I am designing a new house that will have a dedicated 19' x 12' train room, with a 9' ceiling. The layout will be a multi-level N scale plan, a "G"-shaped walk-in, and will occupy a 14' x 12' space in one end of the room. The room will have one door, opposite the layout, and no windows. I will build and install the lighting and a valence for the top level later when I build the layout.
My question is: What lighting, electrical, and other infrastructure should I have the builder put in the train room? I would appreciate any suggestions to avoid "Wish I had thought of that!" after the room is built. Thanks for your help!
When I built mine a few years back, I add a light switch to control the outlets around the room. When I leave the room I can turn off the power supplies to every thing at once.
Slim
First, don't think of it as a train room and have plenty of outlets and lighting as though it were a normal room. The next person to buy the house may not want a layout and will plan to use it for other purposes. Better a few extra outlets than to few. If you know where your control panel is going to be, you could have a double outlet or an extra plug put in that area. Though trains don't draw a huge amount of electricity you might want to have two circuits serve the room.
Since you are going to have a multi level, many seem to use rope lighting under the upper levels, be sure to know where that is going to connect and be controlled. Some folks use track lighting to illuminate the layout, support and connection locations need to be considered.
Just my thoughts at the moment.
Good luck,
Richard
Richard,
Ten years abo I was where you are now so I can speak from experience. First, there is no such thing as too many outlets. In a 14' by 18' space I had seven around the walls plus four in the ceiling. I made do but wish I had put in more wall outlets and had at least some of them controlled with a switch. Mine are about 6' apart. I found very handy the adaptors resulting in six outlets from one duplex.
If you are going to use track lighting or some other ceiling mounted lighting be sure to have your electrician put several duplexes in the ceiling controlled by a light switch near your entry door. I recommend this be a twenty amp circuit with a 1,000 watt dimmer switch.
Also consider having each of the two outlets in each wall duplex on a separate circuit with one controlled by a switch near your entry door. Everything on the layout gets power from the switched outlets. When you leave the room, one switch turns off EVERYTHING electrical on the layout (good fire protection). The unswitched outlets power tools, vacuums, temporary task lighting, etc.
Good luck.
PDizzle I am designing a new house that will have a dedicated 19' x 12' train room, with a 9' ceiling. The layout will be a multi-level N scale plan, a "G"-shaped walk-in, and will occupy a 14' x 12' space in one end of the room. The room will have one door, opposite the layout, and no windows. I will build and install the lighting and a valence for the top level later when I build the layout. My question is: What lighting, electrical, and other infrastructure should I have the builder put in the train room? I would appreciate any suggestions to avoid "Wish I had thought of that!" after the room is built. Thanks for your help!
Not knowing what state, Good luck trying to get a room with no windows and only one means of egress!! That said, the national electrical code requires residential recepts to at "hammer" height and no more that six feet apart and your light must be seperate from you recept load incase something goes "pop" your not in the dark. You should also inquire about floor recepts that can be put where your lay out lies :-) good luck keep us posted
Angelo
Freelancing MCRR/NYC Northern Division - Angelo
No problem with the way he wants the room as long as designated storage room.
cowman First, don't think of it as a train room and have plenty of outlets and lighting as though it were a normal room. The next person to buy the house may not want a layout and will plan to use it for other purposes. Better a few extra outlets than to few. If you know where your control panel is going to be, you could have a double outlet or an extra plug put in that area. Though trains don't draw a huge amount of electricity you might want to have two circuits serve the room. Since you are going to have a multi level, many seem to use rope lighting under the upper levels, be sure to know where that is going to connect and be controlled. Some folks use track lighting to illuminate the layout, support and connection locations need to be considered. Just my thoughts at the moment. Good luck, Richard
Unfortunately for me I live in an apartment and have the layout in the other bedroom. I am limited to the outlets that are on three walls and they are all on the same circuit. If need be I can an heavy extention cord downstairs to an outlet not on the same curcuit. I will only have 2 or possible 3 locos going at once and not at high speeds. I am going to light the building and use lamp-posts in my town and maybe at my lumber mill and paper mill. I use Bachman EZ track and have about 20 turnouts that I can run still on the same curcuit but using opne of the cheap power packs in DC mode. I also have a roundhouse and engine shop that I want to furnish and light up.
So here is the big question, with a NCE PowerCab and a SB5 booster, is there enough power to run all of these but not necessarily at the same time? I could limit myself two 2 locos running if need be. I will be using NCE breakers and divide up the layout into 3 different districts...2 on the main level and one underneith that will be my yard, classification yard or what-have-you.
Just finished a 12' x 40' room in a out building. Outlets are every 6' but they are duplex boxes meaning there are 4 outlets instead of the normal 2. The top outlet is on a different circuit than the bottom. All outlets and lights are controlled by wall switches at the entrance way into the room. The aisle ceiling lights are can lights with LED floods. Because I will be using LED in a valance above the layout I have 2 outlets in the ceiling, one on each end.
Find out what your state code and insurance company egress requirements are. I had to install an exit door on the far end of the room. The room has no windows and that is the reason for the exit door. The framework in front of that door needs to be removeable and quickly per my insurance company.
Enjoy your new room
Tom
When it comes to electrical, check with a licensed electrician to find what the local codes are. Luckily, I was an electrician in a former life and was able to add a sub-panel dedicated to the layout and room. My layout's in my basement and when I moved in, there were 4 pull chain lights (one in each corner) and ONE receptacle, attached to the bottom of the main service panel. I used double fluorescent fixtures for room lighting. Just make sure that your lighting hangs over the aisles, not directly over the layout; creates too many shadows.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
I'm also a big fan of dimmers for ceiling-mounted lights. You have the flexibility of bright lighting for layout construction and photography all the way down to almost-dark for night running. I'd go with newer style dimmers that can work with compact flourescent or LED lights.
You should also consider ventilation, since the room has no windows. Layout-building comes with its share of unpleasant odors. I, for example, clean my track with lacquer thinner, which is not pleasant and I make sure I clean my track on a nice day when the windows can be open. One thing you don't want to do is just cycle the air back into your central air and heating system, as that will spread bad smells throughout the house.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Medina1128 Just make sure that your lighting hangs over the aisles, not directly over the layout; creates too many shadows.
Just make sure that your lighting hangs over the aisles, not directly over the layout; creates too many shadows.
I agree with Dante. My lights are centered, maybe closer to the back, of the layout, and I have a spot light for a shadowed part. I plan to add more overhead spots.
Mike.
My You Tube
sdCowboyBen.
You should have more than enough power to run your layout including multiple trains.
What many people forget when they are calculating power consumption for their model railroads is that the layout is running at more or less 12 volts, not 120 volts. So, for example, when you are working out the power requirements for running 3 HO scale locomotives, each locomotive will draw a maximum of about .5 amps at 12 volts (assuming that they are reasonably new and in good shape). Three locomotives drawing 1.5 amps @ 12 volts equals .15 amps @ 120 volts. In other words, its peanuts when you consider that you have 15 amps @ 120 volts available. (Please note that you should never excede about 80% of the rated capacity). In other words, the locomotives will likely use less than 1% of the outlets' capacity.
Your turnout motors won't draw much power either because you are only going to be operating one or two at a time. Even if you are building a major yard ladder with multiple automatic routes, its still more of the same, i.e. peanuts!
Where you can get into some significant power consumption is with lighting, both over the layout and in it. Using LEDs will reduce the demand significantly, but you should determine how many other lights are on the same circuit as the bedroom/train room ceiling fixture.
Good luck!
If anyone disagrees with my math please start hollering now!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
The idea of switched outlets is good. I have all of my railroad-related items routed through a single switch. One flick of a finger and I'm sure that everything is powered off.
Here's a trick you might consider. Install outlet boxes on or just below the fascia wherever you find need for them. Power them by plugging into one of those switched outlets on the wall. My local (North Las Vegas, NV) electrical inspector assures me that this is just an extension cord. Or, you can get the same result (and a few more outlets) by plugging in power bars and fastening them to the fascia. [When I told him my anticipated total layout load (about 800 watts absolute max) he laughed.]
If you go for high level benchwork lighting over the aisle should clear any operator who isn't leaning across the fascia. Precisely controlled lighting should be part of valence installation. You might also consider ankle-high obstacle lighting if you plan to model 24 hour cycles. (It's dark in my layout space when the fast clock says it's 0-dark-hundred.)
Just a few thoughts.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in a Clark County, NV, garage)
The Light and Power of the LION.
LION builded layout of him in former classroom built in the 1940s. (Monks hid thier steel in the woods until ready to use it.) Room has two 8' dual lamp flourscents. Room has two recepticals, one on each end. Room is protected by a single 15 Amp screw in fuse in hallway. [As built the building had no stairways, or running water, those amenities were to be in a part of the building that was never built!]
LION attached an extension box to the outlet in the front of the room. From that going east are three more outlets about 1.5' above the floor, these are unswitched. A conduit going up to the "above the desk" level hosts some more outlets and these are switched. Around the layout there are recepticals on the lower fascia, all with securely mounted conduit. This serves for tool power and also as a railing to allwo the LION to lift him self up should him have to kneel down to the floor for some reason. These are connected to the rear outlet via a heavy 3 conductor 12 ga cord. Since they can be unplugged from the house, they are (it would seem) outside of the code jursdiction, but are built up to that standard anyway.
Should you design a room from scratch, or remodle an empty room, the LION would like outlets no more than 6' apart, but since LION does not like going down on hands and knees under the table to ditz with such devices, him would continue the practice of mounting receptical on the fascia.
PS. The blue lit buttons kill the power to the third rail (Just like the NYCT prototype). There is a relay in the Interlocking Machine that must be pulled to let the trains run. Pushin any of these buttons interupts that circuit stopping the trains. Necessary since trains run automatically, and I the LION-IN-CHARGE may be wandering around the room hobnobing with assorted (tasty) visitors.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I have 2 shop lights 4ft centered above my two aisles. I have found that it is plenty. Thanks Dave. I started in MR back when I was 7 and now I am 63. I am by far not an expert. My brain always asks for perfection which is hard to compete with. Luckily I have a MR store 5 blks. away and the big one in La Mesa...Reeds. And I am lucky enough to have the RR Museum in Balboa Park. I became a supporting member last year. And since I am doing the Santa Fe's up to but not including the Burlington merger I became a member of the Santa Fe Society. My layout is, what you might say, mid 60s thru early 70s. But I am very good in landscaping techniques. DCC is just the basics.
In my house every room has Cable TV, CAT5, Phone, plus AV so I can see the old security cameras or DVD/VCR in every room by turning the TV or VCR to the AV line in. The new security systems uses CAT5 to see the monitor remotely.
Any kind of ceiling mounted speakers for stereo or intercom should be roughed in as well as volume and control switches etc. Also any wires for closed circuit TV video monitors and camera. Burglar Alarm wires. Thermostat wires if needed. Doorbell if needed.
I would be against having a switch by the door that turns off all of your electronics. People play with light switches all the time like it is a toy. Instead have a power strip or another switch near your transformers and out of reach of visitors.
I prefer at least two different sets of lights. One set being the spotlights which light the layout. I like using track lighting so I can position the fixtures as needed. Use a dimmer so you can change the brightness as desired. The other set is the work lights which light up the whole room so you can see to work. Turn these off to show off your layout. These can be nice on a dimmer also. Your lights are going to be your biggest power hog unless you have an electric heater, air conditioner, microwave oven or refrigerator. Have two circuits for lights. Have a circuit for appliances. Have a circuit for trains. Four circuits is two more than you really need. Remember when computers had to have dedicated circuits? lol.
The code for receptacles is within 6 feet of a door and within 12 feet of another receptacle so that a 6 foot long UL approved lamp cord can be plugged in without needing an extension cord. The most important part of that being: DON’T USE EXTENSION CORDS.
dante If your lighting hangs over the aisles, it will create shadows of the operators standing in the aisles. It is better to locate your lights over the front edge of the layout. Dante
Since I'm the only operator, the shadows are not an issue. And you're right, though, and after checking, my fixtures ARE over the edge of the layout.
This was with the lighting over the layout.
Same scene with lighting over edge of layout
Medina1128 When it comes to electrical, check with a licensed electrician to find what the local codes are. Luckily, I was an electrician in a former life and was able to add a sub-panel dedicated to the layout and room. My layout's in my basement and when I moved in, there were 4 pull chain lights (one in each corner) and ONE receptacle, attached to the bottom of the main service panel. I used double fluorescent fixtures for room lighting. Just make sure that your lighting hangs over the aisles, not directly over the layout; creates too many shadows.