When I started building my layout, I wanted to make sure that I could take it with me since I rent my townhouse. Today was the second time I got to test how easily the sections come apart and go together. The first was a few years ago when I had to get a new washer and dryer and had to take apart the one side of the layout to give the delivery guys plenty of room to get the new ones in and the old ones out.
Yesterday, my landlord called because the water department was going to be coming by to replace my water meter. While I knew that there was a meter on the outside of my townhouse next to my porch, what I didn't know was that the actual meter was above my one staging yard. After moving some stuff off the staging yard, unplugging the power connections (power connectors used inside PCs), and unbolting the sections, I was able to pull the section out so the guy had plenty of room to work and catch the water coming out of the pipe. Once done, I was able to relatively quickly get the sections lined back up and bolted back together.
Thankfully planning ahead has twice saved the layout from potential damage.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
Evening
Looks great Kevin. I can see you put a lot of thought into things.
My younger brother who rents has the same situation. He has his modules doweled together and is laying track. He hasn't started wiring yet. I'll have to take a screenshot on how you did your connections so he can check it out.
Thanks for posting.
TF
chatanugaWhen I started building my layout, I wanted to make sure that I could take it with me since I rent my townhouse. Today was the second time I got to test how easily the sections come apart and go together.
Hi Kevin,
You did a great job of designing your layout to allow it to be disassembled! Your work is very tidy too.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critter chatanuga When I started building my layout, I wanted to make sure that I could take it with me since I rent my townhouse. Today was the second time I got to test how easily the sections come apart and go together. Hi Kevin, You did a great job of designing your layout to allow it to be disassembled! Your work is very tidy too. Dave
chatanuga When I started building my layout, I wanted to make sure that I could take it with me since I rent my townhouse. Today was the second time I got to test how easily the sections come apart and go together.
Alton Junction
Great photos. They do capture a lot of advanced planning, which is critical. My late great-grandmother used to say "run with your mind or with your legs." In other words, put your mind to use or having run to fix things. My wallet and the War Dept. can attest to that statement. Don't ask how I know!
Well done. If kinks is the only major problem, I would say it's a success!
Nicely done Kevin!
I will have to remember the wiring trick when I start on my layout this summer... My own staging yard will need to be able to be disconnected at times.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I thought of planning a head also when I built an around the room 10x18' layout. In fact I chose to nail the track down rather than glue it down because I anticipated needing to temporarily remove sections.
As it turned out we had water issues on a couple separate occasions in the basement and I had to remove sections of the layout for a few months while we dealt with the issue. Here you can see the layout with a section removed on the left side in the photo.
I didn't do a lot of fancy connectors, but non-the-less, I was able to fairly easily lift track and remove entire sections as needed and put them back.
Regarding planning ahead. I also decided to plan ahead by finishing my basement, walls, floor and drop ceiling before beginning construction of the present layout.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
My father designed and built my benchwork so that it can be unbolted someday and removed in (7) sections. The mostly foam (with lightweight plaster) scenery would need a quick cut at those locations, but could then be salvaged, if I wanted to do so.
At the present time, I anticipate trashing the foam layout but retaining my father's benchwork and re-using it for the next layout when we move (most likely 4 years or so from now when Johnny goes off to college). We live in a high tax borough and county that is killing us with taxes relative to surrounding areas that have more businesses paying property taxes, so they can keep the school taxes down. The cost is easily $1200 per year in property taxes, that I could save, if we just moved a few miles . If we downsize to a home for just the two of us, the savings could be significantly greater.
I am NOT a carpenter and have no desire to do that, nor do I have the appropriate tools (that is also where and how I have saved some money). I could very easily re-adapt my father's benchwork to another basement and just simply bolt it (or most of it) back together.
The other thing I did at the time is when assembling the trackwork, I left generous clearances on the curved tunnels. (All my tunnels are curved). That means I can accommodate just about any articulated or any DDA40X or SD90MAC. I do have one location, not in a tunnel, that is a challenge for Tangent 86' boxcars (they cannot be coupled together due to slight reverse curve), but everything else will work.
At the time of construction I asked myself what is the largest thing I might ever want to run? even though I didn't have any of them at that time. I referred to Armstrong's book Track Planning for Realistic Operation? regarding loco overhang, and then left additional clearances over and above that. That was just one thing that I was able to guess right.
Subsequent to original construction, I have changed track alignments and arrangements a couple times in 14 years. I also designed to be able to railfan my own trains, so most of the layout is viewable at one time depending upon one's location, and I have only a very simple layout but big enough to run some big trains (have done an 80 car freight train).
John
John, if my dad had helped be to build my benchwork, I would have made a lot of effort to keep it. My dad passed away and all of his legacies are treasures for me...
Simon
Perhaps I wasn't very clear. My dad did all the woodwork.
The foam layout top (there is NO plywood) which didn't always glue down as flush as I might have liked to the wood framing, was my work. It is the foam layout top that I will end up trashing and re-doing. It is simple to cut new insulation foam. The difficult part is getting it to lay smoothly up against the adjacent sections without having to do too much work at the joints. There often is a slight bow in the sheets of insulation.
I plan to salvage the wood framing, which is bolted together as he designed it, in 7 sections, to be disassembled at a later date (and re-used).
My dad is gone too. I understand. Although I know I'll see him again someday in Heaven, I also know that there are trains on the layout that he would love if he were here to see them...there are some in "his" color, and there will always be some.
Also our two favorite railroads are long since fallen flags, but are still represented on the layout.