My new basement train room and my temporary modular layout

[sirenwerks]

I've decided to go modular too. Still trying to work on the wife to hand over the entire garage to me. She doesn't drive yet but when gets a car... The driveway has a bit of a grade to it, so she is leery of parking. I'm leery of her parking in the garage.    But modular with an eye towards semi-permanent installation of said modules eventually. Still need to work out the storage situation in the garage. But despite the lack of insulation and concrete floors, the garage was pretty comfy over our first winter, and it was supposedly a bad Oregon winter. Warmer than the East Coast still. 

[Philip H]

@Specter3 - your definition of immobility and mine would seem to differ . . . . 

Interesting backdrop choice for the layout . . . 

[Specter3]

Nothing is permanent at this point. As this is truly a temporary(couple years but that time frame is getting shorter due to my painting diligence and some clearance finds for significant furniture purchases) i am starting to wonder about how serious I need to be about all of it. I want to get the Ntrak modules done and they are coming along decently. I want to have a loop to simply have locos be able to stretch their legs. Two pieces remain that will have to be built from ground up but those will both be simple single track basic scenery only. And I have all the lumber to do it. I think backdrops will be painted cardboard or hardboard.

[Specter3]

Couple of things got done while in the bionic brace. Got foam on the 2nd 45 degree module. Replaced original track and roadbed on the angled modules. Sanded the ends so they would true up. Cobbled together one of the two remaining unbuilt modules. It is totally a connecter module and will receive simple, simple scenery. Got roadbed down on all upright modules. It is down to the last "module" that will simply be the structure necessary to link the main from the Blacksburg Junction shelf layout to the alt blue line on the Ntrak modules. 180 degree turn bridging the end of that aisle. It will be just enough to get a train safely around the end. I am stuck in a brace for the next 3 months on my right arm having had the bicep tendon reattached last week. This will make The following work really fun. Because the  next piece of real work will be some feeders so all this new track will have some power. I am going to run a bus wire all the way around and get at least one set of feeders dropped per "module". That should keep the trains functioning. Soldering on top will be fine but the underside attachments will be fun to do.

Philip was poking my "survival blanket" backdrops and it got me to thinking. My wife handles all the IT stuff at the construction company she works for. That includes the large format printers. I think for the "temporary" status of this layout I am going to simply color print some continuous forest pictures and simply tack them to the wall. 30 inches of printed forest and sky should be way better than what is there. Put that on the to do list.

[Philip H]

Glad to be of service . . . .

[Specter3]

Well there has been some progress even though I have been slightly disabled. I have completed track all the way around to the Blacksburg shelf layout. This has allowed me to run a train almost all the way around the room. With roughly 50 ft of track it allowed me to look at some train lengths and see how they look in the space. 10 car trains are short. 15 cars are ok and 20 cars would probably be max given the space. 20 cars is about 9 feet with 3 locos so that is about half the length of my two longest walls. With any of the doodled plans I have made it stretches a train across 2 and even three LDEs. The area I am using looks like this with measurements.

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I want to model the Sheffield, AL area of the Southern Railroad in 1975 or so with emphasis on a couple of places that I remember watching trains from as a child. I want to model the old Sheffield station and two particular rail crossings on either end of town. Now I will be the first to admit that this area is not a hotbed of operations at that time. So here comes modelers license.
My first serious idea was a double deck layout with two helix and lower level staging representing points east west and south. The massive hump yard is off layout.

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Empties in, loads out arrangement with the massive Pride coal transload would make that left side helix something else to engineer, but I think I could figure it out.

After a few out and backs with the 20 car train I started to wonder what I could squeeze into one deck. First idea:

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That wasn't laid out the best and certainly not quite to scale but did get me to thinking. Changed the orientation of the islands and tightened up the scaling on the second one. Railroad west of NorAla Junction is close to what exists in reality. South of the junction is just a representation of Alabama countryside and some industries to make operations interesting. Lower level staging under the long top wall and nolix style ramps get the trains there. Red numbers are car capacities. Based on capacities and a local of about 10-12 cars this will make for 2-3 locals out running while through trains go both directions. If I can get the Pride transload figured out that is an out one session and back the next session train.

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This was not made with a template but I think it is close to what is possible in the space. Actual room dimensions will only be finalized when the sheetrock goes up. But I think a well planned single deck with staging is doable and reasonable given my abilities. The multi deck layout with multiple active interchanges is awesome to think about but probably not completable while I still have work and kids. LMK what you think.

[Specter3]

Spent a bunch of time in the train room today. Drug out some more DC locos that have not seen the light of day in years, or in a couple cases, ever. Threw some more rolling stock out and ran a coal train. In running, some issues have come up. Spent a lot of time clippling coupler pins. Spent a bunch of time using a dremel and a cut off disk to widen older Atlas c55 turnouts through the flangeways. The Blacksburg module was built when Atlas had that bad batch of turnouts. Figured out I have two SD35s with the warp speed motors and with DC can't be run with anything else. Resurrected 6 cars from the dead line. Put 8 more there for various reasons. Found the underframes for two 40ft boxcars I painted and decaled last fall and got them reassembled and on the layout. Figured out that I am going to have to get serious about getting weight in my rolling stock. Figured out that until I get some sort of positive point control in place for my turnouts, operations are not going to happen. Confirmed my thought that if I am going to run any kind of 86 ft boxes or TOFC curves need to be very broad. Going to have to be very diligent in hooking body mounts to truck mounts especially with the longer curves. It is funny how all of these things I have been reading about for years are suddenly very relevant. When something happens, and I think about it for a minute, it's like "oh yeah, this is what they were talking about." Lastly I was doing a little switching and started having loco issues. Turns out my SD24s have the cracked ball joints and are slipping. Oh the joys of the hobby.

[MVW]

Figured out that until I get some sort of positive point control in place for my turnouts, operations are not going to happen. Confirmed my thought that if I am going to run any kind of 86 ft boxes or TOFC curves need to be very broad. Going to have to be very diligent in hooking body mounts to truck mounts especially with the longer curves. It is funny how all of these things I have been reading about for years are suddenly very relevant. When something happens, and I think about it for a minute, it's like "oh yeah, this is what they were talking about."

Stuff is gettin' real. That can be kind of a shock, but it's not a bad thing. Hey, you're doing it!

Jim

[C855B]

A-yup. Welcome to my world. 

[Specter3]

I keep thinking about the multi deck layout. I have built two double deck layouts previously. One when I was 14 that was a 4x8 in HO that had a crazy grade between the two decks. I really dont remember this one but I have pictures so it happened. Then we moved so it went away. We moved to a place that had a basement. Double deck layout number two. Working helix point to point. Didnt get scenery on but for a couple of spots. Ran pretty well for pre internet days with only Model Railroader magazines to guide me. Torn down and Packed away when I went to college. So I do have some experience with solo ops on a larger multi deck layout. I have been reading about people's experiences with multi deck layouts and why they built them and their operational desires. The more I play with the module setup and drive trains around the more focus I seem to be getting with what I want to do. I do have some fairly local club friends that would definitely come over and play if I really wanted to set up an operating session. But I also think that with JMRI and DCC I can definitely run solo as I run a local or two while 3 or 4 through freights operate under computer control. Having two decks would reduce compression and give far more space between scenes. Sure construction complexity increases but that is fine. I really do enjoy the woodwork part of building. Scenery construction will be the biggest hurdle. Since this is rural Alabama for the most part it is just countryside. I am content with a couple of industries with more prototypical siding arrangements. Dropping and picking up more cars at fewer places is fine by me versus more single and two car placements.

Alabama had a huge forestry business with resulting wood products businesses. I Have a huge deficit in pulpwood flats and woodchip cars. For either iteration of my layout these two classes are now at the top of my acquisition list. I have the boxes and hoppers covered well enough. Motive power is sufficient number wise but I want to add some SD45s and GP7/9s. 3 of each would do. Then I am down to a couple of oddball locos for that occasional dogs breakfast you see out doing the locals. In 1975 there were still a couple of F7 A and B units and some RS3s running around.

Anyway, since I am still restricted to soda can weight in my right hand I am dreaming a lot more than working. I keep finding i need things when I sit down to do work. I have some  MT frames that I am trying to body mount couplers on. They are metal. I need a tap. I need to set up some sort of spray booth. Hard with one arm. I need to set up my DCC command station and really start trying to speed match my DCC locos. And on and on.

Ryan

[Specter3]

So teacher workdays are upon us here in Charlotte. Time has now departed.  With a sigh I now start the hit it in short bursts style of modeling. First up is some ground goop. Last year I was at Lowes buying stuff for multiple projects and had a bag of blow in insulation and a bag of lightweight joint compound mix among other things. The checkout girl asked if I was making decoations for something. Looking at my pile of stuff I was confused and said "What?" She said a guy comes in and buys the insulation and joint compound and makes large creatures for props and such with it. I said no but I pinned that idea in my head. Fast forward to now. I buy a bag of cellulose blow in insulation. I think I have the Leftovers of that bag of joint compound. As it turns out the bag I was seeing in my mind was a bag of tile adhesive. Welllll.....what do we have to lose trying it.

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So I mixed up a baby batch to see if this will work.

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The white stuff is sculptamold. It was stiff and kind of hard to shape. Next batch will be more glue less insulation. It is hard as a rock. Would be difficult to file or shape after it hardens. Definitely going to get a bag of joint compound and try it with that. But for those using grout as ground cover this is probably something you are used to. Will see how the next batch turns out.

[Specter3]

Have continued the tile glue and insulation ground goop. Colored some, forgot to color some, painted it and put down ground foam for the first time in many, many years. [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ] [ Guests cannot view attachments ]

I am still figuring this will be the setup for at least two years. Probably start some drywall next summer but I wont finish it for a while. I am wondering about the ceiling. Need to finish it somehow. Drywall or some sort of suspended?
Next larger project will be to get some semblance of a backdrop up.