Building an N Scale Layout as you get older

[shark_jj]

This isn't the usual question about the size of N Scale and your eyesight as you get older, rather it is about making maintenance of a medium size 14X22 layout easier as you get older.  I am currently in the benchwork stages of the Grand Trunk Southern and have been considering ways to make it easier to maintain the layout in the future.  I am currently in my mid 60's and as I discovered in building the 3 level PRR Allegheny Division in the same space that crawling under the layout, or twisting my body between levels to install Tortoise machines is a sure recipe for a seriously aching back for the next several days.  As a result I have been looking for ways to minimize these problems since not having found the "fountain of youth" these issues will only get more difficult going forward.  Here are some of the things I am doing.  If you have other suggestions, I would love to hear about them.

Minimize hidden trackage:  The small amount of hidden trackage that will be on the layout will be brought to the front of the benchwork and exposed in a series of shadow boxes so that it is accessible should there be a problem such as a derailment or for cleaning track.

Make wiring accessible:  All wiring will be installed on drop down panels that can be hooked up under the benchwork when not being accessed.  This will allow me to sit in a chair, drop down the panel, and do any maintenance required if wires need to be connected or disconnected.  The prototype for these can be seen in my threads on the Allegheny Division in the Archives.  Layout is DCC

Tortoise machines:  If installed properly, there should not be a problem with a tortoise machine but as they say "never say never".  Even installation can be an issue as you try to get into the 12 inch space between the staging yards and the upper level to put a machine in.  My plan right now is to construct the 4 main town sites as modules, i.e. build them on the bench, install all wiring, switch machines, track, etc. and then install them on the layout.  My intent is to use 1 foot sections of rail between these modular sections and not solder the joiners so that in the event of a catastrophic failure (switch machine most likely), one could remove the ballast, undo the foot of track and lift the section out to repair it on the bench.  The yard for example is 16 feet long so I am currently considering whether to do it in 2 8ft sections or something smaller such as 4 4ft sections.  Hopefully, I would never have to do that but I am preplanning so that in 5 or 6 years if something goes wrong and I am in my early 70's and I am not trying to impersonate a contortionist to fix it.  Needless to say these sections will have to be installed from the bottom up so that they can be removed in the future.  I am using open grid benchwork and will be placing a bridge type structure on top of that to support the sections and come out over the shadow box hidden trackage.

I'd welcome any other thoughts any of you might have.

John

[rickb773]

I love the idea of the drop-down wiring panels.
Can you post some pictures showing how you did them?

[shark_jj]

Here is how I did it on my PRR layout and I will be following the same method on the GTS.  Fairly simple, a block of plywood, a terminal strip, and a hinge.  Run the track feeds to the terminal strips on one side, and the bus wires to the other side.  Stir well, simmer slowly, and then run trains.



Hopefully, I have remembered how to post photos.

[shark_jj]

I just noticed that the one I posted is missing the hook.  I use a simple hook and eye bolt (Home Depot).  The eye hook is screwed into the underside of the benchwork, the hook goes in the end of the plywood block and it can be lifted and hooked on parallel to the underside of the benchwork.  Just make sure to leave enough play in the wires.

John

[shark_jj]

Rick I clicked on your layout webpage.  Layout is looking really good.  I noted that you are using DC power which I assume means that you have Block Control Wiring.  You would just make the Plywood blocks larger, hinges can be bought in many sizes so just find the ones that are the right length, and then use the appropriate number of terminal strips for the tracks in that block.  The terminal strip in the photo is one of the expensive types but I have since gone to the plain black ones that can be purchased at any electrical outlet.

[Dave V]

Your design parameters are applicable beyond simply age.  I'm a relatively young and very active guy; so active in fact that I destroyed my back.  I have a large pin and two screws in my spine, and though I'm back to running again, I can't crawl around under the layout or stoop over the way I used to.  The idea of lower-deck hidden trackage scares me, as do long reaches and duckunders.

Great topic; I'm anxious to see what else you come up with.

[hpwrick]

It's one day at a time and one project at a time.

Oh the pain of getting down and under the layout to pull wire for my automated switches.   Or those times when I have to crawl under the train table, to the pop up, to retrieve train cars that decided to commit suicide.

What I wouldn't give for those elastic days of yesteryear.   

Rick H.

If you look long enough you will eventually find a prototype for what you desire to model on your layout.

[shark_jj]

Dave, here is a rough drawing of how the benchwork will appear.  Traditionally, the cross pieces on the risers are attached to the the sides and the layout base is screwed down into it.  I am turning the cross pieces sideways on top of the risers, I will probably make them 2" wide and then screw the base of the layout into them from the bottom.  You can see how the hidden trackage fits into the benchwork.  Apologies for the roughness of the drawing.  Rick, I literally feel your pain, which is why I am seeking ways to make life easier for us layout owners.

[mmagliaro]

Well, I'm 49, and while not as flexible as when I was 20, I can still manage being under the layout with a soldering
iron well enough.   I think planning to use a low rolling stool and some handy portable light that is battery powered
and can clip to almost anything makes it easy enough to avoid back wrenching.

But I did consider what you are talking about when I designed the layout I am currently building.  As such, my "accessibility" rules
were:

1. No duck-unders, not no way not no how.

2. No track that is beyond a 30" reach from the edge of the benchwork.  This did require one spot where I have a cut-out
hole behind a mountain, and I have to pop up like a mole from underneath, but there are only two short areas of
mainline track back there, not a complex of turnouts.

3. A benchwork height of about 44" which makes working underneath it reasonable on a stool (not too low so there's no
crouching) and not too high so that reaching across it isn't too hard.

4. All wiring is run between tag strips and terminal blocks and labeled.  This makes it easier to disconnect circuits if things
go awry (mysterious short or something).

I think all these are good ideas no matter what age you are.

[shark_jj]

Those are really good thoughts Max.  On the Allegheny Division I had a 55 inch high stoop under and I did away with it on the GTS.  One of my better decisions, life is so much easier in an upright position.  Similarly, I have used 30 inches as the maximum reach.  My difficulty with working under the layout, as you can see in the diagram, is that I have a large staging yard under the main layout.  The staging yard is at 30 inches high, and the lower part of the box grid on the layout is at 42 inches leaving only a 12 inch gap to work in.  I agree that without the staging yard, I would be quite happy to use a stool and get under a 42 inch height.

[ednadolski]

Hi John, just a few $0.02 thoughts:

 - Avoid long reach-ins, esp. for any kind of regular cleaning or other maintenance.
 - Use card-edge connectors on the Tortoises instead of hard-soldering them.
 - Paint the backdrop first, before too many other things get in the way.
 - Strong, good quality lighting is easier on the eyes and makes your layout look better.
 - Design & locate all lighting fixtures with the expectation that you *will* one day have to replace them.
 - Installing extra feeders can save hours of very frustrating troubleshooting.
 - Avoid sharp curves and short turnouts as much as possible, and especially where access is limited.  Ditto for those vertical curves.
 - Keep a heating pad handy for the lower back (my personal fav)

Ed

[C855B]

Thanks for the great discussion. I go in for a cervical vertebrae fusion next week, so this conversation is way-too-timely for me. (Dr. sez three months before I can start crawling under layouts again. Grrrrrr!  )

[hpwrick]

C855B,

Best wishes to you as you go in for  surgery.     You are going to appreciate your Dr's efforts.
It is amazing what medical science can do.

The best.

[C855B]

Thanks, appreciated! It's going to be an interesting challenge because over my 45-year MRR career I was always the first to dive under the club layout with the multimeter, reel of wire or soldering iron - whatever it took the solve the bug or get the layout in good order... or just running, sometimes. Those days are over, at least for a while.

I love the fold-down junction blocks. Just being able to look straight into the connection rather than lying on my back looking up with arms stretched is just the ticket. Also solves the lighting issues.

One change I'd make, however - a way to lock the panel in the down position so it doesn't take two hands to tighten/loosen terminals. When working on a terminal block on a bench, the bench is holding things still for the screwdriver while you maneuver wires with your other hand. If it's flopping in the breeze, you'll need a third hand.

[wm3798]

I'm getting ready to embark on cleaning up the wiring under my layout, and the drop down panel idea is a no brainer.

I've got circuits for track power, structure and exterior lighting, signals, turnouts and a few accessories.  Retrofitting panels in to ease access has suddenly lurched to the top of the priority list!

Lee