At long last... Southern Pacific in a garage!

[SirTainly]

I haven't posted here in ages, to be honest I have hardly looked at my trains in years. After returning from Canada, I spent 2 years living with family, and then the rest trying to repair the house I bought, and that's ongoing; the place was a wreck! Throw in a large dose of depression, having to switch jobs and general life stuff I've been too busy/otherwise occupied, but there's some good news, I now have room for a layout!

This is my garage, which is currently being emptied so it can be reinsulated (to stop the condensation issues along with the nasty smells) and then I can start work.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mx7coJIA101hGwon1

I'm thinking of retaing the old kitchen units, and moving the wall ones to floor level, and building a double deck on top of those. Here's the floor planned out and a goofy 3D pic of that.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RZlTp1cK1fKRCzTN2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ikwEYD6I1XEg61h22

Not sure of how the layout will be designed yet, but it will be PNW styled so I can run my various collections in suitable scenery.

Simon

[Philip H]

Welcome back Simon!  Looks like a good space, and I can't wait to see the PNW taking shape.

A couple of questions to ponder as you dumpster:

1.  What height do you want your layout to be at?  Putting it directly on the cabinets will give you easy benchwork construction, but you will sacrifice some significant workbench space.

2.  What shape layout - around the walls in a U? Partially across the front?  Fully around?

[SirTainly]

Thanks Philip!

To answer:

1) while workbenches are good, I can't currently use the space as it's too cluttered so I won't notice the loss! I do have a bedroom for hobby use, and I'm planning to add a room at the bottom of the garden as an office, but which can double as a workshop if needed.

2) Trying to decide if I want a full around the walls or some form of folded dog bone. I do want an option to let stuff just run, so there may be an element of around the walls even if the layout as a whole is a point to point.

[seusscaboose]

looking forward to following this

[SirTainly]

Thanks, I was buzzing last night, running around with the tape measure thinking about possibilities. Thoughts were that I want/need to include:

- a decent sized yard (and maybe a second which is actually disguised staging)
- log reload
- small saw mill
- a trestle

and we'll have to have a helix since my original idea of a constant climb will not really work, I don't want cars that uncouple rolling all the way home.

[Philip H]

and we'll have to have a helix since my original idea of a constant climb will not really work, I don't want cars that uncouple rolling all the way home.

Depending on how much realestate you want to use for what, you could amend the folded dogbone and have the main come off a return loop node and slowly climb (perhaps behind a backdrop around to a second level emerging on the following end of the dog bone.  I don't have any way to draw it on this machine, but i'm thinking of your layout as a long deep U shape with the "no-lix" running the full length of the U along the back.  Done right you could get up a fair ways vertically around 2% grades and no need to hide the helix blob.

[SirTainly]

That sounds pretty much like my initial idea, but a hidden climbing track would need to be easily accessible somehow.

[Philip H]

Well, there are grades through Douglas Fir forrests in the PNW . . . .

[SirTainly]

Indeed, but real trains have brakes!

[Philip H]

Indeed, but real trains have brakes!

 

Quit projecting reality into a perfectly fine modeling discussion!

 

[SirTainly]

rumbled!

I was trying to hide the fact that I didn't want my boxcar with the pop up giraffe to get stuck behind the scenery!

[GaryHinshaw]

Welcome back Simon!  Your garage photo looks eerily similar to my garage c. 6 years ago:



I can see a lot of potential goodness coming to your space. 

I wouldn't give up on the idea of a nolix if it meets your design needs.  My helix gives me more headaches than my nolix does, fwiw.

[mu26aeh]

I have my layout set on old kitchen cabinet bases.  My dad builds custom kitchens and had these from a job he tore out.  1x4 benchwork with 1 or 2" foam sits directly on top of the base cabinets.  Deepest section of layout is about 27" . 

[MK]

And all that storage in the base cabinets! 

[mu26aeh]

And all that storage in the base cabinets! 

I installed drawer slides and built drawers to fit in a sink base cabinet to hold my rolling stock cases and cars not on the layout.  8 drawers hold roughly 400 cars