As i was sitting on the computer, my dad came to me, with a jokingly suggestion of building a layout in the attic(as everywhere else is full ) of course, i’ve thought of this in the past…though i was wondering is it practical?
The attic, is mostly plywood’d floored, and farily clean, only problem i see, is the thaw, freeze cycle, during the winter, its cold up there, maybe -1, in the summer is hot as a demons house, the temperatures change dramatically, which poses a concern. that it could put condensation on the tracks, loco’s etc, and rust… Has anyone done such a thing?
Yes it has been done on many occasions. Houses weren’t always as big as they are now. Most attics are uninsulated and doing so would add to the enjoyment. The biggest problem is sloping ceilings and moving a layout to a normal height severely restricts the amount of railroad for the number of square feet. Check out Bill McClanahans railroad. he is the guy who wrote the Kalmbach scenery book years ago. His was excellent and in an attic.
I wouldn’t recommend it without doing some sort of climate control. First of all, I’m sure the heat and humidity won’t play well with the electronics in the summer. Secondly… do YOU want to be up there in -1 degree weather and when it’s “hot as a demons house”? I know I wouldn’t want to be.
I know it’s the same basic concept of unused space as the basement, but the basement has a whole lot better climate control.
I also live in the Great White North. The other side of the GTA.
Not sure how old your house is, but mine was built 90 years ago.
Ok, true, there are climatic limitations to having a layout in the attic. Heat & cold are things to worry about.
My attic has windows on the front & back that allow me to move the air, with the help of a fan, in the summer & it doesn’t get that cold in the winter. I can go up there in a t-shirt & shorts & there is no HVAC duct work to that level.
My layout has been up there for 6 years now.
I haven’t experienced any sort of problem with my benchwork or my track since I started.
I also haven’t seen any rust on the track, locomotives or switches.
I have several Shinohara brass switches, not in use any more, but I did use & polished them 5 years ago & they haven’t experienced any abnormal build-up of tarnish either.
The following are photo’s of my layout.
The top of the benchwork is about 3 feet. Not very tall. Something to ponder as well.
It works for me because I have no choice due to the height issue.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me offline. You can email me through my profile.
I built mine in the attic and I have had no problems as of yet. I am sure that not all attics are alike but mine stays about 55-65 in the winter, if it gets cooler I have an oil radiator that plugs into the wall [:D]and it gets a little warm in the summer but nothing a window fan doesnt correct. Another positive side to the attic is it doesnt flood, ( neither does my basement but that is already taken).
How “atticky” is your attic? Mine is only about 6 feet tall at the peak, and slopes off at 45 degrees. Access is through a pull-down stairway. It’s got an open vent to the outside on one end. Hot as Hades in the summer, and, since the Red Sox won the World Series a couple of years back, Hades can officially freeze over in the wintertime here in Massachusetts. Snow blows in that vent sometimes, and it sticks.
Insulating an attic can be tricky. You have to make sure you have proper ventilation, so that the roof can “breathe.” Otherwise, you may get condensation and heat buildup, and greatly reduce the life of the outside roof itself. Just slapping foam insulation on inside of the roof would not be a good idea.
I thought of putting a layout up there, but the concept of stooping over all the time didn’t appeal to me. Also, that pull-down stairway kind of limits the size of materials that can be brought up - when putting down the floor boards a number of years back, I had to limit myself to pieces no more than about 3x4 feet so I could get them through the opening.
wowzers, didnt know this was a popular topic, as to answer some questions, its not very tall at all, maybe 6 feet at the peak, i invisioned something maybe 2 to 3 feet off the floor, that could span the length of the house, in maybe a u shape, but it would be about 24 inches wide, as one could kneel down, or sit an still access all of it. as for ventilations, theres plenty, small shutter like thingy at either end of the roof, as for insulating it…thats pretty much done, maybe a few more rolls of the pink stuff
and we have some pull down stairs, which is easily accesible in the hall way, also we can get a full sheet of plywood up there. i figured, if its good enough to store books/toys etc, then it could do a layout
Every room in our house is full…including the basement, well except for the smal 4x6 space i was alloated for the old layout
Insulating an attic can be safe as long as the insulation does not stop the air from circulating underneath the roof . There are corrugated sheets of foamboard available that insure that this circulation is maintained. In case you are not aware of it, the air enters from the overhang where the roof extends beyond the edge of the outer wall. The corrogated foamboard should be inserted into these spaces to make sure the insulation does not seal up these spaces. Similarly, any gable vents found at the ends of the roofs (at the tops of the triangles) should not be sealed off either. Installing thermostatically controlled ventilation fans in one of these vents would limit the heat build up considerably.
Is any part of the rest of the house used for storage? If you have a big, empty attic that can be accessed rather easily, you might find a way to consolidate all the holiday decorations, camping equipment, old rugs and furniture, humidifiers and de-humidifiers, winter-vs-summer clothing, etc., and put it all up, up and away. That would open up some room in the more comfortable parts of your house.
This list of stuff came from mentally walking (or rather, stooping) around my own attic. Since yours apparantly looks a lot like mine, I think you should explore other alternatives.
I have my layout in the attic. It does get a little chilly up there & also hot in the summer, but I have an outside 20.3 - 1 railroad that I work on in the summer (it gets hot outside too) I keep the door open in the winter,put a sweater on & get to work. I had trouble with shifting track the first few years.Added i few more expansion joints & no more problems,Also no problems with my DCC operation. I really think it is a better choice than the basement, more harm done by humidity than heat. Another benefit is that my shop is in the basement& it keeps me thin running up & down those 2 flights of steps
Not much room, everything that needs to be stored is in the attic, still plenty of room…sounds as if, some slight insulation, and a layout up there would work…i wouldnt keep engines up there…but…wowzers…thanks guys
Doubtful… I could be wrong but I think Mr McClanahan has been departed for several years and he predates public access to the internet… You can probably find a lot of printed information about him here though…
I’m glad a couple people have mentioned this… I’ve seen a lot of others advocate (not necassarily here) stuffing the rafters with insulation… The result will be, inside of about 10 years, a new roof needed, including the wood as it will have rotted. Very expensive indeed.
) of course, i’ve thought of this in the past…though i was wondering is it practical?