Can Your Layout be Deemed a Fire Hazard?

[Anonymous]

Elliot:

If you look at the post, there's two sets of pictures, one by cerbyg, which doesn't look like much, and then, right after that post, one by Don. It's the third post in the thread. There are about 7 pictures in there of a very extensive DCS installation.

Your picture's a little small, its hard to make out the details. Maybe you can email me a larger image?

I'm getting old <sigh>

Tony

[Anonymous]

One of the best ways to keep track of your wiring was mentioned
by another poster here, and I use it as well. Mainly, establish a
wiring list with a color code for different feeds and circuits, then
stick to it! You may never have a problem with your wiring, but if
you do, Murphy's Law will kick in and it will be at a time when you
can't remember where that lead wire goes to, or you don't have a
diagram of the circuit. Post a copy of the wiring list and diagram
under the train table for quick reference. Also stick to your color
code. Even if the diagrams get misplaced, you can still easily
locate where the lead goes by following the color. When making
extensions, taps, slices, etc. always use the same color wire as
the one you are branching off of. I know this is elementary in our
hobby, but we all from time to time slip up.

Big_Boy...I like your wire looms in the picture. Better than half-moon
wire clamps. Where can one get these? I'm rebuilding a museum
layout electrical system and this would be just the ticket for their
requirements!

[Big_Boy_4005]

[#oops]sorry Tony, I missed the ones below. I will still end up with more wires, but Don has done a neat job. The other day I went to the dentist, and one of the spaces in his building was being remodeled. There was a dumpster out in the parking lot filled with debris from the demolition, including some of that flex tubing that Don used. It was near the top so I didn't really have to DIVE.[(-D][swg]

Waste not want not!

Ches, Those were picked up at a local surplus store, and were used on the mall layout. I reuse almost everything. Thats why I like drywall screws so much, some of my lumber is over 25 years old and going on it's 4th or 5th use.[;)]

[Anonymous]

I keep all of my wires bundled with plastic ties and fastened to the underneath of my table with Romex wire staples like holds the house wires to studs and joists. This leaves room for movement and for me to add more wires if I need to. Try to avoid sharp bends and folds in your wires because that will cause the insulation to crack in time and cause short circuits and even fires even with low voltage stuff.

[FJ and G]

Pease,

I use same technique.

All,

Great NEWS!!@!!!

I just got off the phone with Mr. Walls, one of the county inspectors. I told him about the train layout and he asked me if I'm using Atlas or Gargraves. What a shocker!

We then chatted about model trains for about 20 minutes. He grew up near the W&ODRR when it had steam and had some stories to tell as well.

To make this long story short, he told me to give him a call before setting up a date for the inspection and then he would try to personally inspect or would explain the layout to whomever will be doing the inspection.

Thus, he gave me the go-ahead with construction plans.

So, you will now be treated to my annoying news on a regular basis of my construction ordeals and triumphs.

[Anonymous]

Dave:

Excellent! Not only is the inspector into trains, but he knows O guage! You're a lucky guy!

Tony

[Big_Boy_4005]

Dave you crack me up!!! What a fitting end to this whole story!!!! Won't Ches be surprised when he sees this!![(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][swg]

It was still a fun and worthwhile discussion though[;)]

[Anonymous]

Nope...not surprised. I told you to call in advance and get advice and
you did! I also said that codes differ according to localities and over
time. You did not say whether the inspector that you contacted was a
Fire Inspector or not. However, most jurisdictions have a great deal
of cooperation between their code enforcement officers. The biggest
thing in your favor is that the inspector knows about train layouts and
how the electrical wiring and bench construction is done. This goes
a long way when interpretations for codes are needed.

Glad to see that you have everything under control. Sometimes the
'system' really does work!

[Big_Boy_4005]

Ches, I would think that it was the building inspector in Dave's case. My experience is that cities don't do special fire inspections for single family residential. That is reserved for multi family, and other commercial and public venues. My apartment buildings had a routine fire inspection every three years, regardless of any permits. The mall layout didn't last long enough for a follow up. As always rules are different from place to place.

The regular building inspector looks for fire related issues in a plan review when a permit is pulled, mostly when the structure is being modified. In the case of a basement finishing, one of the city's main goals AFTER SAFETY, is the VALUE of the improvement (for TAX purposes), since they see this as an increase in a home's square footage.

Dave is actually quite lucky here that he has an inspector that understands train layouts. It took a fair amount of explaining and hand holding to work out the details of the mall layout with the city's inspectors, as you can tell from my list back in my first post on this topic. All of that was figured out before the architect ever picked up his pencil.

[Anonymous]

Rooms in basements in Columbus Ohio don't require Egress if the room is not labled a bedroom on the blueprints. Even a first or second floor room is exempt from having to have egress as long as it is not a bedroom.

[FJ and G]

Sorry for not answering, Ches. These are building inspectors, not fire inspectors; however, the codes they follow have all been approved for fire safety, e.g. the electrical codes. They also are looking for other safety things such as loading (alterations to load-bearing studs that could be dangerous).

I still have a dream of someday digging a 1/2 mile tunnel under the basement thru the neighborhood, like Hogan's Heroes did, and placing a long shelf layout on it. but it's just a dream.

[Anonymous]

Curious factoid regarding tunneling, since Dave brought it up:

Seymore Cray was the somewhat eccentric genius behind the Cray supercomputers until his death some years ago. For those of you who don't know a Cray supercomptuer from a Sony Playstation, the Crays were the fastest computers of their time. They were so fast, that the speed of light was a limiting factor in their design.

Seymore Cray had an interesting and different way to relax: He dug a tunnel in his backyard. When he was working on a design & got stymied, Seymore would go into his backyard and extend the tunnel another few feet. The top & sides of the tunnel were lined with wood boards to support the earth above the tunnel. He even had periscopes popping above the ground so he could check out what was happening above ground.

And the entire tunnel was dug by hand.

Some people are just weird.

Tony

[jkerklo]

Someone should have introduced Seymore to toy trains. Nothing weird about train people.

Think what could have happened: super-layout!

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com