railandsailWhat sort of overall size is that drawing?.
Hi Brian,
The layout is 5'4" x 12' freestanding. I will have easy access all the way around. I am going to put it on a rotisserie so that I can rotate it to put it on its side or upside down, or whatever angle is convenient to allow me to work from a chair. The only standing I see being required would be for things like ballasting or applying loose scenery materials.
A lot of people have offered me alternate suggestions, like building a shelf layout or bringing all the wiring to the fascia, but those will still require some work under the layout. Doing an around the room shelf style layout isn't practical. I have a 2 1/2 car garage. I don't want to start dividing it up to make a layout room.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
railandsailI was going to write up something about what I experienced in my younger days with back problems, and how I over came them, but I was unsure as to whether to post it on the train forum (since lots of older modelers have such problems), or send them in a private email?
Hi again Brian,
My back problems have already been discussed at length in the forums, so I don't see anything wrong with you telling us about what you went through.
mbinsewiIt looks like Daves doing the tabletop version. The track plan data base has other shelf type and around the room type configurations of the Beer Line, also. It looks like the original was a 4' x 12'. It first appeared in the Jan. 2009 issue.
Hi Mike,
Yes, I am doing a straight tabletop version of the Beer Line concept. I'm not going to bother building it in modules so it can be rearranged as was the original. Mine will be a bit wider.
hon30critterThe layout is 5'4" x 12' freestanding. I will have easy access all the way around. I am going to put it on a rotisserie so that I can rotate it to put it on its side or upside down, or whatever angle is convenient to allow me to work from a chair.
I know that you posted some drawings of this setup.
I hope you can post pictures of this as you build. It will be interesting.
I guess some long-timers on this forum can tell us if it has ever been done before, but I don't remember ever seeing it.
You could be a pioneer on this!
York1 John
Might want to figure some way to make the pivot point height adjustable - so that you could have the layout upright at a height that makes working on track, at least track around the edge, reachable from a seated positoon without having to hunch over it - if that is compatible with your back issues. Seated more or less upright as opposed to bent over. Sort of realized this as I sit at my desk and my chair is just the right height that my arms rest on the surface and I just have to look down to see things right in front of me, not bend my back. That woudl make it a bit low to go more than 5' wide, especially as the rotisserie scheme is going to need some sort of cross bracing along the bottom to hold the end pieces in alighment. If the level height of the table is at say 36", that's going to be too high for comfortable seated work, but the table could be 50" wide, and still clear structure going across at floor level. But it might work, you just would have less reach in. If my arms were resting on something a few inches higher than my desk surface, I still wouldn't have to bend my back to work on something within a foot or so of the edge.
Also I would think the corners will have to be angled off, not square - so spinning the table allows it to clear the diagonal braces that will be needed at the end. Think stretched octagon shape. Those sharp corners are usually difficult to so something with on a rectangular tabletop anyway.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
hon30critter I am going to put it on a rotisserie so that I can rotate it to put it on its side or upside down, or whatever angle is convenient to allow me to work from a chair.
That's going to be interesting Dave. I hope you share your design with us.
I've seen one on an "O" gauge forum, with the table support being all wood, and even when it was flipped sideways, there were still braces in the way that would keep someone from accessing it from a chair.
And that layout was 8' long.
Mike.
My You Tube
Maybe time to start a new thread?
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
I think that would be a great idea, forget the club thing, start new.
carl425Maybe time to start a new thread?
Yes, I copmpletely agree.
Let the club layout thread disappear and have a new thread with nothing but good news and happy progress.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I guess that makes four of us.
The club is dead, long live the layout!
Rich
Alton Junction
Carl, Rich, Kevin and Mike,
Are you saying that after 1,059 posts, 71,659 views and 36 pages that my thread is getting a bit long in the tooth?!? I was hoping to get at least 100,000 views!!!
I agree!! Time to start a new thread! I'll do it tonight.
hon30critter carl425 Maybe time to start a new thread? Carl, Rich, Kevin and Mike, Are you saying that after 1,059 posts, 71,659 views and 36 pages that my thread is getting a bit long in the tooth?!? I was hoping to get at least 100,000 views!!! I agree!! Time to start a new thread! I'll do it tonight. Dave
carl425 Maybe time to start a new thread?
Make a link to it from the end of this subject thread so we can easily get to it,...without a lot searching around?
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
Dave's new thread, for his new beginning!
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/281323.aspx
For those that asked.
mbinsewiDave's new thread, for his new beginning! http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/281323.aspx For those that asked.
Thanks for doing that Mike. It totally slipped my mind.