Over this past weekend, I THREATENED about posting some picstures of a Engine House I planned on bashing. Well everything didn’t quite go to plan, buthere are the pictures anyway.
Sunday is usually a short day for train activity, after church, family breakfast, a little family time, it is usually 2 or 3 before I get to the train room. This Sunday, we had an unexpected visitor. My nephew returned from Iraq at Thanksgiving, and has been at Fort Hood, Texas. He got a 30 day leave and was on his way home to Sacramento. He called and said he was coming over Sunday evening. So we had a great dinner, and spent the evening with him. Time really well spent!!! So, didn’t get quite as much done as I planned.
Anyway here are the pictures…
An overview of the layout area. The wall under the sign will have shelves, eventually. Window to the right is where the “deviated line” was.
As the bridge on the right as a reference point, the engine yard feeds the main portion of the layout. The first rail (where the N&W is setting) will be a program and maintenance siding.
The two vacant lines are the mainlines that go around the perimeter of the layout. The two spurs to the right is our industrial area, which extends around the corner.
Continuing around is our town area. It is essentially setting inside a figure 8, which accomodates reversing the main lines.
Geno - Actually the engine house kit is a Heljan, which I found for $35, it is the same building and kit that you see in a number of others. The kit is Heljan 1042 Engine House, I found it last year on ebay.
Kurt - The “bumpers” at the end of each track segment will have a LED in them for track power.
Hey Don, you certainly are making progress.[tup] I think it would be cool if you left the roof off the engine house to show workers doing their trade inside. Lot’s of possibilities there with the size of that structure.
Oh, and I expected to see your former “expansion” portal bricked over.[(-D]
Love that layout, so those are all Ross switches? Which is your favored switch model from Ross, are they the scale switches (#4, #6 etc) or radius switches (O72)?
Looks good Don. Everything neat and tidy. mine suffers from 25 yrs. of add ons. also a good deal on the engine house, I sold one at lasts months show for $50.00.
Fife - I think thats a great idea! I will keep that option open, the space is somewhat tight but that is well worth doing something with. Especially since it is the closest thing any visitor will see, and the first. Need to have the roof or at least half of it removable. Hmmmm that could be good!
No offense fife, but I’m not too sure you would be the best source for advice regarding women. The only one that is here is SHMBO.
Brutus - Regarding the switches, initially I ordered all radius switches. Bob at the not so LHS, recommended the scale switches especially where I was doing a crossing between two parallel lines. Boy, did that ever work out better!!! You can actually adjust them to accommodate the desired track width, and certainly more realistic operation. I wish I would have used more of them and less radius switches.
Roy - York ???, hmmm Boy I sure would like too!!! But that ain’t going happen this year! Got to let the check book recover. And try to get what I got in place. But, I will be there in SPIRIT, for sure!!! (those were the shortest days that I ever experienced).
Sir James - At the time I purchased the engine house, they were $35. So I got 2 because of the price. Thought maybe might have two different locations, possibly two distant cities. Well when the planning got down to reality, and a major change in room definition. Didn’t know what I was going to do with the second one. But it all worked out. Right outside that window is the pool, and that side of the room faces south. So I have the sun, passing by that wall. So wanted the houses to provide some protection for
Like I’ve said over and over. Someone had to help you. You could not have done that good on your own. [;)] Maybe Dougsnotagrump came up and helped. [(-D]
Jim H - Yep, the UP cars are MTH, the Diesel setting next to the engine shed is a MTH AC4400 dummy unit. In addition to the UP passenger train, we also have the MTH Norfork Western, and a Lionel Illinois Central passenger trains.
Chief - That’s why it has taken so long, only me. Unfortunately, I DON’T HAVE A YOUNG NEIGHBOR TO HELP ME. IF I DID I WOULD GIVE HIM A TRAIN TOO. MUCH LESS ANY CITY EMPLOYEES TO COERECE.
Awesome layout! What really caught my eye was your shelf layout.
Can you post some more detail photos of it? Like yours, I have a soffit that I have to work around. In my case, the soffit only contains 2 can lights that I’m going to remove and then I’ll pop a hole in it and run the train inside - like a tunnel.
Anyhow - if you have some time to post photos of it - that would be great!
Brad - The soffit that I had to work with is actually the “overhang” on the house. The room is an enclosed patio/screen room that was added on. The house has a stucco finish, and the only thing could really due was just put brackets on to hold the shelving. I am running 2 G scale tracks around the perimeter. The shelf is 15" wide.
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I just used some angle iron under the overhang to secure the shelf with, then the balance of the room I had to put up a “ledger” board to secure the brackets to. The actual wall is 4" thick vinyl sheeting filled with foam. So it needed some vertical support to spread the load out. Hence the ledger board.
I realize this is an old thread but I just got the same kit from Atlas and had to kitbash it also. While doing so I realized that it might do Atals some good to make the kit easier to shorten/or lenthen just by making the roof pieces more adjustable, as in make them have seems at the same places the walls do. I had to cut the roof and everything to make it fit. It is a great kit though. I had two of them from my father in HO scale. I think he has another in HO on his layout now.