I’m getting into the real fun part of planning my basement layout. Last year we got it all cleaned out, had a crew come in and demo some nasty old moldy partitions and builtins. Put in a drain system and white plaster covering the old stone foundation, and it’s almost time to start building the railroad. I’ve been rewiring all the power circuits I can reach, with conduit (used to be an electrician).
Anyhow, here’s a rough sketch of the space. (those notches around the edge are windows, high up on the wall).
I’m leaning toward a layout along the walls on the left and bottom sides, yellow highlighting doesn’t show up real well. A possible peninsula area, in pink, is probably a later option. The house has bay windows above those bumpouts, so it seems like that’s a natural for an undulating effect.
i’m going for HO, leaning more towards running the trains back and forth, not expecting big switching or formal operating sessions. If I had to pick an era/prototype, it would be PRR in the transition era, but I’m not committed to anything in particular.
I’m getting back to the hobby and can’t claim a large degree of experience, but I’m pretty handy with carpentry, electricity, etc. So my question at this point is really at the overview level.
GIven that I have a lot more space than I’m going to need for the layout (famous last words?) and the freedom to arrange things pretty much any way I want (except the area to the right has the utilities, a big fireplace foundation, and hence is the logical place to dedicate to storage and work area).
Should I:
Start with just one end to get my feet wet and concentrate on getting that part reasonably complete
Go for a more compact plan like a 10 x 15 area.
Build the benchwork all along the walls (about 50 linear feet), get some mainline laid, and
If you ever experince any water/ moisture problems, even if you haven’t, I would seal the basement walls/ floor before going to the next step of framed walls at the layout area. You say you “plastered” the walls. Do you mean repointing the stone rubble wall with morter? I hope you didn’t plaster the old foundation. Efforecence will have it falling off in no time.
UGL Drylock masonry paint works great for this. Framed walls (treated shoe) will make life easier for mountin your benchwork and any electrical wiring. The walls can be insulated, this is a must in colder climes.
The first thing to do is Plan the entire railroad!
Not every millimeter of every track, but you should have a good idea of where all the towns, main tracks and key scenery elements (tall bridge over a deep valley type) are going to be placed. Also, think about what you want in the way of staging to hold enough trains in the wings to give you a variety of potential looks (and, possibly, later operation - if you try it, you might like it.) The best thing to do is find information on how to plan using Armstrong squares - which can be done on the back of an envelope - and use that to make a complete ‘approximate’ plan. Include the peninsula in the planning, so you won’t have to puzzle out how to connect it (benchwork and trackwork) later.
Then, pick an end, make more detailed plans of that area and start building benchwork. I’d start at the right end (toward the utilities) and plan to include a return/reverse loop in that bay window cove. I personally prefer building with steel stud material - humidity (or lack thereof) doesn’t affect it, and it won’t warp or rot.
As soon as you have enough benchwork to support it, put down the first subgrade. Plop some sectional track on it, put a locomotive and a couple of gondolas on that track and use it as a tramway to carry track nails and rail joiners to the place where permanent tracklaying will begin.
As soon as there’s enough permanent track to make it worthwhile, transfer the work train over. As permanent track length increases and sidings become available, add other trains. John Armstrong ran the Canandaigua Southern - half of his train miles in reverse - for eight years before the main line was completed. My own layout has been under construction for about 31 months, and I just got to 50% on the benchwork a couple of weeks ago.
Second, start with a list of 'givens ‘n’ druthers". Then do a little research, and establish a standard (miminum radius, turnout, and max grade, etc.) Then, use those to make a track plan, but don’t get very detailed. Then get detailed and plan, but don’t plan every tree or figure, and allow for some flexibility.
I would agree about doing some planning for you layout first. Have a fairly good idea of what YOU want on the layout and what you want it to look like when its done. When I planned my layout I used a layout planning program on my computer it made a huge difference when I actually started building the layout. Most of the bench work went in as planned. One hint take accurate measurements of the layout area to input into the program. If you have a laptop you might even consider loading the program on to the laptop and sit in the layout area as you draw to help you visualize what your drawing. I wish I’d had my laptop when I was planning my layout it would have saved about 1000 trips up and down the stairs. Also read some layout planing books I read John Armstrong’s Track Planning for Realistic Operation and it was a huge help in figuring out what I needed to do. The givens ‘n’ druthers MadSinger refers to comes from that book it basically means ask yourself what you want and what will fit and what compromises your willing to make to be satisfied with the end result or that’s how I understood it. Back to the layout planning program, I only really drew out the benchwork, trackplan, major industries and major roads and streets on my plan as a time saving measure you can get carried away and spend years just drawing the layout on the computer. Also you can figure out most of the other stuff as you go.
TABULA RASA!!! Wow! I’ve never heard that phrase before,but thatnks to wikipedia, I am now up to speed.
That is a nice space you have there and I would be envious if I hadn’t already had my own 11x14 space.That space has been totally adequate for me although at times I wish for more,but catch myself thinking “you idiot why do you want more when after 8 years you’re only half finished with what you’ve got.”
Being “handy” will save you a lot of trouble and will speed up the framing process,So, you’ll need to plan what era you want,what geographic reason, What kind of services to what industries in what towns. Also the type of equipment you want to run. Etc. I’d highly reccomend the Kalmbach books on track planning if you don’t already have them. In other words for the quality space you have you need to do your homework. But some of us start to build and don’t mind changing things as we go along. Anyways keep it fun BILL
Wow, that’s a lot of great feedback in just a day! This is a very active forum, that’s for sure.
A lot of the comments seem to ring true. I’m definitely going to have a loop option, and starting at the workbench end makes sense. A reversing loop was definite for that end, I was even thinking about a helix to a lower level for staging, but that’s too much at this stage.
As far as the walls, it was a professional waterproofing job, with a vapor barrier and wire mesh, so it will stay dry. We’ve had some huge monsoon rains over the winter / spring, and it’s been completely dry in there, so I expect that to hold up. It looks pretty decent and I’m still on the fence whether to frame out. It would be better for structural support, than using expansion fasteners to secure it to the wall.
I love the work train idea, too. Great stuff! I have some of the books and will follow through with the other sources. I’m inclined to try to keep the plan pretty basic, with the idea that it’s easier and more fun to add features to the design, than to start out with a plan that’s too ambitious and never gets done.
The tentative scene concepts, from left to right,
Yard/staging,
2.turn the corner into a mountain/hill section, with enough bulge for a loop here
Valley at the first bow window, with a bridge/ track crossover / maybe even horseshoe curve kinda thing
Rural scenery between windows
Small town at the second bow
Meanwhile, I’m going to print up this thread and add to my growing file.
Bill, Glad you’re all set on a “pro” job of wall waterproofing. Great start to a dry trainroom.
Give that idea of building walls some thought. Clean studded walls will give you the ability to run electrical where needed, some insulation, a straight smoothe surface to attach the benchwork as well as the finished drywall job can be painted for your backdrops. I would hate to see you trying to Rotohammer into that newly sealed walls, into the morter joints great but could be tough into granite stone. I have never seen a straight rubble wall foundation. Attaching to it could be a real PITA.
With that much room you could start in the lower left corner and add studs on which you could nail on a backdrop to your layout. This would allow access to the rear for wiring, back support for the layout, and a flat support for a backdrop. With high windows, you can stay below the windows with your backdrop. Consider using backdrop material that will allow for continuous curves into the alcoves.One possibility would be to make a branching set of peninsulas with aisles going toward the alcoves and stretching into the room between the alcoves. My own 24’x24’ garage loft layout started off as a E on one wall, and eventurally circled the entire room with peninsulas. With as much room as you have, you could stay away from the back-yard door. The right side of the basement could be a lounge and workbench. Several of the members of my model railroad club have carpeted lounges and neatly arranged utilities as part of the basement. This would be ideal with your central stairway. By all means, make your layout DCC with radio control, (if you can afford it). Since you mention reverse loops, I have to assume that you are going for DCC. I have six reverse loops and three wyes. At present, I am completing a rather vast Ashland Iron and Steel complex on one of my peninsulas, that has a harbor with an ore boat being unloaded by two Hulett Unloaders, (when the back ordered kits arrive in July). One other project that is still in the construction stage is to use old “slot-car” track, with a heavy wire plastered into the slot. The Faller Car System cars,trucks, and buses follow the buried wire magnetically. I had all the mountains, river ravines, harbors, roadways, towns, etc. planned before I started construction, on a small scale. I included dead switches on the layout, planned for later expansion. Fortunately, I had oodles of structures from previous layouts, with industries that I change ocassionally. I have liftout Luan ovals, over
