How do you keep a layout clean and your thoughts on my plan please.

[Bobster]

Hello,

  I can't remember if I asked here before or not but let me share my plan with you.  I am building a 36 by 80 door layout with 2 inch foam on the door.  The back will have a 15 inch high backdrop for sky and building a 10 inch river bluff up against.   Since I rip sawed the whole sheet of quarter inch plywood down to 15 inches I thought why not make the sides and front 15 inch high panels that will hinge down.  I can screw 1 by 3's to the plywood for a frame then fill the wood screw tops with plastic wood, sand, and paint.

  Basically a 36 by 80 open top shipping crate with fold-able legs and finished on the inside.  I can put handles on the ends to make the layout easy to carry and toss a sheet across the top to keep the dust off.  My goal is to keep the layout clean and safe from dogs and grand kids (til the kids are bigger), yet small and light enough to be move to another room or show if I so desire.  I thought maybe make the back so it hinges down too. 

  With foam, the height at front is 32 inches.   I have considered adding extensions to the legs, with office chair wheels on the bottom, to raise it another foot.  But then I would have concerns about blocking windows and reach considerations.  Current height with 15 inch backdrop measurements have me two inches above the bottom of the window frame and just below the crank handle.   

  Initial plans call for DC  in blocks but I'm trying to take into consideration future plans of DCC.   I want to get things running because I have a current 30 X 48 with 11 inch radius track that make my E units and passenger trains look bad and short.  That is destined for the grand kids eventually if they show interest. The oldest girl is 6.

  Most of my switching will be in the front and on the inside of a double track main.  Now one the things I like about my small layout is the "clackety-clack" of rail joints.  While I do intend to use flex track on long straights in the back I enjoy listening to the sounds.  Perhaps from the era I grew up in I remember it.   My rail line is pretty much set in the 1950's.  Due to financial considerations I'd like to use much of the Atlas track I already possess.   How much problem can I expect from all the rail joints and what can I do to minimize this?  I'm planning on a lot of electrical leads anyway.  I believe I have avoided a spaghetti bowl.  My oval will be at about at a 5 degree angle to the edge with right side to the back, Transformer placement is right front.  Atlas turntable and roundhouse inside the oval at the left front.  Yes there may be better but they are paid for.   

Thank you for reading this as I know it was kind of long.  Do you think I am headed on the right direction with my planning.   My primary road will be the Rock Island but the Wabash Cannon Ball will appear as well as a mixed color Burlington / Great Northern, a 3 car Peoria and Eastern passenger or NYC freight, and an E powered Santa Fe train. The layout is meant to have a Central Illinois, Iowa, Missouri feel to it.  I'm from Peoria so it's what I grew up with.

Your thought are appreciated,
Bob

[rsn48]

Suggestions:

1. Build stubby legs, maybe two feet long with holes along the side so that you can raise the layout to a new height if you aren't happy with the current set up.  You just strap on other legs with bolts that go through the holes to raise or lower.  You won't need to lower.

2. Clickety clack:  What's more important - a good running layout or noise?  You can have what you want if you don't mind sending feeders from each piece of track; I'm sure you've read that even solders rail joiners can pack it in.  But if that seems like to much of a chore, then sacrifice the noise for decent performance.  Most of us have had to give up druthers in our layout plans, from paper to finished product.

3.  I'm not clear as to why you want to have parts of the layout foldable; is it to get by it more easily if not in use, or you plan to take it to shows?  The size of your layout is already in a portable size, maybe just add some handles at either end if foldable means easy movement.

4.  If you would like to give your layout design a more contemporary look, why not consider a water wings design, see the image on the far right of the first row of this link: [I'm talking benchwork design, not track plan]

https://www.google.ca/search?q=water+wings+model+railroad+image&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=qc9wVIWMF4LLoAStsYLYBg&ved=0CB8QsAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=IknEJioFLEDhKM%253A%3BG6SuPpZXHzQ9-M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.gate.net%252F~bbaker%252Fimages%252Ftg.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.gate.net%252F~bbaker%252FTG.htm%3B666%3B275

[Kentuckian]

I encourage you to make the front and side panels removable, not hinged.  I did basically the same thing when I had an n-trak module, but the sides and front bolted into T nuts in the module frame.  When folded down, the panels will interfere with electrical troubleshooting, and add weight, even 1/4" plywood. You could fold them back up to work on wiring, but then you have to fold them down again to test.

I also encourage you to make the layout taller.  I have a HCD layout with electrical metal tubing extensions on the folding legs.  Bed rollers make it somewhat portable.

DCC is a whole nuther world, but lots of fun.  I really like my NCE starter system. Are you switches DCC friendly?

[Bobster]

Thank you for the responses,

RSN,
1 Folding legs are already attached.  I'm thinking PVC extensions.

2 This is where I need to rely on folks like you to give their opinions.  I have no problem with more feed wires.  My 48 x 30 inch layout has 4 power sections.  1 for the main, 1 for the spur and 2 in the yard.  I have combined Bachmann and Atlas track with the standard Atlas connectors.

3 My plan is protection for the layout.  A short sided box with legs.  The legs can fold up.  The sides could fold down.  With the sides up I have something to rest the cover on to keep dust and pet hair off the layout.  The thought is to reduce scenery damage.  With the sides up the layout has protection from our big dog  just in case a door gets left open.   She's normally good but she can have her moments.  The smaller dogs shed but are too short to get high enough.

4 The far right picture is an around the room.  Maybe I'm missing something.  I will look more in a bit.

Kentuckian,
My thought  was to screw the hinges into the door edge as I have no frame.  What you suggest would be perfect for my 48 x 30  inch.  I haven't quite decided how to run my electrical lines.  I don't want a lot of wires hanging so I am considering channels in the foam, underneath or from the top has yet to be determined.  Once the wiring is done then attach the foam to the door in a couple spots for easy removal.  Or I could run all the wires under the buildings and streets.  That seems a bit risky.  I have a couple Atlas switches that are powered but I planned on Caboose Industries throws.  If I remember right I have like 9 switches near the front and one in the back left near the edge.  I only need the back switch to be DCC friendly.  It is a standard Atlas and will primarily see a GP-18 and SW900 use it Mainly 40 foot to 50 foot cars.  Out of about a dozen diesels only one Atlas is currently ready for DCC The Kato's may be but the Life-Likes and Spectrums are a little older and are not.   The only electrical problems I've had so far are when I first go to use the small layout things are a little rough until I get a few laps in.  I try to be pretty meticulous and test as I go.  The door layout will be twice the size and more than twice the track I'm used to.  That is why I'm trusting you folks here for your advice.

So far then I will keep the legs I have but plan for extensions.  I will attach the back but will see how things progress before I add the sides.

Thank you,
Bob

[davefoxx]

Folding legs are already attached.  I'm thinking PVC extensions.

PVC will not be sturdy enough, and your table will be unsteady.  If you have folding banquet table legs similar to mine, go with 1" electrical conduit, which slipped perfectly over my layout's table legs:
 


A few self-tapping machine screws will secure the conduit to the table legs.  Also, some 1" dowel, more self-tapping screws, tee nuts, and carriage bolts will give you adjustable feet.

Hope this helps,
DFF

[Bobster]

Dave,

Thank you for your reply.   Your picture is about where I'm at now.  Door with banquet table legs attached.   What length did you cut the conduit to?   How high is the top off the floor?  Put a lap top on the left end and my older 48 x 30 inch layout sitting on top of the door on the right and you've got my current state.   I also have the back drop screwed to the 1 x 3 but not attached.


Thanks again,
Bob

[davefoxx]

The length of the conduit depends on your specific table legs and your desired table height.  My table is approximately 52" off the floor, including a layer of 2" foam, because I like to see trains closer to eye level rather than a bird's eye view.  My layout is designed for walk-around ops, so it needed to be much taller than table height.  It also helps that I'm only 5'9" tall.  Because they apparently redesigned the banquet table legs between my purchase of two sets, the conduit lengths differed on my two HCDs: 26" on the first door and 28" on the second.

Hope this helps,
DFF

[DeltaBravo]

Bob,
 I built a simular layout. I added 6 inches to the door so I could double track it.
 My solution for support was to purchase heavy duty plastic shelves from Home depot, http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-36-in-W-x-72-in-H-x-24-in-D-5-Shelf-Plastic-Ventilated-Storage-Shelving-Unit-17601471/100006678
I used them at half height and braced them with 1inch wides strips of wood. My layout is not intended to be carried off. So I attached heavy duty drawer rollers to the shelves, this allows me to pull it away from the wall for cleaning and mishaps. The selves also allow for easy storage under the layout. I have added the skirt and now no one knows the selves are there.

As for animals, we have cats and I have the front half covered in big loops of aluminum foil. the cats hate foil, one jumped on the layout  and jumped right back off, He has never gotten back on the layout.

I hope this helps,

 David

[Bobster]

David,
An excellent solution.  Before my daughter moved back in and brought her big dog with my 48 X 39 inch layout rested on peach crates stacked up as similar sized shelves.   Actually my daughter's big dog has not shown much interest in the layout but the dog has not seen it run.  She is big enough that on her back legs she could get halfway across the layout.   The smaller dogs can't get high enough.  My big dog doesn't show much interest but he his older.   

The big dog was the initial motivation for the box concept.  The higher sidewalls were for resting a cover on.  The front was for protection.    I am trying to keep the layout as dust free as possible, hence the initial question in the title.   Dog hair has been a concern too.  I have to vacuum the layout before I use it.  As my new layout will have more details a vacuum bigger than a Dirt Devil will soon cause  problems.

Thank you again for responding,
Bob