I built the first section (1 of 4) today of bench work. The total size is 13’ x 8’ with 2 removable sections to allow me to stand up and work in the center of the board. The height of the legs are 40" which is fine for me as I am short. I have adjustable feet on the legs and will bolt the 4 sections together.
The layout (HO) is going to have a double mainline, coaling facility, engine servicing facilities for both steam and diesel, along with a yard designed after the PRR yard at Sandusky, OH.
Luckily OT at work is frequent so I can pay for all of this without destroying the family budget, which keeps the wife happy (which means that I am happy).
What the wife doesn’t know yet is that I plan on adding a 4’ x 4’ section probably next year that I want to put in a round house and 130 ft turntable. This will infringe on her sewing area. Please don’t tell Her.
I am technology challenged so I will try to figure out how to post pictures as I progress if any one wants to see them.
Congratulation on the start of your layout!
You will fing model railroading to be an interesting and rewarding hobby, giving you plenty of hours of joy and entertainment (keeping you out of mischief - the missus will like it!).
13 by 8 ft. is a lot of room (at least for me - I am a "desktop-modeller), but I have a hunch that you are trying to put an awful lot of activity into that space. Looking forward to seeing pictures and may be a track plan - not that I am overly curious!
I’ll be watching your progress! I’m planning an 8’ x 15’ sectional layout myself (30" wide with open center)… mine will be PRR double mainline too… My height is going to be 50" with a branch climbing to 55" with a coal tipple. I will have some hidden staging and it is more of a display/continuous running layout than an operating layout…
I wanted an engine facility with a turntable and roundhouse too, but there just isn’t room in my plan… one of these days, I need to post up the sketches for comments… and hopefully start cutting wood soon myself.
Post up some pics - get an account on Photobucket.com and then you can load your pictures there and post them here…
I just finished benchwork for a 15x8 that tapers to 6 wide at one end. Center is cut out for operating and working.
Word of advice though. If you’re going to take over wife’s area, find an alternative area for her to take before doing so.
I agree. I hope you were kidding. If you do this for real, one of two things will happen: either you will constantly be finding sewing stuff on your layout, or your wife will suddenly find all sorts of objections to the money you are spending on your layout when you could be building her a new sewing room.
Actually I was. My wife would not be very understanding, as I think most would not be. Right now we have 2 semi permanant guests taking up 2 bedrooms. I am really hoping by next year they will be gone and my wife can be moved back into a bedroom sewing room where she was before they arrived.
I finished the 2nd bench work module. My son (26) has been helping me so I will have to do something nice for him when it is complete. I purchased my Digitrax DCC system tonight-the Zephyr Xtra, AR-1, UR-92, and 2 UP-5. Ouch!!! Can anyone explain why this great hobby is so expensive?
Hah! I made it simple. I just told my wife I’m taking the whole basement and she can have the rest of the house above it. Worked like a charm!
Anyway, good luck with your new project!
Jerry
The question of space is a never ending story, and there are certainly different approaches to solving the issue with our better halves. Now, diplomacy is not really one of my personal strengths, but I found it to be better in the long run that my wife is not only just tolerating my hobby, but also fostering it. Makes it a lot easier to sneak in one of those “must have”, but unplanned purchases!
My wife and I share a spare room. It is a mix of office, guest room, laundry room (just for the ironing bit) and a room for our hobbies. There is hardly any space left for a decent layout, so I changed scales and started to build mini modules, which can easily be assembled into a layout on my desk. Having fun in model railroading does not depend on the size of your layout!