Well by April 1 I will be moving into my own place finally after living at home. I will be moving into my great grandparents old condo which I am buying from my grandparents so i have the freedom to do what i want with the basement.
Anyway, the basement is very promising the furnace and sump pump are located in a corner and the stairs are against a wall. Attached below is a sketch. I was thinking about having my work area on the east side of the stairs.
Right now I have the problem of being a multi gauger i have equipment in HO and 2-rail O I also belong to an local O scale club. I'm leaning towards doing O scale but if i do HO I'll have a decent layout.
Oh and It'll just be me living there dont have to make any concessions.
Good for you.
If I were in your position, I would take a serious look at HO, although my finances would be an important factor. I would sell all but the impossible-I-won't-sell-this-one O scale/gauge things to finance a large HO dream while my eyes and limbs are still young enough to appreciate it all in that scale. Later, like so many of us, you could begin to acquire O stuff gradually in preparation for an eventual scale jump when it makes sense to do that.
You could have a HUGE layout in N, though.
-Crandell
Hey, von, where's the sketch. We need to see a drawing of your basement empire.
Rich
Alton Junction
Here it is. I thought it attached but guess not.
This is not to scale and I just walked off the dimensions, one day after work this week im going over to get accurate ones. Only got two posts to deal with.
OH, nice, very nice, good size, few obstructions.
I am with Crandell on this. Go with HO scale.
That is enough room to do an awful lot.
selector Good for you. If I were in your position, I would take a serious look at HO, although my finances would be an important factor. I would sell all but the impossible-I-won't-sell-this-one O scale/gauge things to finance a large HO dream while my eyes and limbs are still young enough to appreciate it all in that scale. Later, like so many of us, you could begin to acquire O stuff gradually in preparation for an eventual scale jump when it makes sense to do that. You could have a HUGE layout in N, though. -Crandell
Yea I'm thinking because of finances and i also already have a couple hundred feet of flex track code 100 and a bunch of rolling stock and turnouts. the most expensive part is going to be the DCC. Going with NCE since thats what we use at the club and what i'm familer with.
HO is as small as im willing to go. N is just too small for my tastes.
Get an NCE Power Cab. That is a lot more affordable than the 5 amp PH-Pro system.
Looks like you are off to the races. Congrats on getting your own joint.
I bought this pad of very large graph paper to help plan out my layout. My room has many obstacles and this pad has 1 inch squares. 1 inch equaled 1 foot on my plan. I bought it at Staples for $7.00, well worth the investment. Easy to draw the room and all its hindrances.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMAN I bought this pad of very large graph paper to help plan out my layout. My room has many obstacles and this pad has 1 inch squares. 1 inch equaled 1 foot on my plan. I bought it at Staples for $7.00, well worth the investment. Easy to draw the room and all its hindrances.
Seven bucks?
Brent, isn't that more than the cost of your entire layout?
Hmm, thats not a bad idea. Might have to make a trip up to staples
@rich - I was thinking going the power cab route. I already know from past experinces that i will only have one or two Pro Cabs and the rest Cab06s. I find that the best way to go esspecially for op sessions. I might have enough saved up by the time i start constuoction for a 5amp booster. i got at least 6 months.
Keep us posted on your progress.
It should be a lot of fun working with that space.
I will, I am open to suggestions too. One thing I really need to do is get an accurte dimensions. The downside to the sapce is that its L shaped and theres that corner to deal with,
I'm thinking about doing a freelance soo-line based layout, around the Manitowoc area.
vonhammer I will, I am open to suggestions too. One thing I really need to do is get an accurte dimensions. The downside to the sapce is that its L shaped and theres that corner to deal with, I'm thinking about doing a freelance soo-line based layout, around the Manitowoc area.
True, that sump pump and furnace need to be taken into account, so accurate measurements are a must. You could consider a C-shaped layout running from the area of the sump pump/furnace around the upper portion of the basement and down the left wall then back right toward the stairs. That would give you total access to the layout and to the sump pump and furnace.
We need to get Jim (Soo Line Fan) to join in and comment on your freelance idea. Jim, where are you?
richhotrain Seven bucks? Brent, isn't that more than the cost of your entire layout? Rich
Don't rub it in Rich.
Getting my allowance from my Dad takes a long time. Considering where it may be coming from
And yes I finally got my first piece of rolling stock.
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Brent, that caboose is awesome. Is it lighted?
richhotrain Brent, that caboose is awesome. Is it lighted? Rich
Not yet. I hope you will give me some pointers on scratch building a lighting system for it.
In case you didn't notice, it has the latest in magnetic coupling technology.
Brent, I did notice. Nice.
Be patient, save your allowance, some day you can buy the matching loco.
Here are some pictures of the space
Looks like you have a great space to work with. Just one area of mechanicals to work around. Make sure you give that area plenty of space for service techs (or possibly yourself) to access the equipment. Remember that eventually that water heater will wear out, so make sure it can be removed and a new one installed without having to take apart any of the layout.
I vote for going HO, just how much of this space do you think you might like to use? Are you interested in operations or just watching trains runs?
Derek
Since your club has NCE also, you may not need to buy a handheld for each person that comes to operate, as they may have their own that they can bring along. You can also take yours to the club or other layouts.
This was one of the selling points my dealer gave. If there is a club or private layouts that have operating sessions in your area, get the brand that they have, so you can join in and bring your own throttle along.
Looks like you are doing your planning before you start building. A good way to start.
Have fun,
Richard
Do On30, best of both worlds!
BATMAN richhotrain Brent, that caboose is awesome. Is it lighted? Rich Not yet. I hope you will give me some pointers on scratch building a lighting system for it. In case you didn't notice, it has the latest in magnetic coupling technology.
There's a really easy way to light that caboose.
Use a lighter.
OK, so it only works for a limited time, and pretty much just one use, but it will be nicely lighted.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Freelance Soo Line (& possibly connections) in the Manitowoc area, era not specified.
I'd think about era and get info on Manitowoc, such as track charts, etc. Join the Soo Society if you're not already a member. Visit the area if you can. Think about era, as well as the types of industries & other structures & scenery you want. Think about locos & other rolling stock you want. Check track charts to find your favorite RR locations in the area. You may find that there's a compact location that would lend itself to an interesting & challenging treatment in O. I say this because you seem to already have an interest in O, and not because I think there's anything wrong with the HO suggestions. Don't commit to any one plan for a while. Maybe you'll still go with HO. If you stick with the freelance idea, make sure the project is grounded in some actual vision of the real world. You have about 5 months or more to let the ideas simmer, so keep an open mind and consider as many possibilities as you can, then start building when it has all coalesced into a plan. Good luck.
Tom
Ive already thought about that actually have done research on the area. I have been thinking about doing early mid 50s i am a fan of early diesel. But i was thinking of doing several dfiferent plans in ho and o.
thanks so much of all the suggestions so far, I didnt think about the water heater and serivceing that area yet.
I'll proly have some sketches this week.
@derek - Definatley more into operations than watching, I get enough circle burning at the club. We do open houses starting next weekend. look up Detroit Model Railroad Club - dmrrc.org.
Von ---
Mullet River makes some absolutely terrific (and challenging) kits for some SOO and W.C. cabooses, appropriate for that era in both O and HO. Maybe even better than Brent's car, if that's possible.
Von,
You should also, give some consideration, as far as access, to that Elect,service panel,that is shown,in your first pic. I'm spending your money for you, but a finished,ceiling,would be nice,before any layout,is down..Just a Thought!
Cheers,
Frank
Vonhammer:
Great space to work with!
Not wishing to rain on your parade, but do I see some signs of moisture in the walls? If so, I would suggest that you deal with that first so that your layout doesn't suffer.
Please keep us posted on your progress.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
vonhammer
Take your time planning ahead, and you can include a state-of-the-art model railroading lighting. Just look at how much easier it will be to customize those rafter/ceilings for proper MR lighting -- And you can eliminate any light-source shadows on the layout -- As well as include night-lighted operating sessions.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
Von:
It's hard to judge from the photos. How much headroom do you have? More is better.