The New Indoor DNRR

[dwbeckett]

I am planning a G scale RR in the 2car side of a 3car garrage. So far I have setteled on 9' minamum diam. with the bulk of the main line being 10'. I have a large s curve with both 11.5 and 10 diam. track . So far I have 4 #6 switchs and 2 10ft. dim plus 1-19 deg crossover. The plan calls for about 45% hidden track serving as yards. and a seperate logging and tourist road about 6.5 to 7 ft off the floor. Also the main line starts at 42" above the floor ( one of the reverse loops) and travels to 63' above the floor. I have tried to maintane less the 2% gardes . additional info: I will be a running a 7car + 2-3 engin passinger train,
15 car (for now) +2-4 engin coal drag. I have a ABBA black widow set .
I have garthering G guage equipment since 1990, I have resently disposed of all the brass track that I had and Have converted to stainless. I have now started to gather cork road-bed "O" sacle. The NEW DNRR will be located in RENO NV. Any help or questions??????????

[Capt Bob Johnson]

With all the motive power you want to run you'd best make sure you have a 15 or 20 amp power pac!

[Anonymous]

Listen mate, just foprget about all that you are going to do.

Intead concentrate on what yopu are doing.

Start small and steady as she goea as you will almost certainly change your mind as you go. Just get yourself a little starter set and go from there.

You never know you may not like it or suddenly get other ideas.


Rgds ian

[ttrigg]

Dwbeckett

Scan your plans and post them. This sounds interesting, and would like to have a look at them.

QUOTE: Originally posted by iandor
you will almost certainly change your mind as you go. Just get yourself a little starter set and go from there.

Sounds like it is a little late to follow Ian's advise. Sounds like you have already made the monetary investment, so now it's time to get to work. Don't forget we like to look at pix and plans.

[vsmith]

sounds like fun, although I ended up changing my indoor layout 3 times before final plan, just go for it, try to get a too scale sketch or a plan first, makes construction far easier....

[Tom The Brat]

Let's see your plan!

Realize that the railroad you build might have little resemblance to the plan.

I built one a year ago. Didn't last long, both businesses went south. You can see it at http://www.tomruby.com/facillity/facillity.html . The only headache with this one was the double crossover being such a long reach from the edge. Of course, you know which switches would get something stuck in the points[xx(]

[John Busby]

Hi dwbeckett
I think we really nead to talk about your choice of motive power[V][B)].
Anyway personal preferances aside you need to have very solid bench work
if you canot stand and jump up and down on it it's not strong enough.
You need a real belt and braces aproach to its construction.
The trains are big & heavy you scenery will be heavy and sooner or later you
will need to stand on the bench.
Sounds like you need the highest power out put transformer you can lay your hands on.
Your plan is only good till the first piece of track is fixed in place once that has happend something will change as it progresses.
No matter what track you have chosen my advice is get rid of those horrible plastic wheels, metal ones sound better and have the benefit of adding weight down low where its needed and the more of them you have the less track cleaning you will have to do.
Plastic wheels have the nasty habit of leaving a coating on the track which acts as an insulator and will stop trains running properly.
Do the yards really need to be hidden[?] they could be a sceniced operational feature of the line.
My crazy thought for the day[:o)] have you thought of working floor to cieling in the space you have or is that not a practical idea in the space you have.
How ever the two most important things have fun and do it
Please keep us posted as to progress
[2c]
regards John

[Anonymous]

Indoor G scale can provide much pleasure....I hope you are rewarded with lots of fun and leisure! I have a apartment bedroom layout, much more modest plan than yours, but it is a unlimited resource of pleasure for me, esp. after a stressful day. One major feature I have is a 3 way WYE intersection, which provides much shunting and reversing opportunities. I would recommend such an intersection somewhere on your layout.

The great thing about indoor is your hard-work with details doesn't blow away in the wind before the next operating session!

Regards,

Thomas M.

[dwbeckett]

Thanks for the comments so far, I guess I left out a few things about myself and the DNRR. So here is some more info: DNRR = Doing Nutten (dave&nanc) Rail Road. Power 1-10 amp blue hogger with walk around controller and 1-15 amp bridgeworks w/remote control (my wife likes me). and leftover powerpacks from my H O days. The reason for the hidden yards is #1 the S curve can only fit if it is placed from the inside right to the outside left ( DUBL door). This also hides the other reverse loop. Since we have not moved into our new house, I have started building some of the big s( it's 24' long) and the duck-under entry way (done needs bench work). Some of the hidden yard will be 30 + feet long ( 9.5 Meters), so I can hide the passenger train. The bench work will be made of 2x4 and some 4x4's with 1x3 & 1x4 risers. I spent most of my life moving, job related. I can Pack a u-haul blind folded.
I have a very good eye for space. I have not and will not lay any track till the move is completed ,15-20 moves has taught me well. The basic track plan is complete (second draft ). when I have refind it I will post it, Please remember my space is only 22x23 .

Thanks for your inputs, keep them comming.

[dwbeckett]

After 1 year and 2 days the new DNRR is not done However work will restart on 29 june 2007. major delays were caused by 1 wife's shattered ankel, 2. major projects at both home's. lots of tree and shrub planting at the Reno home 1 large pine 23 5-7 ft evergreen shrubs alot 5 gal plants. We found out the east yard, north yard and west yard equal over 4000 sq ft. 3. broken water pipe at the oakley home . This has us in a Hotel for a week or two more 7 so far. the track plan has been modified to the point it is now a two track main line with a double slip switch that may be removed???  I was putting the finnal coat  of finnish on two of the projects yesterday and was using my layout as a work space. woo is me. so after sniffing polyuratnane for 4 hours my wife desided I need to spend some time outside in the fresh air and bty since i'm outside anyway how about digging some holes.  so 10 holes latter after the mum and roses were planted we headed back to the motel in Palo Alto Ca a short 5.5 hour drive. I will be happy soon. 

[vsmith]

Dont feel too bad, I've built up then taken down my indoor layout 3 times now in as many years, the most severe being the demolition of the garage last year! Now I'm on hold as I cannot devote the indoor space until I complete a plethora of other jobs, so my indoor empire has been reduced to a 3'x3' micro-layout! Oh well, what the heck, Rome wasnt built in a day, right?

[dwbeckett]

I don't feel bad just mad at myself for jumping the gun with the original post. I feel it makes me look like liar. Heck i can't even work on my outdoor ONBRy that i stoll track form the DNRR to build.