for Aggro jones

[Anonymous]

hey Aggro,
I heard that you are going to build a layout that wraps around the walls of your bedroom with a duckunder at the doorway. since have a 10x14 and I do every thing in that room,well somtimes I come out for meals[:D][:D], I would like to attempt somthing similar. I was thinking of building a shelf layout ( mabey with some removable "waterwing " loops to provide continuse running until the rest of the layout is finished.) and then build it around the room when my carpentry skills improve. could you tell me more about your project ? Thanks !

[Jetrock]

A lot of folks are doing shelf layouts these days--they are nice in that they work well with limited spaces. I'm building one too, although it doesn't go all the way around the garage. One thing you might try is to build a shelf layout against one wall and expand it around to the other walls.

A plus (or minus, maybe) of shelf layouts is that you have the opportunity to make your industries flats that sit against the back wall--one sees this often on modular layouts. This means you can model industries that are fairly large by simply mounting a large flat or 1-2" thick building to represent the front of the industry or industrial complex, rather than modeling the whole thing. If you're not big on dramatic mountain scenery it can be a good way to go.

One thing that people have talked about but would be particularly ideal for an around-the-wall layout is to have an entire wall of the layout (assuming it's a loop) with no industries--just a long stretch of track alongside a country road, with just prairie/farmland in the background. An advantage of this particular scenic effect in an around-the-room is that you really couldn't see the rest of the layout when viewing that segment directly, which would help accentuate the sense of wide-open empty spaces like you get in the big open West.

The segment could even be a passing track, allowing some level of functionality, while the other "quarters" of the room could represent different city terminals or other stops along the route. If I recall correctly you're looking to model wide-open Oklahoma prairie, and such a setup would help provide that sense of wide-open spaces. It could also be used to simulate two-way traffic--train A leaves from the left-hand city but has to take siding on the prairie while higher-rated Train B comes through from the right-hand city.

[AggroJones]

W'sup. I've been sketching plans for this upcoming layout for the last few months. It will be an around-the-wall design that travels around the edge of the room and into the closet. The closet has no door and is about 2 x 7. There is nothing in that space that can't be put under the benchwork, so I can expand into there. The total shape looks kinda like a square with a huge chunk of corner cut off. All 11 of my 22 gallon storage containers, my TV/VCR/DVD, bed, stereo, shelves, and dressers will fit under different parts of the layout.

The duck under will cross my door. The lowest part of the benchwork should be about 44" off the floor. The frame work will consist of 1x2's and 2x3's with 2x3 legs. The shelf will be 20 inches deep around the entire thing.

When it comes to sleep, I'll utilize the same technique as my alcoholic father. He rolls his blankets out on pillows from the couch laid on the floor, but I'll roll mine on a matress. I'll have my sheets and pillow rolled up and placed in a bag, and my bed tilted up against the wall under one part of the layout. And when its sleepy time, just drop the bed down and unroll my sheets a bed. Having the bed leaning against the wall, under the layout allows for more free area during the day.

I plan on using less structures and more vast natural scenery, modeled after the wilderness parts of Sacramento. This time, I get to have a back drop. I'll paint them with acrylics on masonite board. I used to paint landscapes all the time back in high school, so this shouldn't be that much of a problem.

The trackwork will be Atlas code 100 flex laid on cork roadbed with soldered joints in the curves. The minimum mainline radius will be 26" and the layout will feature a small yard and engine servicing facility.