Building - new house, "bonus room", and a layout (hopefully).
August 13, 2012
Discovered this magazine a few weeks ago and promptly subscribed. A great resource, especially good knowing that Joe started it. I first became acquainted with Joe's musing, blogs and website several years ago. I subscribed to the CD series and have thoroughly enjoyed learning from them.
I started with an HO layout of sorts while in junior high, using paper route money to buy stuff. I had an 8' long by about 2' wide piece of plywood that allowed me to do some switching of the Varney cars that I put together. The engine was a rubber band drive F3 that could hardly pull itself down the track. But, it did work and it really did switch some cars. I still have some of those cars and the engine, but they aren't in very good shape after being tossed around for over 60 years.
Jobs, businesses, and entrepreneurship became first priority over the years so hobbies suffered. Finally after really "retiring" we built a new smaller home that has a bonus room over the large garage. When we built, I left this unfinished in the hopes that I could negotiate a substantial portion to a railroad. Lo and behold, my wife decided that she could get along with a 12' by 14' room and I could have the rest - 14' by 16'. The next day I started wiring it before she could change her mind!
The rooms are now in the sheet rock finishing stage - wiring done, HVAC in, insulation done, and almost all the sheetrock hung. Just a few more large pieces to go, then come the (UGH) taping and mudding. (I hate sheetrock!) Then comes some paint, flooring and trim. I have just gotten to the Feb. 2012 issue and read Charlie's soapbox. Thank you!!!, Charlie. You make me feel better.
Several years ago I started accumulating stuff from eBay and swap meets with the intent to eventually build a layout. I have track, a lot of code 100 brass, quite a bit of code 83 NS and a variety of turnouts, about 100+ rolling stock, mainly in the era of 1970 to 1990.
I am thinking about an "E" shape benchwork built in modules that could be taken apart reasonably easily to make changes or to move out. A two or three turn helix to an upper shelf for hidden return main line and a two or three turn helix below the first for staging. The shape of the ceiling (attic type knee walls) limits the height of the benches. The main bench can't be higher than about 45" which would place the upper shelf at a maximum of about 54". The tentative area to sort of model would be from Vancouver north to about Chehalis or so. With liberal interpretation of the prototype. The Chelatchie prairie branch wouldn't really look like it is now, but would be a much more active one, industry wise.
My house is about 1/2 mile west of Heisson, within sight of the the crossing there. Visiting my uncle's place in the late 50's and 60's south of Heisson I would see the LP&N 2-8-0 struggle up the grade from Heisson to Battle Ground Lake.
I will try to once in a while add to this blog so if anyone is interested or have any comments I would welcome them.
Dave Campbell
- davepcpowernet's blog
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Comments
Pass on the brass!
I strongly suggest that you do NOT use brass track as it is nothing but trouble. And welcome to MRH!
Rick
The former Richlawn Railroad Website - Featuring the L&N in HO / MRH Blog Eastern Standard Time
Keep that brass track ...
... but whatever you do, don't use it to run trains on! It's great for display tracks and any other location in which you'll never, ever want to run an electrically powered model. It's also great stuff for building things out of, since the brass is so easy to solder. I wish I had a pile of the stuff, for building things like tender frames out of.
Ken Rickman
Danville & Western HO modeler and web historian
http://southern-railway.railfan.net/dw/
...
With the price of copper bearing scrap, you might remove it from the ties, throw out the ties and take it all to a metals recycler and see what they'll give you for it.
Definitely Interested
I'm looking forward to seeing what you build. Vancouver to Chehalis should provide lots of modeling opportunities.
Greg Amer
The Industrial Lead
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YouTube.com/gregoryamer/
Brass track & modeling
I might mention that over the years that I have built several smaller layouts, always with brass track. I am well aware of the corrosion, dirt and general difficulty of keeping it in running condition. I also have been using NCE DCC for about 7 or 8 years on a small 4 x 8 test layout that resided on a desk in my office. It was almost covered with switching leads, a yard and pseudo industry tracks. I had a lot of enjoyment in figuring out what was possible and what simply wouldn't work well. The track was all brass and believe it or not, it did work well, especially with a masonite cleaning car that I built. I do appreciate the sentiments of those who despise brass now that nickel-silver is more or less readily available. Of course, budget constraints do enter into the picture when considering the cost of new track and turnouts. Probably brass isn't going to go to the scrap dealer right away. After all, isn't MOW work part of the fun? ;-)
Modeling between Vancouver and Chehalis presents a lot of decisions - how much of each of the two large ports do I attempt to do. What about the log train spur to Green Mountain? The supposed operations on LINC to Battle Ground, the Ryderwood branch, and the tourist line at Chehalis? This isn't even mentioning the industries at Ridgefield, Woodland, Longview and all of the other small towns. The main line is double tracked CTC running about 60 or so trains a day. A busy line that I wouldn't be able to really do justice to a prototype modeling. So, the first of the many decisions is that I am downgrading the line to a branch line in an alternate universe. I'll see where that goes in my imagination!
The construction as I have mentioned is going to be modular - 2' x 4' modules but not quite on the normal modular standard. For my own layout I will be deviating quite a bit as the modules will be primarily for ease of working on them. I just a few minutes ago read for the first time the May issue where Joe Fugate editorialized about the difficulty of working under a layout. A 77 year old with bad knees just isn't going to crawl around either! One of these days I might have a sufficiently detailed concept of a possible design done that I could add to this blog and be prepared for critiques. LDSIG has been a help, so far, even as a lurker.
Progress so far on the room - sheetrock all hung, mudding started. There is a glimmer at the end of the tunnel!
Dave Campbell
Heisson, Wa.
Brass Track
The best advice I can give you on the brass track is DON'T use it! Good luck with your layout!