Benchwork Phase I complete - pics

[Anonymous]

Benchwork Phase I complete (i.e. the “framework” part)

New layout plan is at
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/LAYOUT14.jpg which references the “viewing points” for the following images:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0008.jpg shows
the view from point A - looking into the train room as it will be entered.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0009.jpg is from
point B, looking toward the top-left corner across the big peninsula
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0010.jpg is from
point C, looking back toward the entry door (The door is 26' away in
this view)
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0011.jpg is also
from point C, looking toward the bottom left corner of the layout.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0012.jpg is also
from point C, looking toward the top left corner of the layout. THe
wall is 30' away.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0013.jpg is from
point D, looking across the big peninsula, back toward the entry door.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0014.jpg is from
point E, looking across the peninsula where the station & turntable
will be http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0015.jpg
is from point F, looking across the whole layout toward the entry door
(bottom right corner). The door is about 45' away in this view
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0016.jpg is also
from point F, looking down the left-hand side of the layout
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c158/kristianj/IMG_0017.jpg is from
point G, looking straight across the layout. The wall is 30' away.

Love to hear what you think... Next steps are backdrop, and
plywood/foam on top of benchwork...

[ClinchValleySD40]

Big step, congratulations. It looks like it's going to be a fun layout to operate.
And yes, backdrop should be next. How about ceiling and lights?

Anything you can do in the prep work now before you actually start laying track will pay big benefits down the road.

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress. Looking great.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by clinchvalley

Big step, congratulations. It looks like it's going to be a fun layout to operate.
And yes, backdrop should be next. How about ceiling and lights?

Anything you can do in the prep work now before you actually start laying track will pay big benefits down the road.

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress. Looking great.

Thanks...

Ceiling and lights... Sigh.

Lights are easy: You're right, and I just forgot to write down that lighting is next too, lumped that in with backdrop.

As for celling... that's problematical. I'm not sure if you can tell in the photos, but the homebuilder didn't exactly make it a finishing-friendly basement. To put in any kind of celing other than drop tiles would be near-impossible. To put in drop tiles, i would either have to have an extraordinarily complex structure on about 6 different heights and sections, or drop the whole thing to 6' to just make it a flat plain... I don't really want to make what is mostly a 9' ceiling down into something that challenges anyone 6'+ tall (which includes the most-frequent visitor - me...

The other thing I thought was to put in some sort of ceiling/ceiling boards over the 80% of the ceiling that's relatively flat and level, and just deal with vents, pipes, and other basementy stuff protruding down in the other 20%... Whaddya think there?

So I hear ya and will re-ponder that issue... But previous ponderings have resulted in much "Uhhh Dunno, I give"

[Anonymous]

Here's an idea. Get an airless sprayer and shoot everything boxcar red. Run it by the Mrs. first.

[Anonymous]

Wow! Nice work. However, I do not envy you the hours lying/kneeling under the layout doing wiring! My knees and back are aching just thinking about it...I wish you the very best.

Trevor

[Anonymous]

Interesting. Thanks for the idea, I'll have to consider that one, but it might be the answer... I do think if I were going to do that, I'd just go with Grimy Black. The darker the color, the more the ceiling "fades away" I think... Just check any theater, club or similar place... 9/10 it's a dark ceiling.

[Anonymous]

Are you going to fini***he room?? Drywall, ceiling?? Wiring??? Lights??? Hard to tell from the photos, but it looks as if some or all of these items are still left to do. I strongly urge you to complete them at this juncture. I almost finished my last layout and then added dry wall and wiring. Ever try to hang drywall without destraoying the layout below it??? I would also suggest that you not leave the ceiling unfinished. Stuff will fall on the layout from above, this will bug you as you try to keep the completed sections of your layout clean. Don't want to come on too strong here, I made the mistakes I'm talking about here on my last layout. I ended up spending three times as many hours retrofitting this stuff than I would have if I had done it all up front.

The bench work looks good and it is a great feeling to get something in that looks like a layout.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the input, gang. Keep it coming. A few specific responses for you:

Trevor - the layout is 50" high, so it's actually not so bad. I have a chair where I cut off most of the legs and mounted it to casters, so I can sit in it upright, roll around under there, and am at just about the right height to easily work on the bottom side of the layout. DEFINITELY beats laying on your back, kneeling or squatting.

Trainnut: No, not too strong, and Yeah, I know that's the standard advice., A reminder certainly never hurts.. But I actually made a conscious decision to handle it differently. Because I wanted the studs visible during benchwork...

Here's the scoop:

On the infrastructure side of things: Wiring is actually all in place, though I guess it's not visible in the pics. One 20A circuit comes into the room feeding 12 outlets. Entire circuit is on a switch (i.e. I can 'shut the whole thing down" with one flip) and the first outlet on the circuit is a GFI, protecting everything downstream. There are 6 outlets clustered in the "control room' area most of the equipment (DCC system, computer, DC power supplies, etc.) will go. the others are scattered around (2 on each wall), though the reality is, I won't much use those once construction is complete...

Two more circuits run throughout the ceiling with multiple junction boxes, to be tapped into for lighting. Again, each is on one switch (high wattage dimmer). Two circuits so one is 'daytime' and one is blue lights for 'nighttime'. The actual lighting goes in next, before 'topping' the benchwork, track, scenery, etc.

Now for the "fit and finish" element... I actually considered and decided not to do that "first"... For these reasons:

1) Bear in mind, this is not a multipurpose room. It doesn't double as den, guest room or anything else. So the only 'finish' necessary is that for the trainset and me, I could care less if it has full floor-to-ceiling drywall... Because...

2) I have always preferred to be able to attach my layouts directly to the studs. No drywall, no "stud finder" no hoping you really got a good 'grip' into it.

3) The backdrop will go in next, floor-to-ceiling, Everything below the layout will be skirted, so not visible. Visually, the walls will be "finished".

4) The ceiling is problematic (discussed above, won't waste space to repeat)... whatever I do I'll do before scenery and track. I've always found the "stuff will fall" thing to be exaggerated: I've had a layout in the basement for years, never had a finished ceiling, and never much had a problem with excessive "dust and stuff" coming down...

[Anonymous]

All sounds good when explained. Sounds like you have thought it through pretty well. I would disagree with you about stuff falling from the ceiling from my own experience. To each his own. I think your idea of doing the 80% of the ceiling that you can do easily is a good one. At least you get most of it covered. It will be nice to not have to stud find when building....I left the top half of my drywall unpainted so I could see the screws and find the studs that way....

How much time have you spent the last few days standing there and imagining the layout??? I find I still spend a lot of time doing this even though I have one deck in.

[SMassey]

Looks like you have the typical utility basment there. I used to help remodel homes and have seen this before with the ventalation and piping going this way and that. What we would do that worked pretty good was just put the drywall right up to the offending protrusion. Then use a hardboard "cover" for the ventilation ducts (just used countersunk sheet metal screws to mount the hardboard) and taped and textured the area just as before. Some ventalation does not need the "cover" so in that case just tape and fill right up to the sheetmetal. Whenever we had to hide ductwork we always textured to help hide the seams around the ducts. Pipes just usually were left alone with the drywall going over/under/around the pipes with alot of texturing and after you apply paint it dont look bad. just make sure to wire your over head lights before hand (that is a duh thing but one remodel was for adding lighting after some one added drywall).

The layout looks good and I would love to see more pics and updates as you move on it. Good luck!

Mike

[claycts]

My $.02 is to paint everything that you want to hide flat black. The eye will ignore that when it sees the colored items. Old stage trick. Take a look at the pictures under my signature and you can see the black idea. My ceiling was the same as yours. I built a sub ceiling out of 1x2 using ceiling tile in the walk area and black painted tile ove the layout.

[Anonymous]

Guy - Yeah, I've spent plenty of time standing there doing some "mental model railroading" for sure...

Mike - Good advice. I'm going to let this ceiling thing roll 'round my head for a day or two (not working down there 'til the weekend anyhow...) and see what I come up with.

[Anonymous]

This is a little off the wall... or ceiling perhaps. [:D]

In another thread today ("Building a Simple Valance") a guy mentions using polyethlene (like garbage bags are made of) for a valance. He was going to use it temporarily, but liked the way it looked and kept it.

Perhaps you could use that as a "ceiling". It would be pretty easy to hang, inexpensive, would keep stuff rom filtering down, and hide the pipes and such. It just might work.

Mike Tennent

[Anonymous]

I'll check out that thread.. I'm guessing it's a little heavier weight than trash bags, though! Sounds interesting.

[mecovey]

On my last layout I used black heavy plastic (actually silo covers) purchased from a farm supply store. They are cheap but much sturdier than the plastic garbage bags. I stapled the plastic directly to the ceiling joists. If you can get a couple of guys to help you keep the material stretched while you staple, the finished product not only protects the layout from falling dirt etc but is also inexpensive and easy to install. Lights and valence can then be mounted to the joists. The staples will show you where they are so the "hunt for wood " is minimized.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mecovey

On my last layout I used black heavy plastic (actually silo covers) purchased from a farm supply store. They are cheap but much sturdier than the plastic garbage bags. I stapled the plastic directly to the ceiling joists. If you can get a couple of guys to help you keep the material stretched while you staple, the finished product not only protects the layout from falling dirt etc but is also inexpensive and easy to install. Lights and valence can then be mounted to the joists. The staples will show you where they are so the "hunt for wood " is minimized.

Thanks, this idea is sounding better and better. And a Farm Supply Store is surely something in good supply round these parts!

[CascadeBob]

RE your roll-around chair for working under your layout. I'd suggest going to a used office furniture store and buying a secretary's or desk chair on rollers with a reclining back. I've used one under my old layout that was at approximately 48" and found it was a lot more comfortable to work in than a chair that could not be reclined. Besides you can always use it for a nap under the layout.

[jecorbett]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kchronister

QUOTE: Originally posted by clinchvalley

Big step, congratulations. It looks like it's going to be a fun layout to operate.
And yes, backdrop should be next. How about ceiling and lights?

Anything you can do in the prep work now before you actually start laying track will pay big benefits down the road.

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress. Looking great.

Thanks...

Ceiling and lights... Sigh.

Lights are easy: You're right, and I just forgot to write down that lighting is next too, lumped that in with backdrop.

As for celling... that's problematical. I'm not sure if you can tell in the photos, but the homebuilder didn't exactly make it a finishing-friendly basement. To put in any kind of celing other than drop tiles would be near-impossible. To put in drop tiles, i would either have to have an extraordinarily complex structure on about 6 different heights and sections, or drop the whole thing to 6' to just make it a flat plain... I don't really want to make what is mostly a 9' ceiling down into something that challenges anyone 6'+ tall (which includes the most-frequent visitor - me...

The other thing I thought was to put in some sort of ceiling/ceiling boards over the 80% of the ceiling that's relatively flat and level, and just deal with vents, pipes, and other basementy stuff protruding down in the other 20%... Whaddya think there?

So I hear ya and will re-ponder that issue... But previous ponderings have resulted in much "Uhhh Dunno, I give"

I can sympathize because I have the same problems with my basement layout. Too many mechanicals which run below a comfortable height for a drop ceiling. I've thought about putting in valances and then just installing the drop ceiling between them. This would improve the cosmetics of the basement but not do anything to keep debris from dropping on to the layout. I'm not sure that is as big a problem as some have suggested. The finished areas of my layout are not showing any signs of dust or dirt falling from above. I'm going to keep an eye on it but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, that's my experience too. I have the luxury of not getting too awfully tweaked about it for the same reason. This will be far from my first basement layout, none of the priors had finished ceilings, and (cosmetic issues aside) the whole "dust" issue was never a big problem for me.

My current plan is much like yours... I'm not doing anything about the ceiling at the moment, and if anything it will be some sort of cosmetic ceiling between-the-valances, just for looks' sake...

[Tom Bryant_MR]

kchronister, I saw hminky's idea about lighting using those utility lights w/pigtail flours (might not work with the dimmer you have) and the use of plastic sheeting for valance and in your case possibly covering the ceiling. Try out http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/4x8/lighting/ for hminky's lighting and plastic valance ideas.

I started on mine this weekend.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56863

I'm still at the infrastucture stage so I am envious that you have benchwork up. Great job [^]. I also sit in my garage and dream about how it will look.