Old stuff all gone, walls and floors sealed! Time to get accurate measurements to plan the interior wall for the penninsula section and figure out what the current electrical circuits are and where I want outlets located. The on to phase 2, new walls with insulation and vapor barrier. And new drop ceiling, etc.
Pictures later, I got 2 but I can't get to the other side yet, the floor epoxy isn't dry yet.
REALLY hoping to start actual layout stuff by the end of January.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
good deal .. at least you are making progress :)
Layout started by end of January? Two months beats a year! It speeds things up a lot if you can pay professionals to come in and do the work!
I moved into this house late Nov 2017; I was hoping basement done and layout started by the following fall 2018. It took a year to remodel the kitchen, fix water damage and replace front door, fix master shower subfloor water damage, gut and remodel master shower and bath. By the time all that was done we knew we couldn't throw as much money at the basement to hire a contractor to do the drywall. That would have sped things up by 4 or 5 months. It was more like two years rather than one.
Looks like you are moving much faster which means trains sooner!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
It all sounds very encouraging for you, Randy. Are you heavily committed during the Holidays, or are you going to be able to do some scale drawings and such?
selector It all sounds very encouraging for you, Randy. Are you heavily committed during the Holidays, or are you going to be able to do some scale drawings and such?
If you know your RR space, you can draw to scale the boundaries and work on layout plans using "old school" 11x17" graph paper or perhaps software. I drew mine at 1 inch = 2 feet scale.
A year? We've been here SIX years. FINALLY making progress.
I've had the basics of a plan for a long time now. I started designing as soon as I moved, finally settled on what seems to be the most optimum arrangement after several options (all saved as new layers in the same 3rd Plan-It file). I just need to get absolutely accurate room measurements so I can plan the location of the one non-perimeter wall (not counting the bathroom, but that's not next to any layout space anyway). And figure out just what breakers in the main box control what, there's one mysterious line coming out of one of the boxes that's otherwise part of the old light circuit that goes up into my kitchen for something. I REALLY hope the idiots didn't run the fridge off the basement light circuit. So that's my task for the weekend, find out what circuits there already are, to reuse what's there and save the new subpanel for the layout circuits. ANd get the accurate measurements in my drawing so I can add that extra wall and mark off where I want outlets so I can get a phase 2 bid from my contractor. Perimeter walls will be properly studded, unlike the previous mess, which not only had the 2x3's on sort of 24" centers, they were not even evenly spaced, kind of just slapped up. So glad I ripped it all out. New walls will have extruded foam insulation and jst to double up, use greenboard instead of ordinary drywall. I'm just painting it all with your basic contractor white, since there will be a backdrop installed on each deck, that way if it ever does have to come down, it's a matter of patching some holes in the walls and it's good to go for whatever purpose the next owner would want.
Six years? Ok, I don't feel so bad! Thing often take longer than you plan. Our current home was bank owned when we bought it for a good comparible price. In fact the inspector said it was one of the best bank owned homes he has seen, but as is usually the case, work would be needed. I already mentioned the kitchen rehab, materbath and front door. Hardwood floors still haven't been addressed - maybe next summer. But wife promised the basement wouldn't wait after doing all those other things do it's done now - save installing a door on the utility room.
I started working on a layout plan as soon as we moved too.
Our old fridge is in the garage and when it went off, later discovered a ground fault breaker was tripped in an outlet in the basement. It was the only outlet in the basement mainroom until I added more circuits to the breaker box which had a lot of extra capacity. Compared to the main house, I went a little nuts and installed 4 new breaker circuites. Two branches in the main train room, a 3rd branch into the far room (wife den) at the walk-out stairs and a 4th (20 amp) circuit as required by code to the bathroom, and into the utility room as well.
Fortunately whoever framed in our basement before move-in did it all to code with 2x4's, fire/draft block, etc. It all passed during the rough-in inspection. I used standard drywall on the walls and green drywall in the bathroom but I've read mixed comments about the green drywall. It's supposed to be mold resistant.
Spent some time tonight measuring everything and updating my room outline in the plan. Shown here. Black lines by the firnace room are just the "off limit" lines, there is no longer a wall dividng the equipment from the rest of the room. The sort of Z shape wall down the middle would be new, supporting the town on the bottom side and the branch on the upper side, and the helix goes at the end of the part that faces up.
(squares are 1 foot)
When I turned the layer back on that had my plan so far - I had most everything drawn way SMALLER than my room actually is - track across the back (top) wall which I drew at about 6" away from the wall, was now showing almost 2 feet from the wall. Left to right was way short of the right wall as well - so that's the good news.
It's along but rewarding trip. We sold our home in NJ Mach 2019 (I Think it's March) and moved into our new VA Home this April. Demolition of the old layout yielded 6 turnouts some structures and the DCC system. We'll see how many are actually good.
in May I had the walls waterproofed and plastered and the room finished. Now SEVEN Months later I just finished the backdrop paintings.
It goes slower for me than most because of my MS but I'm making progress.
You're at that point where you can do most anything you want and if you've already decided on the setting, time period and track plan you can still make changes Without having to tear up the layout.
I'm loving the opportunity to create a new layout and looking forward to seeing you're progress and hearing how you solve challenges you encounter.
Gary
Is each square a square foot?
Yes, hence the "squares are 1 foot" first text under the picture
rrinker Yes, hence the "squares are 1 foot" first text under the picture --Randy
Added outlet locations - X = standard dual receptacle, XX = quad receptacle. And the 2x4 and 2x2 squares are LED lights. This is just general room lighting - for moving around and working on the layout. Both decks will have their own LED strip lighting, the room lights will tend to not be on when operating.
Still 1 foot squares
Good thing the squares stayed the same size; otherwise could be trouble!
Just for you, next time I am switching it to Armstrong squares. Just a simple click in 3rd Plan It.