It's been a busy week, but I managed to:
- Get two coats of paint on the walls (Valspar Holmes Creme)
- Clean up the room
- Prep for trim painting (white gloss enamel) ......ugh
- Listed and sold all Digitrax and other electronics on Ebay
- Set up my display case with the "keeper" locomotives
And now I'm prepping the excess locos for a new home.
Hope you all are well - and safe!
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Good Morning,
Just a short update........
- all the layout debris is gone, and I'm sure the trash collectors are happy about that!
- the room has been cleaned, caulked, and has two coats of primer over the backdrops. It is definitely a "white room".
- the blinds have been removed and new measurements taken. Lowes has some that will work nicely for $140.
- the electronic components are in the process of finding new homes.
- either today or tomorrow, the wall painting will begin!
Hope you all are safe and well!
sfcouple Unfortunately, I've had to dismantle more than one layout, the latest in our Montana basement. Both were sad affairs but it didn't seem that the basement layout was any easier to dismantle than one in a bedroom.
Unfortunately, I've had to dismantle more than one layout, the latest in our Montana basement. Both were sad affairs but it didn't seem that the basement layout was any easier to dismantle than one in a bedroom.
sfcouple All things considered, I'd prefer dismantling a bedroom layout rather than one in the basement.
All things considered, I'd prefer dismantling a bedroom layout rather than one in the basement.
Again, my only point was that sweeping up a concrete floor with a Shop Vac took less effort than vacuuming a bedroom carpet, especially when stuff like track nails is all over the place.
Rich
Alton Junction
I have 3 ways in and out of my basement - one door directly to the outside, one door intot he garage (all at grade - my house is a "raised ranch" so a huge portion of what could be layout space is actually my large garage), and stairs up to the kitchen with a door that is exactly lined up with the back door of the house - straight up and out.
Taking out my old layout, down 2 flights of stairs that were stacked over one another (so down the first set, 180 turn, downt he hall, 180 turn, then doesn the second set and out the front door) actually wasn't that bad, though I built the layout in sections in anticipation of having to eventually move it out, plus I didn't carry much of it, the movers did. With relatively lightweight foam construction, even the 2x8 sections were easily handled, once I unbolted the legs.
It then sat in my new basement for several years before I realized I would not be reusing any of it and stripped off the electronics and had it all hauled away as junk.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Being a construction industry professional, specificly in this case a residential designer, I have some fixed ideas about housing design regarding basements.
First, whenever practical a house should have one. They make the positioning and service of mechanical equipment much more practical then houses without basements.
They also provide better temperature/humidity control for the living space above when compared to crawl spaces or slabs.
Basements should also have direct access to the outdoors. Having to move replacement furnaces, boilers, water heaters, well tanks thru the finished part of the house for replacement is simply not acceptable in my book.
Not to mention the kinds of personal items often used or stored in basements.
There is one design of basement access which is most effective if there is no plan to use the basement as day to day living space, or as a laundry room space.
That is to forgo both the traditional interior staircase, and the traditional exterior stair well or "Bilco" doors, in favor of a single staircase which comes up into an attached garage.
Properly designed this affords acceptable entrance from both the interior and exterior of the house. It also typically reduces the number steps to the basement as garages are at grade and at their deepest basement ceilings are typically 1-2 feet higher than grade.
This design was moderately common in ranchers here in the Mid Atlantic during the late 50's and 60's. But as total percentage of houses with basements it is rare.
My grandfather had some investment houses built in the early 60's. He insisted that the builder not only install "Bilco" door type exterior basement entries, but that the interior door at the bottom of the stairs have a "leaf" allowing it to open to a width of 4' matching the width of the stairs and bulkhead doors.
He said "what is the point of a basement if you can't get stuff in and out".
Sheldon
They both have advantages and disadvantages but for me, any advantage that dismantling a basement layout might have was more than offset by hauling all the debris out of the basement. We had stairs leading upstairs to the house and another set of stairs leading outside to the backyard but the operative word is "stairs." And for a guy in his 70s going upstairs, (or down!) ain't easy anymore particularly when a handrail has to be used limiting the amount of stuff one can carry.
All things considered, I'd prefer dismantling a bedroom layout rather than one in the basement. But I'd really prefer not having to dismantle any layout.
Modeling HO Freelance Logging Railroad.
ahh, the aftermath of a bedroom layout.
ahh, the beauty of a basement layout.
When I demolished my old layout in 2018, I used a Shop Vac to sweep the concrete basement floor. Filled a bag with leftover debris. No idea how many track nails the Shop Vac picked up.
Hi again...... Just a quick update and a worthwhile tip:
Cleared out all debris and much of the "stuff". Using a shop vac, I vacuumed the room after picking up the bits of wire and the like. After that, I vacuumed with a bagless Kenmore, and that picked up quite a bit of "ground cover", sawdust, and dust/dirt.
About that time I remembered the "bar magnet on a handle" I had for picking up nails. I bought this at Lowes years ago after watching the roofers go over the yard and driveway using their fancy roller magnet. Anyway, this one was maybe $20, and the magnet is very strong and about a foot long.
So I brought it upstairs and slowly ran it over the room. I could hear the "clicks" as it picked up nails, and was surprised there was that many left. OK, when I finished I had to count them........ 54 track nails, 6 small screws, and two broken off ends of deck screws!
I really did vacuum twice thoroughly, and I was amazed at how many remained.
Next step.........filling screw holes (from the curved corner backdrops) and applying primer to the backdrops painted on the walls.
I don't know about hail but I weathered the heavy seas from the CFO when I took this up again. Having all those funny tools helped a lot when repairs were needed but after a while she decided as above that knowing where I was when not at work was a good thing. That and the Cessna..
So anyway I am embarking on a parrallel journey here as we are getting ready to move after 40 years but I will want to try to reuse most of the existing layout. I made it semi modular but am I better off removing all the buss wire leaving just the drops or trying to cut the buss at the joints I'll need to make in the framing? Just curious. If I'm ambitious maybe I'll try to start a new thread so I don't hijack this one.
I don't have a SWMBO as such, but my Mom does live with me. (I use the garage for the train but at some point we will need to get a car port or something similiar to keep the car covered in case of hail.)
ATLANTIC CENTRALAnd, the bigger the layout is, the more I stay out of her hair. That makes here even happier....... Plus, she knows exactly where to find me....... Happy wife, happy life.
Yep... same here.
My wife is very happy that she always knows exactly where I am.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
richhotrain rrinker Always important to have something nice on the layout named after SWMBO! That doesn't always work, Randy. I have only been allocated one corner of the basement. So, I named the entire layout for SWMBO. I still am only allocated one corner of the basement. Rich
rrinker Always important to have something nice on the layout named after SWMBO!
Always important to have something nice on the layout named after SWMBO!
That doesn't always work, Randy. I have only been allocated one corner of the basement. So, I named the entire layout for SWMBO. I still am only allocated one corner of the basement.
As long as I deliver the Christmas decorations to the main floor when needed, and return them to storage when they are not needed, my SWMBO has zero interest in the sub grade real estate.
And, the bigger the layout is, the more I stay out of her hair. That makes here even happier.......
Plus, she knows exactly where to find me.......
Happy wife, happy life.
So, are you a member of a train club? You say you still want to be a model railroader, but what will that mean for the future?
I have been here for a year and a half, and still haven't gotten started on setting up the layout again. I had thought of joining a local club, but then Covid hit and everything shut down.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
You got that right!
Thanks for the info David, I love history!
But this "Lake Patricia" is on the other side of the pond, and named after my wife - a certified member of "The Daughters of the Republic of Texas".
Thanks for the kind words Mark, and Kevin - they are appreciated.
I do have a number of MR projects "on line", like putting DCC and sound in some display locos (I maintain a 5 shelf HO loco display), and a number of old kits (i.e. Ulrich, Red Caboose, etc.) that I'll build and then maybe sell. Meanwhile, I have a lot of work ahead just getting ready to sell stuff.
Patricia Lake, named after Princess Patricia of Connaught (Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth; later Lady Patricia Ramsay; VA CI GCStJ 17 March 1886 – 12 January 1974) was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Upon her marriage to Alexander Ramsay, she relinquished her title of a British princess and the style of Royal Highness.
Former LMS locomotive. Lady Patricia
] David
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
mobilman44The 11 ½ x 15 foot room is loaded with debris and stuff, and in need of a good cleaning.
That is bigger than my master bedroom!
Congratulations on getting it down without destroying any of the room. Great job.
I hope you can continue to get enjoyment from your trains, real and model, as much as possible.
Even though the layout is gone, please do not be a stranger.
It's always a sad day when a layout bites the dust...
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Collector to me means collecting dust. Every loco and every piece of rolling stock, freight or passenger, is on the layout. My problem is not collecting, it is using.
I only have 109 freight cars and 68 passenger cars, and I use them all. But, I also have 57 locomotives and that is too many for me. I am a lone wolf operator, so very few of my locomotives get used very often. I continue to sell off locomotives in excellent condition on eBay, and I will do so again right after the New Year.
Sheldon,
You are definitely beyond being characterized as a "collector"........
mobilman44 Your numbers are familiar to me. When I built this layout, I had accumulated 629 cars, of which 30 or so were passenger. All but maybe 10 were kit builds. I slowly sold them off on Ebay, and am now in the 250 range.
Your numbers are familiar to me. When I built this layout, I had accumulated 629 cars, of which 30 or so were passenger. All but maybe 10 were kit builds. I slowly sold them off on Ebay, and am now in the 250 range.
More proof I am just not a collector. I have never had more rolling stock, or more locomotives, then the planned operations on the layout require.
The new layout will stage about 30 trains.
18 mainline freight trains, 40 cars and three locos each on average.
12 passenger trains, 10 cars and two locos each on average, some trains more like 15 cars.
Some extra locos for power changes, some extra cars of all types for switching, etc.
The current roster is 140 powered units, aprox. 900 freight cars, and about 170 passenger cars.
Just enough to protect the schedules, and my wish list is very small......
Yes going though thinks cab be painfull, on my 4th go round and down to a little over 200 cars, stared with over 600 at one time.