Bonus Room Shelf Layout

[ocalicreek]

This thread is back in action, thanks to some vacation time and the impetus to get over a few hurdles. Those hurdles are the lighting and the backdrop. Once the lighting is in, I can paint the backdrop and begin to work on scenery as I reach that point. Gotta have the lights right in order to see the colors effectively.

Once the backdrop is in I can plan scenes that 'interact' with the backdrop, so to speak, like the homes on the hillside behind Pinto, the creek under the arch bridge, etc. But most importantly I can finish construction on the layout sections that join each side of the room along the walls since the backdrop thickness affects the dimensions.

So today I passed the lighting hurdle. While the lighting should make pictures easier, taking pictures of the lighting itself is actually pretty hard. So for now you get a bad picture and a description. Just ignore the cable lighting above the layout...it will be coming down soon!

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I decided on a single row of track lights. I was given track lights by a woman in my church who was having some remodeling done. There were 5 tracks and a dozen lights in assorted shapes and sizes. I selected two tracks to be joined end to end, utilizing six lights. The bulbs are 'daylight' brightness cfl's with a rating of 6500 K. (75 watt equivalent, 11 watts actual).

It seemed simple enough to remove the old round fixture and replace it with the tracks...but alas it was not. The box for the wiring was too low and extended down below the drywall by a half inch. I had to journey into our attic, dig down through the insulation, find the metal brace stapled between the framing, pull it out and replace it a half inch up.

With that done I was able to install the tracks. All was going fine until it wasn't. The joiner plug didn't fit right. After some fussing and grumbling, I was able to trim away some of the track on either side to make it fit. What should have taken an hour at best ended up taking all afternoon.

I still have the rest of the week off so I hope to get the backdrop installed before I have to go back to work. Then I can proceed with the remaining benchwork and lay track from staging to Pinto - a major milestone for Phase One construction.

Galen

[Gary S]

Good to see the thread revived. Hope you enjoy your week off, and put it to good use on the layout! Have fun!

Oh... didn't anyone ever tell you that playin' electrician ain't no hobby??

Hope to see lots of photos of the progress in the upcoming week.

[ocalicreek]

Good to see the thread revived. Hope you enjoy your week off, and put it to good use on the layout! Have fun!

Oh... didn't anyone ever tell you that playin' electrician ain't no hobby??

Hope to see lots of photos of the progress in the upcoming week.

I hope to see plenty of progress this week too!

As for the electrical work...all that climbing around in my attic like a jungle gym was work I'd rather not have done, that's for sure! Wiring a replacement lighting fixture is simpler than a DCC decoder, but different by degree!

If the weather is nice I may just have to spend some time out in the garden, but getting the lights up has really lit a fire, figuratively of course hock: , to get the backdrop and benchwork completed along with the connecting trackwork. Past that stage I'll be into the scenery and structure and rolling stock phase for a while and that's what I'm really looking forward to!


Galen

[ocalicreek]

Just ignore that line about time in the garden. Ha. It HAILED three separate times today, each time interspersed with periods of sunshine and blue sky. We even heard a giant thunderclap - a rarity in these parts. The wet storms of the PNW are rarely thunderstorms. I DID manage a minute or two in the garden right after dinner - to share some of my beer with the slugs. I know we're supposed to love and care for all God's creatures, but I get a real sense of dark delight seeing those little buggers crawl into that tuna can for their last call. Drink up and stay away from my peas.

So on with the show. Yesterday and today I put up the backdrop. Here are a couple pictures from yesterday.

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[albumimg]3967[/albumimg]

1/8" masonite glued and tacked with 3/4" brads to a minimal frame of furring strips (1x2), held to the wall by as few screws as possible into the studs. The stud screws are near the top allowing the panels to hang, since the layout will keep them held close to the wall along the bottom edge. I may even put a screw or two through the back of the layout framing into the backdrop framing just to keep it from shifting...but this may not be necessary once the connecting benchwork between the two sides is in place...or it may be even more necessary for the tolerances of the lift-out section. We'll see.

Next steps...sanding edges, punching brads, filling gaps, sanding the filler, priming and painting. I hope to accomplish these steps over the next week or two. It has been a real treat to be able to devote large periods of time to the layout. When I am back at work it'll be back to the routine of modeling in a few minutes here or there. I also got to grill steaks tonight for steak tacos. Indoors, of course. So far a nice week of vacation.

Galen

[tetters]

Mmmm... steak. Up here, people always talk about breaking out the bbq every summer after a long cold winter. I say nuts to that. I just put the bbq on the front porch and bbq all year round. Nothing like grilled steak in the middle of January when its minus 15 C to feel like summer is just around the corner.


Your back drops are similar to my own. Masonite screwed to furring strips and then hung on the wall with a few concrete screws... basement is unfinished and is brick and mortar. The lighting looks great too. I had thought about some directional lighting myself, but stuck to big ol florescent fixtures and hung four of them over the layout.

As far a layout rooms go, your diggs are much nicer then my own.

[MasonJar]

Mmmm... steak. Up here, people always talk about breaking out the bbq every summer after a long cold winter. I say nuts to that. I just put the bbq on the front porch and bbq all year round. Nothing like grilled steak in the middle of January when its minus 15 C to feel like summer is just around the corner.

Totally agree. We usually try to do a rotisserie chicken on the bbq in February with summer type salads and drinks like mojitos to combat S.A.D. and the lack of daylight...!

Andrew

[ocalicreek]

As far a layout rooms go, your diggs are much nicer then my own.

Thanks, Tetters. Since it's a shared space, she-who-must-be-consulted has a major say in the overall look. Plus I like to keep it looking presentable, although it's definately cluttered during construction. In truth it was her idea to build the layout in the bonus room and I'm glad I listened to her.

I would have taped off the wall and painted the backdrop over it if not for one major reason - the wall is actually painted with a paint that is impregnated with grit. Makes a neat look and feel for a wall, but a poor surface on which to paint a backdrop. When we move someday it'll be a simple matter to find the screws (thanks to the photos I'm taking), cut the caulk in the joints, and remove the backdrop. Then it's just filling the screw holes and repainting the walls. We kept the original light fixture so that we can replace it also before we move.

Galen

[ocalicreek]

Mmmm... steak. Up here, people always talk about breaking out the bbq every summer after a long cold winter. I say nuts to that. I just put the bbq on the front porch and bbq all year round. Nothing like grilled steak in the middle of January when its minus 15 C to feel like summer is just around the corner.

Totally agree. We usually try to do a rotisserie chicken on the bbq in February with summer type salads and drinks like mojitos to combat S.A.D. and the lack of daylight...!

Andrew

I won't lie - the mojito is one of the main reasons we grow mint. Nothing like it fresh, muddled in the bottom of the glass.

As for the grilling, we have a cast iron griddle that spans two burners on the stove; smooth on one side, ridges on the other. Get it hot enough and it'll make grill lines on the meat! We have a tiny porch, barely functional, and I have put the kettle grill on there to stay out of the rain before. But the winter rains we get are usually windy. Summer rain comes, does its thing, then blows over.

And I wonder if the 6500K 'daylight' bulbs I put in the light fixture will help combat SAD? I hope so.

Galen

[ocalicreek]

Minor Update: The backdrop is installed and all nail holes/screw holes/joints have been caulked.

While I wait for caulk to dry I'll be finishing (finally!) the grade up the hill to Pinto on the second benchwork segment and building the connecting segment along the wall. I can work on these things while the caulk sets, then while the paint dries.

Speaking of which, I should have some sky blue paint somewhere from when I painted my canvas backdrop. If you look at the weathering wood with acrylic washes article in MRH you're looking at it in the lead photo, hanging behind the timesaver. I'm afraid it got lost in the move from California...but I'll dig through the paint cans and see what I find. A trip to the store wouldn't be wasted, though, as I need to pick a base color for the scenery overall.

Photos when the construction is further along.

Galen

[Gary S]

I like the way you are doing the backdrop. To an extent, I wish I would have made my backdrop on panels rather than painting directly on the wall. With yours, if you ever had to move the layout, the backdrop can go too. But with mine, all the time and effort spent on the painting won't be going anywhere.

[ocalicreek]

Thanks, Gary. I suppose I could take it with me. However, I would probably use the opportunity of a new space to do a new thing and may not make use of any of the pre-existing backdrop sections...or layout sections for that matter. There's just no telling what sort of space we'll be in and who know what I'll have learned by the time we move. Hopefully we won't be going anywhere for several years. Although, if somebody dumped a load of dough in our laps we may move to a smaller home with more land. Then again that may happen when we retire anyway. Of course that's 30 years in the future and I hope to finish (yes, finish) this layout in 5 to 10. hock:

Galen

[ocalicreek]

Howdy y'all. I've been working on the railroad...

It's been a while since I've gotten a 'live-long day' to put towards the railroad, but I've had a few hours here and there, even consecutively! Managed to get the entire backdrop painted. One coat of Kilz primer and two coats of the same blue used in my youngest boy's room.

Up next was finalizing the grade up to Pinto and installing that section of benchwork. Next was the 'bridge' section joining the two halves of the room. WOW did I discover just how NOT straight our walls are. Bolting that section in place pulled the layout sides and shifted the whole layout a quarter to 3/8". A few taps with a hammer evened out the gaps.

Finally I glued in the joint blocks. Now I may not need to disassemble the layout sections anytime soon, but if I ever do, or whenever we move, I'll be able to reassemble without any lost sleep over track alignment. Spent some time plotting Andrews, rearranging turnouts slightly to make more room for an additional industry. Hopefully tomorrow I can lay roadbed and, if I'm really good, can lay track Sunday afternoon. Gotta make a trip to Radio Shack for wire, connectors, and parts for a static grass tool. My negative ion generator shipped from Australia on the 5th.

Galen

[mountaingoatgreg]

Galen...

It is great ot hear that you are making some progress on your layotu, but I am going to need to pick on you a little:

:needpics:

Thanks again for the heads up on the ion generator mine to is "in the mail"

[ocalicreek]

Alright, alright. I'll get the camera out this afternoon... :oops: ...after I lay some roadbed.

Galen

[ocalicreek]

Alright. How's this?

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At the far left is my closet workbench. Panning left to right, the first benchwork is the small bit jutting out into the room where the lift-out span will be. The paint bucket and tools are at Watson, the new roadbed is on the new benchwork section under the high window, and the small diorama with the little blue building is the 'Ocali Outfitters'. More on that later. The gap in the subroadbed climbing along the right hand side is where the arch bridge will go and the water tower used to be attached to the outfitters diorama. The green & white buildings are the passenger and freight stations at Pinto at the far right.

Tomorrow I will lay roadbed up the hill to Pinto and start laying track out of staging. I had it tacked down with track nails originally, but I will re-lay it with adhesive caulk. I have been very pleased with the results of that method on the trackwork at Pinto. I am very excited to try my soldered brass screws beneath the rails at the first benchwork joint, and will take detail photos of this work as it proceeds.

Galen