A while back Keith Stillman suggested and then spent hours helping me set up the "Follow By Email" where one enters their email and when a new post is made an announcement is automatically sent out to the recipient. Those of you who signed up, please let me know if you got the email for this post.
Just because its been three months since the last post it doesn't mean that nothing has been done. Besides hitting another big "0" the day after Thanksgiving:
1. Doug Berry came over to help by challenging my plans, reviewing the space and sketching out my general plans on graph paper. He also held his tongue upon seeing the amount of train stuff in the layout area. A valuable lesson for me was use pencil and paper to capture ideas and the computer program "paint" to show others the track plan. While "paint" is relatively simple to use and can provide better visibility of the plan than a pencil sketch, I found myself more focused on the mechanics of moving track segments than "designing" the plan. He left me with the challenge of working out the details for the yard.
2. Got some track spacing dimensions from Keith Stillman on his E&P and with additional input from others, set yard track spacing at 2 1/2 inches. Worked on a yard design and shipped pencil sketches to Bob Warren who gave good feedback.
3. Cynthia and I have been doing some clean-up in the storage room to make that space more accessible.
4. I have begun separating the layout era, 1950's, specific cars from the other [almost always 1970's and newer era] cars as a start on cleaning up the train room and closet.
5. Reviewed the plan with my sons who asked about methods of attachment of the shelves to the walls. Initial plans are the twin track uprights [such as Rubbermaid] that accommodate twin track brackets at 1 1/1 inch increments.
6. Sketched up the overall plan [see below] and look to you to provide input. PLEASE REVIEW THE SKETCH AND PROVIDE COMMENTS.
Key dimensions:
Lower level 48", upper level 58" resulting in a 2.7% grade between the two. This assumes that about three feet at each end of the grade to transition between grade and level.
Lower level main room shelf depth: 2' east and west walls, 1 1/2 ' south wall
Upper level main room shelf depth: 1' south and east walls, 1 1/2' west wall
"Blob" 3' 9" to 5' X 7' 9" of "Mushroom" design.
There are three "Foreign Railroad" [two in the closet and one under the upper end of the "No-Lex"] which provide interchange and/or run-through possibilities and/or branch lines.
A single 12" manual turntable serves the yard. The yard has main line, passing siding and an A-D track and 5 classification tracks. The drill track connects to the A-D track and the ladder for the five classification tracks.
One or two yard operators, depending on session, with 3-4 operators in the main room. The closet is an "intermediate" staging area with scenery and an operating yard. The main room operators stay out of the closet - only observing their train go through on the upper level or run between the yard and the blob/mushroom on the lower level. One more person/dispatcher handles staging in the storage room.
Only the upper level crosses the door to the main room.
LOWER LEVEL
UPPER LEVEL
Next is to receive some comments FROM YOU and to post the design using "paint" to make the track arrangement and fascia edge clearer. Also, will be working on the 3D model to look at spacing of the levels and shelf depth.
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