TOP OF THE PAGE... and I have had a bad day, so everyone gets a shot of straight Maker's Mark! Enjoy.
.
JPowell1 - What is the height of your layout?
Planned height at track level is 44" above the floor.
JPowell2 - How deep is your layout?
30 inches from fascia to wallboard.
JPowell3 - Can you comfortbly reach in to the furthest point?
Yes I can.
I would highly recommend you build a full sized mock up and and experimental section before you commit to heights and design. This has been a wonder for me.
My layout will only be one level. I helped a friend with a multi-decker, and Scale Rails of Southwest Florida has a multi-level layout. I do not like them.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
There is currently a how high should my layout be? thread.
I have no interest in multilayer layout, there are advantages and drawbacks. I don't know how wide Howard Zane's layout is, but it's wwiiiddde. He scenicked it from the wall - outward. He built removable hatches, and can reach over, like you or I would grab a beer out of the cooler, and pick up a structure and base to reveal an access hole.
Sheldon is in the diner these days and he just mentioned he is building a wide layout.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Tinplate Toddler Has anyone seen Johnboy lately?
Has anyone seen Johnboy lately?
Hi there Ulrich and the rest of the Gang,
Yes, Ulrich, I'm still on the green side of the lawn, on top of the snow right now. I check in quite often to the reading side haven't posted much lately.
It sure is nice to be remembered though. Have often thought about when I go ^ nobody on here would likely know, maybe only Br. Zero when I don.t renew my subscription
Sorry to hear of all the ongoing troubles you and Petra have encountered. You sure don't deserve them. I wish I had someway of helping you get out of there and into a more peaceful surrounding, where ever that might be. Seems like most of the world is in some form of caos right now.
Keep plugging away on the LM&E, but progress has slowed this winter and even before the holidays as my Wife had a terrible 2018, with two broken ankles, one at the start of 2018 and one at the end. Spring and summer found her with blood issues that they have never found a reason for. So it has kept me fairly busy and not getting to the layout as much as I would have liked. Really need to get something substancial going on down there to feel like I'm still involved other than just running trains a little.
I wish you all a good end to winter, sure would like to hear something about V8-Vega. We usually hear about his Christmas trip to Oregon etc. but nothing at all from his last post earlier last year.
Prayers to all in need and especially to you, Ulrich and Petra, may 2019 see you out of your situation and into a more suitable setting.
Good Luck and........................out.
P.S. Great to see J.R. after a long absance, you were missed.
Johnboy
[Close-quote tag fixed by moderator...]
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
JPowell,
My previous layout was double decked, never doing that again.
The new layout will have track elevations between ranging between 40" and 46" above the floor.
The layout will be around the walls with two peninsulas. The peninsulas will be 8' wide to allow 42"/44" radius on the turnback curves.
Most of the around the walls portions of the layout will be 4' deep. All the visable track will be in the forward 24" to 30".
The bench work will be strong enough to climb on. There will be some access hatches.
There will be staging tracks along the back edge of the layout, hidden under removable scenery panels or behind the back drop, depending on the situation. Reaching them will require use of the access hatches or strategic climbing on the layout. PossibIy a special reach ladder.
I like the more traditional deep scenes, was not really satisfied with "shelf scenery".
No foamboard here thank you, the layout needs to support my 200 lbs.
Other layout specs:
Double track mainline
Minimum radius: 36" with easements
Typical mainline radius: 40"
Minimum turnout: #6
Maximum grade: 2%
Design train length: 30 to 50 cars.
Classification yard capacity: 8 tracks, aprox 18' long, 240 40' freight cars.
Hidden thru staging for aprox 30 trains.
Other features:
Signals, CTC, wireless throttles
Layout room size: aprox 1200 sq ft., most aisles 5' wide. Two liftouts to enter the layout and access other basement areas.
Track plan hopefully to be published on this forum a few weeks.
Sheldon
Evening Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please. Why yes Flo, Sheldon is part of the gang.
Work Front I still cannot believe what all Nancy the Ding Bat and Jerry the can screw up? I have been back to work for 2 days and keep finding stupid mistakes! I may give up and go back to full time so I don't have mess with this ash pitt!
Ulrich I sure hope Lion is right and this turns out to be a blessing in disguise!
Sheldon Thank you for your input on the propane bottle heater! I have had a working Blue Flame Natural Gas heater in the garage for 15 years with no ill effect. It was was a 20,000 BTU unit. Is there a difference propane and natural gas besides the bottle part?
Far as the high humidity mildew problem in the house and the propane heater? Well I have been fighting the mildew problem on and off for a few years long before I started using the propane heater this month. My house is around 80 feet long and the garage and effected bedroom are on opposing sides of the house?
Ed I pretty sure Model Train Stuff has the speakers you told me about. Main reason I have not bought a set is because ever time I turn around something breaks!
Ray Propane heater is stored outside when I am not using them.
Back to you Sheldon and your layout. I am 6'3" and layout is 38" off the floor and 42" wide and aginst the wall. Biggest mistake I made building this darn thing! I cannot work ccomfortably reach or work on the layout section against the wall! If when there is derailment, it is all wise where I cannot get to it!
ATLANTIC CENTRALMost of the around the walls portions of the layout will be 4' deep. All the visable track will be in the forward 24" to 30".
While I think you mean the track will be closer to the outside, I am not sure? Just make sure you can get between the wall and the back of the layout! I sure wish I did. While I am pretty darn sure you a younger than me at 63 (all most) I was 52 when I bulit the layout. I wish I could do the stuff now when I was only 52 years old. Remember a layout is on for the long haul.
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Skol from Minnesota.
Ken, I'm not really much different from you in age, I'm 61, 62 in May.
The layout will be 4' deep in most places, yes, 4' out from a wall, visable trackage will be easily reached, but there will be a series of staging yards in the back, along the wall, hidden from view in different ways in different locations. They will be accessed by various methods, but there will not be a aisle between them and the wall. There will be hatches in some places like in the corners.
I have done this before, been building layouts since age 14, no worries.
Not bragging here, but derailments will not be a major problem. Why?, broad curves, only a few gentle grades in the staging areas, high equipment standards and very careful track laying.
Again, bench work and scenery will be built literally so it can be climbed on when needed. This is not a big deal, I have done this before. I don't use foam or cork.....
Example, in one area there will be a 20' long freight yard, 8 tracks wide, starting close to the front edge. 8 tracks will require about 18". Right behind that, at a slighly higher elevation will be a 4 track passenger station and platforms, requiring about 12", that will all be easily reached from the front.
Behind the passenger station trackage the remaining 18" will be urban scenery, but under that urban scenery there will be a staging yard of 6 tracks. The urban scenery will lift off for access and there will be some access to these areas from underneath.
I should explain, in my mind "easy" and "fast" are not related concepts. Some sections of the staging will be easy enough to access, that does not mean they have to be able to be accessed "quickly".
There is no other practial way to meet my scenic and operational goals.
That 18" of freight yard, it will be easy enough to lay a padded board on the tracks and lean or kneel on them to reach into the back without any damage.
And I may buy or build something like this as well:
https://www.micromark.com/Topside-Creeper-Step-Ladder-Support-System
Some of this is hard to explain, but I have given careful consideration to every aspect of this.
My track plan will make much of it more clear when I get it ready to publish soon.
No foamboard on the STRATTON AND GILLETTE either,thank you.
My layout needs to support my 300 lbs.
Double track mainline (17 feet visible)
Minimum radius: Visible Main 36", Hidden and Branch 24"
Turnouts: Everything from 4s to curved 8s
Maximum (only) grade: 5%
Design train length: 6 to 12 cars
Classification yard capacity: 4 tracks, aprox 4' long, 32 40' freight cars
Hidden thru staging for aprox 10 trains
Other features: To be determined
Layout room size: aprox 250 sq ft
Only aisle: 40" wide
Sort of (kind of close) Track Plan:
Good Morning All,
up to 45F this morning and drizzle instead of s**w. I'll have a regular coffee and a blueberry muffin please Zoe - toasted with butter. Good to have JP and JB stop in. Ken I feel your pain. Sometimes we are herding cats (not Lions, Lions don't like herding or poking I think).
Got the basic configuration of the second yard last night. Still waiting on Tonys for my auto reverser. Must have been sent by mule train from Vermont. That or USPS through White River Junction where mail seems to go to vanish.
Good to see you JP. My layout is around the walls about 4 foot deep on one side and 2 on the other. The balloon track/yards in the one end are 5 feet across. On the narrow side and one end are the basement walls. With the layout at 48" I can reach everything except the corners and there I use a step stool that stores under the layout. Two narrow sides are cantilever on the heaviest shelf brackets I could find. The rest is built using 2 x 4 framing and legs with plywood over all. On top of the plywood is 2" extruded foam. I don't plan on crawling over the layout as my back is better at 70 than my knees - I have a lifetime of kneeling at the track and arthur itis to thank for that. The wide side of the layout ends at the middle of the basement and for the backdrop there I used cheap panneling with strip hinge along the top so the entire backdrop hinges up out of the way. That way I don't have to reach more than 30" to reach anything in the wider area.
I have at the back of the layout on three sides a 6" raised double track to give the idea of the New Havens elevated urban trackage. I can easily reach all that on the two narrow sides and by hinging up the back drop the rest is accessible. If I ever get a photo host, I'll post some pics.
Time to travel into the shop and do some w**k. Catch y'all later. J.R.
SeeYou190Sort of (kind of close) Track Plan:
Kevin, is the staging area accessible only through the bathroom? and do you have to go back through the bathroom, and come back into the layout room? No other way to get from staging to layout?
Just wondering,
Mike.
My You Tube
mbinsewiis the staging area accessible only through the bathroom? and do you have to go back through the bathroom, and come back into the layout room? No other way to get from staging to layout?
Yes, the staging yard access is really a sore subject.
It is accessible from the 1/2 bath off of the guest bedroom. I do not want a duck-under. This is currently a full bath, and my wife wants to keep it that way.
Also, that aisle for access to the staging might be only 12" wide. This is also a potential problem.
Staging might need another solution.
SeeYou190 mbinsewi is the staging area accessible only through the bathroom? and do you have to go back through the bathroom, and come back into the layout room? No other way to get from staging to layout? Yes, the staging yard access is really a sore subject. It is accessible from the 1/2 bath off of the guest bedroom. I do not want a duck-under. This is currently a full bath, and my wife wants to keep it that way. Also, that aisle for access to the staging might be only 12" wide. This is also a potential problem. Staging might need another solution.
mbinsewi is the staging area accessible only through the bathroom? and do you have to go back through the bathroom, and come back into the layout room? No other way to get from staging to layout?
Just spitballing here... if the track at very bottom right, the one that leads (presumably behind a backdrop) to staging, could be a downgrade of about 3 percent, could it go under the track that leads to that town on the bottom instead of behind it? That would allow you to slide everything else at least a foot and a half to the right, gaining access to the layout room around the end of what would become a peninsula at upper left.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steven OtteJust spitballing here...
Hi Steve, that whole right side of the layout is nothing like the actual plan. I became frustrated trying to draw it in MS paint, so it looks like it does in the drawing, really bad.
It actually will look like this:
I think those curves in the drawing come out to about 10 inch radius... not accurate at all.
My terribleness at drawing track plans is a constant hinderence.
GMTRacing Good Morning All, up to 45F this morning and drizzle instead of s**w.
up to 45F this morning and drizzle instead of s**w.
Good morning to you
3 degrees on Prior Lake Minnesota today and windier than you know what. Anyways it was 3 degrees at 7 this morning.
I love when a customer calls just after 6 in the morning and says they are not ready for me.
Ice fishing again, good company and stories.
TF
Howdy everybody ...
JP ... Good to see you again ... regarding your questions ...
My layout is around the wall type . Much of it follows foundation walls in the lower level of our house. Those walls have a few 90 degree jogs in them. The layout room is 64’ long . Widths of the room vary from about 10’ to about 16’. The layout follows a total of about 130’ of walls. I included a second level under the main level at one end of the layout for storing trains. The lower section has no scenery because it is too close to the main level for that.
The plan is basically double track with a loop at each end. In addition there are some peninsulas.
Much of the layout is two feet wide making it easy to reach across. The loops and penensulas have more width to them, but I try to keep track within two feet of aisles.
Rail height from the floor ranges from 40” to 50”. Most track is about 45” from the floor.
Minimum radius for main line is 30”. Branch lines have 26” minimum. Industrial sidings have tighter radius curves in a couple of places.
One loop unfortunately is against the wall. That is the only place where I must crawl under the layout to reach tracks near the wall.
...
Happy Model Railroading
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Afternoon Diners! Hope everyone is safe and warm today. It was a nice 40+ degrees when I got up at 6am. Now it's a snowy 30 degrees. Brrr. One of these days, I will have to figure out a way to move to a somewhat warmer location.
Anyways, back to my layout. If I go with a multi-level layout, it will only have gentle grades to it. I'm not completely sure I want a helix.
Going back to my post yesterday, where I mentioned that I had seen the 4 different articles about layout height, one of the methods for determining the layout height was by using a bookcase. Well, since I am a business owner and run my business out of my home-office, guess what I have? Bookcases. LOL. I emptied 3 of the shelves on one of the cases and with the help from an old kid's 41" high dresser that is next to the case I was using, have decided that I will use the tables I bought. The plywood top on each table is about 31" high off the floor. The current 2 4x8 tables will get cut in half lengthwise to get 4 2x8 tables to go along with the other 2x8 table. I will use the dresser, which will be modified for use. I will have my top level at roughly 48" high. At 33" for the lower level, will allow me to sit down while running trains on that part of the layout, while the 48" level will have me standing. I am opting for a roughly 24 inch depth as I can easily reach that with my arms on both levels.
Well, I am off for now. The cats are in need of food and water.
Take care!
//signed// John Powell President / CEO CNY Transportation Corp (fictional)
http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s303/nuts4sports34/
Hunter - When we met in January of 2000, you were just a 6 week old pup who walked his way into this heart of mine as the only runt in the litter who would come over to me. And today, I sit here and tell you I am sorry we had to put you down. It was the best thing for you and also the right thing to do. May you now rest in peace and comfort. Love, Dad. 8 June 2010
I love you and miss you Mom. Say hi to everyone up there for me. Rest in peace and comfort. Love, John. 29 March 2017
Track fiddler GMTRacing Good Morning All, up to 45F this morning and drizzle instead of s**w. Good morning to you 3 degrees on Prior Lake Minnesota today and windier than you know what. Anyways it was 3 degrees at 7 this morning. I love when a customer calls just after 6 in the morning and says they are not ready for me. Ice fishing again, good company and stories. TF
The move of the fish house was fruitful I can't remember Ken Dave I have some walleye for you for the Barbie
Track Fiddler
PS. We've already learned you don't throw them outside the fish house to let them freeze, the Eagles come down and swoop them up........ fresh fish is in
Nice!
The Great White Hurricane of 1888 Some train shots about 1/3 of the way through.
mbinsewi Nice! Mike.
Mike..... I see you have your fork ready! You are invited to the Saturday walleye fillet Barbie.
You bring the potato salad. We will provide the walleye, asparagus and Jack Daniels Homestyle beans..... see you there
Now if I lived around the Prescott, WI area, it would less than an hour drive. But down here in the SE corner, yea, it's about 6 hours.
I'll sit down here and have a little something on the rocks Satuday night, in celebration of your nice catch
Good enough Mike
Skol to you and yours
Hey everybody!
Well my plans to go to Austin fell though because the hotel owners are going to be in town as of Tuesday... so we gotta be back by Tuesday afternoon.
As an alternative I'm trying to pull some favors and get an opportunity to operate a real locomotive through LASTA (Louisiana Steam Train Association) I'm waiting to hear back from them.
As of the 28th I will be a full member of the MSMRC, I've volunteered to be on the publicity committee to try to recruit new members, I'm thinking about reaching out to the STEM schools and programs at local high schools to try to get some youngsters involved.
Sheldon like I said great seeing you in here!
Anybody heard from Ed/gmpullman? I don't think he's posted in a while.
Well that's all for now.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Ed's well and fine if you consider the two hour rule
Yeah TF I see he posted in the show me something, I've been busy so I speed read through the recent diner posts and didn't see any from Ed.
It's all good!
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please.
Have a world of worrie on my mind.
Have Critter Control coming out Friday. Wife called me at work having while having a Panic Attack saying the critter's must have hammers and trying to get in the house! When I say Panic Attack I mean Panic Attack! One time she saw a mouse when I was not home, and sat in her car till I got home?
Well I am beat, so later.
Ken
Track fiddlerWe've already learned you don't throw them outside the fish house to let them freeze, the Eagles come down and swoop them up........ fresh fish is in
Nice catch! Being a bird watcher, I'd be throwing a couple of the fish out onto the ice!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good Afternoon!
It´s again an icy cold day, with some snow flurries all along!
Nothing else to report.
Since we are still in Texas for a few more days, how about havong a look at TEXRail?
TEXRail (also known as the Tarrant Express Railway) is a commuter rail line in Tarrant County, Texas, United States that provides service from downtown Fort Worth to DFW International Airport via Grapevine and other Tarrant County communities. It is operated by Trinity Metro (formerly Fort Worth Transportation Authority) and started service on January 10, 2019. with a preview service having occurred on December 31, 2018.
The DMUs in service are made by Stadler/Switzerland and are powered by Deutz AG/Germany TCD 16.0 V8 engines that comply with US EPA Tier 4 emission standard. Their design is based on
Stadler´s bread & butter FLIRT railcars, which are available both as DMUs as well as EMUs.
Edit: I just watched a video showing the tripndown the line. It is about a 1 hr. trip through rather uninspiring city- and landscapes. While the ride is really smooth, the speed of the train is a disappointment.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Howdy ...
Henry .... That is an interesting video about the 1888 storm.
Ulrich .... The speed of the TX train may be disappointing, but it may be faster than driving on congested urban highways.
I'm graudally completing buildings and structures for my coal mine. I'm not ready to take pictures of it yet, however.