Hi-rail floor layout idea

[FJ and G]

Normally, you associate carpet layouts with traditional toy trains, not hi-rail.

The thought occurred to me the other day as I was handlaying a 78 inch crossover on a 1 ft X 6.5 ft piece of masonite that I am planning to install on my shelf layout.

It looked so fine ballasted and detailed sitting there on the floor so I put some trains on it and it looked keen.

Add about another foot or so for some structures or scenery and run it along thru the house, perhaps with a small backdrop.

This would really solve some people's space problems and esp for people with lots of doors and windows.

For high foot traffic areas, as in walking thru the doors, the tracks could be set in "asphalt" so that you could safely walk on the tracks.

Has anyone ever considered doing this?

My shelf layout is too far advanced to try this but I think it could solve a lot of people's problems. Instead of sitting to watch your trains, you could sit on a bean bag or lay down.

Dave Vergun

[jonadel]

David,

I'd be very interested in any photo's you could share. I'd like to do something like this at Christmas simply because I have so much extra track and a few extra trains, of course that means another DCS system.........

Jon

[ChiefEagles]

When I was a kid, a friend had a monster floor layout. On wood. Was like today's raised layouts but on the floor flat. His wiring was on top but can not remember how he camofloged it. You could step in certain places and work on cars or buildings. Operated it from one corner where you walked into the room. HUMMM

[FJ and G]

chief,

The wires could be easily hid under the masonite. I would make all turnouts manual to minimize wiring.

Jon,

I'm documenting the entire step-by-step process of this MASSIVE crossover. It's still in the construction stage but I've photographed all of the tools I'm using and step by step process. Photos I already have are:

1. marking the track lines with pen and rulers and gluing on the ties

2. ballasting

3. installation of outside stock rails

4. installation of the first crossover rail including the heel of the frog

that's where I'm at. 4 photos thus far. I don't want to show them until it's all done. I'm using real film now so they should be very sharp.

I'm going to be taking a lot more photos of every process. I decided to not use glue this time and to instead use spikes.

halfway thru the project this weekend I ran out of spikes so I had some thin nails that were too long so made spikes out of them by cutting them diagonally with lineman's pliers.

[waltrapp]

chief: don't know if you ever saw pictures of my floor layout that I've posted from time to time. It's a Christmas only 14'x14' layout. To help hide wires, and to protect them too (from being tramped on, etc) I first put down a layer of 1/2" blue board leaving 1" gaps between the pieces. This gives me channels to run all my wiring thru. I then put Homasote on top of this leaving only the smallest of gaps to bring the wires up and thru were needed.

Of course this requires a little advanced planning but not much. It's gotten a bit harder with DCS and non-DCS on the same layout, but it's still a good way to run wires.

Where the wires come up thru, there's all kinds of ways to hide them: Ground foam, under roads (I use tar paper for roads so running wires underneath is easy), but the best advantage of using what I do is that the wires are brought up thru EXACTLY where they are needed.

- walt

[Anonymous]

David:

Did you say a 78 inch crossover? As in 6' 6" long? It must be nice having the space for that!

Only slightly envious Tony

[FJ and G]

tony,

yes, as a matter of fact. It actually will take up a lot of space but I wanted a cool crossover. I'm excited about finishing the project and posting how-to pictures.

I may even do a diorama to "pose" the crossover with some trains on it

[lionelsoni]

Hermann Goering had a permanent floor layout in the attic of Karinhall. See http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=48770&start=30

[lionelsoni]

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