Robert
You are welcome.
YGW
Congratulations Robert!!!
Looks pretty solid! I will be following with interest.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I suppose everyone knows a Golden Spike Ceremony commemorates the official end of construction. There is another ceremony that marks the official start of construction where the big cheese executives go out to the site, put on hard hats (yeah, right!), and get themselves photographed while digging into a ceremonial pile of dirt with gold plated shovels. Well, I didn’t do any of that, but today is a red-letter day. I have actually started actual construction of my actual layout. Here’s a photo:
Might not look like much, but I’m very excited. Going from 0 to 1 is a very big step. If we had animated dancing smiley-face icons, I’d insert one here.
LINK to SNSR Blog
yougottawanta There is very little slope ? Usually there is 4 to 5 inches of slope in a floor by code. That is so if there is any spillage of combustibles it doesnt run into teh house.
There is very little slope ? Usually there is 4 to 5 inches of slope in a floor by code. That is so if there is any spillage of combustibles it doesnt run into teh house.
Whoa! I never checked the overall slope of the floor. I thought you were referring to irregularities. As soon as I read your post, I grabbed my 8-foot aluminum straightedge and level and checked. There appears to be no discernible slope. Whew! And only minor irregularities. Dang, that was close! I admit, I had a long moment of panic there. I guess the old garage was built before such standards, and I know that the new garage is dead flat because I set the concrete form boards myself. The city inspector never said anything.
Thanks, YGW. Once again this forum shows itself to be a valuable source of information and insight.
Oh, Nice drawings. there is very little slope ? Usually there is 4 to 5 inches of slope in a floor by code. That is so if there is any spillage of combustibles it doesnt run into teh house.
Keep us posted on progress. Looks like you are off to a good start !
Here's a sketch of a section cut through a portion of the layout showing typical benchwork construction.
I have a bunch of framing lumber and plywood and whatnot plus six 18"x80" lightweight hollow-core bifold doors (bifold, no doorknob hole!) that I got when I removed several closets and built-ins from the existing garage. And I also have a ton of material left over from construction of my new garage.
yougottawanta Quick question for you. Are you sloping the layout with the floor or are you building the layout level and letting the distance between the floor and layout increase with the slope of the floor ? Second question, why carpet ? And why install the carpet first ? I would be worried about loosing small details in the pile of the carpet and ruining the carpet with the construction of the bench work ?
Quick question for you. Are you sloping the layout with the floor or are you building the layout level and letting the distance between the floor and layout increase with the slope of the floor ?
Second question, why carpet ? And why install the carpet first ? I would be worried about loosing small details in the pile of the carpet and ruining the carpet with the construction of the bench work ?
Hey YGW-
The floor is pretty flat and level, and the upper level will follow that with maybe a few minor adjustments and/or shims here and there. The construction of the lower level is different. The lower level is basically a shelf layout, 18" wide constructed of six hollow core bi-fold doors I got during the demo phase of this project. A very nice little bonus! The horizontal supports for it will be clamped in place until all are installed and carefully aligned. Then they will be permanently screwed to the vertical members and the doors laid flat on the supports. I'll post some design details sketches shortly.
Until about two months ago, the existing garage had a 16-foot wide door like most other garages. I removed the overhead door and framed in an insulated wall. So now the garage is as dry and warm as the rest of the house. Which is good, because A) there is 6 inches of snow on the ground as I type this, and B) it was 20 below the week before Christmas. The garage has been used as a garage for about 30 years and the concrete floor is in fairly decent shape, but I am going for a more finished look. The new carpet will be a very short pile indoor/outdoor type. I'm not too worried about losing small stuff, and I'm not too worried about construction debris and whatnot because most of the heavy carpentry will take place in my new detached garage. Which, by the way, I can't park my car in because it is full of shop tools (table saw, jointer, band saw, drill press, etc) plus tons of framing lumber and plywood and stuff I got from my previous and current projects. Oh, the irony . . .
I'll try to post photos as I go along, mostly on my blog (yet another project!) so as not to clog up the MRR broadband.
I am getting ready to start a layout of similiar size but I am painting the floor for now and will install the finish later when the the bulk of the bench work and scenic stuff is done. Just curious on your thoughts.
ROBERT PETRICK Before that, we managed somehow to draw stuff using pencils and paper.
Drafting was by far my most favourite class in high school in the late 60s. I had a really great teacher. I still use some of the basic skills I learned back then.
Cheers!!
Colorado Ray Btw, what Cad program did you use for your plan?
Btw, what Cad program did you use for your plan?
AutoCAD. Been using it since the mid-eighties. Before that, we managed somehow to draw stuff using pencils and paper. To transfer the design from CAD to the plywood and foam of the benchwork, I will loft it full scale (that is to say, full 1:160 scale) using my antique drafting equipment. I've always said nostalgia plays a big role in this hobby.
Nice looking work. I particularly liked your calculations on the helix. You must be another civil or structural engineer!
Ray
Hi Robert:
Looks like a great plan! I'll be following your layout build with interest.
For the past year I've been building a detached garage so that the existing attached garage can be freed up and converted into a layout room. The existing garage is a pretty decent space: 24' wide by 25' deep with a 9'-4" ceiling. Heated. The interior has been sheetrocked, but the sheetrock was never taped and mudded and painted. There were built-in closets along two walls. Floor space is more important to me, so I removed closets along one entire wall. I have now finished the demolition and have mudded, taped, sanded, sanded, and sanded the walls. I've primed and painted. I've finished the electrical work and the lighting. All that is left is the carpeting, and that should arrive next week. Then layout construction begins.
To make clear that this thread is model-railroad-related and not merely home construction, I'm attaching sketches of the upper and lower levels of the layout.
The sketches are engineering-type drawings and plot out about 22" by 22" at a scale of 3/4" = 1 foot. That means when reduced to .jpg image size some of the linework gets a little fuzzy, so I am including links to more detailed .pdf files.
Upper Level PDF
Lower Level PDF
I've also started an online blog and added a link to it in my signature (Thanks tstage). It contains photos and sketches and whatnot as well as a fairly detailed description and layout narrative.