you would expect it to once you have all of the backdrops painted and layout lighting installed.
If you want to see an example of how the colors can vary widely under different types of lights, go to the nearest home improvement paint department. They usually have some little cubby holes in the paint displays that allow you to stick the color chips in and see how they differ under different types of incandescents and fluorescents. While I would not use this for making actual color choices (those little cubby holes are just too small and get affected by the overhead lights in the store), it is useful for seeing how different colors actually look under different lighting types.
The reason I have so much info on this right now is because I am currently preparing my backdrops for painting just as you seem to be. In fact, I have about thr
