Bonus Room Shelf Layout

[tetters]

I'd love to see that article Galen. Please let us know if it gets published.

[ocalicreek]

Spent some time tonight mapping the studs in the walls where the layout will go. All seem to line up on 16" centers, as expected, except for one section where a dividing perpendicular wall meets this one. The abrasive paint finish in here did pull the little felt feet off my stud-finder. :x

I rec'd a couple hardware store gift cards back at Xmas so I'll be making a trip to purchase shelving componants soon, maybe tomorrow. Cleaning all the pictures, etc. off the walls is exciting...can't wait to get started. I'm debating on whether or not to go with a 24" or 30" high backdrop.

Also before I attach anything to the wall I need to be sure I'm comfortable with the layout height. I remember in Kelso setting the layout pretty high at first, then moving it a few inches lower. I may find some way to mock-up a section to live with first.

Galen

[Russ Bellinis]

I would recommend setting the layout high enough for good viewing and ease of uncoupling without having your arms or elbows knocking over scenery, details, or cars left on a siding to the front of the layout, but not so low as to give you a constant "helicopter" view of the layout. Then put a folding step stool permanently stashed somewhere in the room for when you need to reach the back of the layout to fix a derailed train or repair scenery or details. Probably set high enough to be just below your sternum would be about right . Unless you are building it low enough for your kids to operate on it, waist high is probably too low. If you are wanting to make allowances for your kids to run the trains, I would build it to the right height for you and then build long platforms that would be pushed against the wall below the layout for storage; and pulled out for the kids to stand on when operating. You can get furniture sliders from Home Depot or Lowes that glue to the bottom of furniture legs to allow sliding across floors without marring or damage to the floor. As the kids grow, cut the legs off and install more sliders, or if you get the sliders with the nail in them, pop them off and nail them to the shortened legs.

[ocalicreek]

Thanks, Russ. I'm sure Andrew will want to operate the trains (he is 5 now) and will do just fine with a step stool. I remember him operating the timesaver 2 years ago at the old house, standing on a bar stool holding the throttle. I was even teaching him hand signals as he was the engineer and I was the brakeman/conductor. Fun times.

The layout plan has undergone a MAJOR redirection shift. When I was mapping the wall studs I began measuring to determine the height of the backdrop and upper shelf/lighting. That's when I realized the window was going to be a problem. I love natural light (not the beverage) and blocking that window was not going to happen. I had planned on a scenicked section below the window, but hadn't gotten to the details of an upper valance/lighting for that section. On either side, no problem.

SO, I have decided to do two things. One, focus on creating two scenes, one on either side of the room, with an unscenicked bridge section between them beneath the window and another just like it in the middle of the room. Two, drop the timesaver from the plan.

The first change gives me roundy-roundy running. The second change gives more scenic flexibility as well as a longer roundy-roundy run. I'm thinking now of a double-track loop with the tracks divided on the scenic sections. I have a really nice double crossover that I can use to enable folded-figure-8 running of a single train or two trains running on separate loops. One side of the room will be more rural, possibly even just mountainous scenery, and the other urban with a small yard and engine facilities.

The timesaver will return to its original purpose, as a stand-alone layout for social enjoyment. It was really designed to be operated from both sides.

Galen

[Russ Bellinis]

I think those are good ideas, Galen. I remember operating your time saver at the club meeting a few years ago, and it is a fun little layout to bring out and use anywhere you want to. In my opinion, it would be a shame to incorporate it into a permanent layout and lose it's inherent portability.

[ocalicreek]

I think those are good ideas, Galen. I remember operating your time saver at the club meeting a few years ago, and it is a fun little layout to bring out and use anywhere you want to. In my opinion, it would be a shame to incorporate it into a permanent layout and lose it's inherent portability.

Thanks for the confirmation, Russ. It is a fun little layout, and in need of a few more things to finish it. The water on one side bubbled in the sun sitting on my back porch down in La Mirada and really needs to be removed and replaced. Not a hard task, but not one I'm looking forward to. The remainder is fun stuff - adding another small structure, detailing, trees, etc.

Then there's the task of coming up with a way to protect it for transport. I want to employ the kiss principle, but have also got delusional dreams of grandeur about a nice wooden box with brass hardware, space to store rolling stock & power supply, etc. Maybe when I get more involved with local rails up here I'll find the motivation to build some sort of protective cover. It needs something to protect the investment of time detailing it.

Galen

[Russ Bellinis]

Thanks for the confirmation, Russ. It is a fun little layout, and in need of a few more things to finish it. The water on one side bubbled in the sun sitting on my back porch down in La Mirada and really needs to be removed and replaced. Not a hard task, but not one I'm looking forward to. The remainder is fun stuff - adding another small structure, detailing, trees, etc.

Then there's the task of coming up with a way to protect it for transport. I want to employ the kiss principle, but have also got delusional dreams of grandeur about a nice wooden box with brass hardware, space to store rolling stock & power supply, etc. Maybe when I get more involved with local rails up here I'll find the motivation to build some sort of protective cover. It needs something to protect the investment of time detailing it.

Galen

I think I would plan to use separate boxes for rolling stock and just make a box/cover big enough to cover and protect the time saver if it was me. I think the lightest but strong enough method would be to pick up some of the aluminum angle stock from Home Depot, Lowes, or whatever hardware store is in your area, some door skin material, and screws, nuts, and washers. Then use the aluminum to reinforce all of the corners. You could also pick up a piece of flat stock and a couple of gate pull handles large enough for your hands for handles. Make the cover just tall enough to clear the tallest detail by an inch or so. You could either always install the cover with the timesaver on a flat surface, or screw on a piece of molding along the bottom of the frame as a stop. Set the cover in place and drill holes and use screws and nuts to fasten the cover in place. The club is using a similar design for a cover for our turntable that we bought with a roundhouse for the modular railroad since you were living down here.

[ocalicreek]

Here are the new sketches for the two-scene concept for the bonus room shelf layout.

   

First is the country/small town scene. On the left is a diorama (which took first place in a kitbashing contest a few years ago) of a backwoods supply store, the Ocali Outfitters. This industry receives an occasional flat car load of hardwood lumber, or box car of finished goods for distribution/sale. On the right will be a station scene. The spur in the middle will probably be a team track to allow for variety. Outer radius 22", inner radius 20". Both turnouts #4.

   

Next is the other wall, an urban scene. The two mainline tracks pass through town on an elevated embankment/wall. The siding coming off the curved turnout descends down a 6% grade beginning just past the #6 turnout. The unnamed 'industry' is on the same level as the mains. Following the spur track downgrade we pass the waterworks bottling plant (my summer 2009 kitbash contest project) and enter a tail track to hold a small shifter and at most two 40' cars.

Reversing through the switchback the line passes under the main tracks to serve two visible industries. The American Tool and Die company receives a box car load of raw materials and a coal hopper to fire the boiler for steam generation to run all those machine tools and heat the plant in winter. The other industry will probably be a scrap yard/pipe & metal shapes dealer. There is a passenger station located below grade with staircases up to the platform & baggage elevators. It's not grand central, since it's in an industrial part of town. More likely commuters & business people pass through here.

The spur alongside the AT&D industry can hold other rolling stock destined for other industries located further down the industry spur...after the track passes beneath the mains. May be a neat place for a mirror effect.

Again the outer main radius is 22", the inner 20", and spur line 18". Most turnouts on the industry spur are #4's. The crossover on the main is #6's. The double crossover on the unscenicked mainline 'bridge' section is a shinohara #6. It will serve as the runaround for trains setting off & picking up freight for the local industries. The switch engine for the industrial district will 'live' on the switchback tail track.

I'm pretty jazzed about this plan. Well, whaddya think?

Galen

[Gary S]

I like it. It is fairly simple and straightforward, with some operating interest. I'm looking forward to photos of your shelf bracket installation and benchwork.

[ocalicreek]

I like it. It is fairly simple and straightforward, with some operating interest. I'm looking forward to photos of your shelf bracket installation and benchwork.

Thanks, Gary. However, I'm rethinking the whole storebought shelf bracket approach for cost reasons. A friend of mine used to say 'lumber is cheap...compared to brass' (meaning engines). He's right, and I'd add, lumber is cheap...compared to rubbermaid or closetmaid shelving systems. After pricing them today at my local home Despot, I'd blow my modeling budget for a long time just on the uprights let alone the brackets themselves, and then I'd have to build the actual layout framing and fascia, etc.

I'll be doing some serious web & magazine searching over the next few days to look at lightweight framing (a la Iain Rice...although he rests his framing on shelf brackets or bookshelves). I figure if kitchen cabinets, that hold our dishes, are simply screwed to the wall, then if I build a rigid structure like a shadowbox scene, I could screw it to the studs and be fine.

But this approach calls for some serious 'measure ten cut one' thinking. :ugeek:

I do love the plan the more I look at it, even so. Drives me to make the benchwork work.

Galen

[ocalicreek]

Okay...plunked down some hard-earned greenbacks at HD tonight and brought home some Rubbermaid track shelving componants. I took a second look at the space and after consulting a few online resources on such methods decided I could get away with half as many supports as I had originally thought. When I put up the shelving back at our previous house I was also using it for heavy magazines so I had one upright on each stud, every 16". Here I will use half as many. Factoring in the bits left over from the previous use I was able to save quite a bit this way both dollars and hours - I think it'll be worth it to get trains running sooner.

Tomorrow, hopefully, I will spend some time installing the uprights. When they are in place I'll be able to make a better decision as to whether or not I want to go with an upper shelf and fascia/lighting combo or forego any upper shelf/fascia and re-use the suspended track lighting from our bedroom. With two primarily long & narrow scenes it may be just fine to depend on room lighting and spots that can be aimed/directed for particular scenes.

Galen

[Fluesheet]

Good luck on this Galen - looking forward to construction photos!

Matt

[Gary S]

I think that us "shelf guys" are often guilty of overdoing things. We build our brackets and benchwork to hold 100's of pounds, but it just isn't needed.

For shelving, 2" thick foam is probably sturdy enough all by itself. Now, the foam isn't conducive to mounting switch machines and such under the layout, so maybe some 1/4" plywood glued to the foam would work?

Still, I know that when I get back to the layout for the new building, it will be way overbuilt = expensive

[ocalicreek]

Good luck on this Galen - looking forward to construction photos!

Matt

Thanks Matt, so am I! As soon as I finish posting replies here, I'm breaking out the level & the drill...after I clean up the room :oops: . No need to get drywall dust all over the mess that's already here!

Galen

[ocalicreek]

I think that us "shelf guys" are often guilty of overdoing things. We build our brackets and benchwork to hold 100's of pounds, but it just isn't needed.

For shelving, 2" thick foam is probably sturdy enough all by itself. Now, the foam isn't conducive to mounting switch machines and such under the layout, so maybe some 1/4" plywood glued to the foam would work?

Still, I know that when I get back to the layout for the new building, it will be way overbuilt = expensive

I hear that! I'm debating now whether or not I want the base plate to be integrated with the layout or simply a means of stabilizing the brackets. Since the plan is to include a removable bridge section (which may be scenicked) I need the connection points on either end to be somewhat stable to avoid derailments and catastrophic floor plummetting.

I am inspired by folks like Bruce Petty and Lance Mindheim who have taken shelf layouts and really made them classy, along with our very own Nazgul/Steve, Kurt, et al. SO I really want the 'benchwork' to look neat and tidy but not at all distracting.

Okay...to work!

Galen