A segmented layout?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

No luck here today. I completed this post two times and each time it somehow got lost. Hopefully the third time is a charm.

I have been catching up on Ian’s progress on his new Boston Line (Springfield) layout. Lots of awesome ideas. He is several years ahead of me already. Its great to see he has the time, space and resources to make this happen.

Looking at my own plans for the Worcester-Boston portion of the line, I have run into many problems. My basement floods, and this needs to be addressed before anything else.

The layout of the basement is pretty bad. I have a bulkhead door at each end. One is a walkout to the back yard while the other is to an enclosed storage area under the front porch. Yes, strange as it may seem my porch actually has a basement of its own. Worse, the water/sewer/gas hookups are at the other end of the oil tank. And just to top it off, the water heater, boiler and chimney are smack dab in the middle of the basement.

To make the layout I want, I would need the whole basement. I could wall off the appliances with an access hatch under the layout, but this would mean a lot of walls, angles and corners would like to avoid. I would also need to tear out walls and large portions of the layout if something needed replacement.

I could build the layout around the appliances, but again, large portions of the layout would need to be pulled for service. The idea of a giant monolithic oil tank looking over the trains isn’t very palatable either. I could move stuff around, but that costs a lot of money, and the low ceiling means I am very limited in terms of running pipes around.

But what if the layout was segmented?  Say I split the layout into three diorama-like sceniced parts: Worcester-Grafton, Westboro-Framingham, Beacon Park-South Station. The three would be connected by a mainline ring track that would be little more than track on a 4 inch shelf. The diorama areas are really the only areas of operation, so I wouldn’t loose much operability. I could start and end each segment with natural scene barriers and set them window box style in a valence with proper lighting.

This way I can control the look of the areas I want without trying to work around closets and access areas for the heating equipment, I could also force the viewer to focus on the areas that matter and build them with better detail rather than attempt to compress long stretches of mainline. Operations crews would know their areas, no cities would overlap and the cost of the layout could be cut dramatically.

Thoughts, ideas?

[chuck geiger]

Have you thought about building an out building for the layout?

[DKS]

Can you make a rough sketch of your basement space and the fixtures in it? This will help with visualization.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I'll try and get a scetch done overnight at work.

[John]

every layout is a compromise ..

[wm3798]

One important thought.  Before you consider enclosing your appliances, check your local codes about what you can and can't do.  While to some degree codes are a meaningless way for bureaucrats to exercise their power over their subjects, a lot of it makes good common sense to make sure you don't suffocate yourself or blow up your house.

I would accept the fact that the basement presents you with an opportunity to either take five years to plan your uber layout, and set about the tasks of fixing the flooding problem (that would be a deal breaker for me; trains and water don't mix well...) and looking into smaller, more energy efficient appliances that can be installed out of harm's way.  OR,

I would accept that the floor plan of the basement is what it is, and design my layout accordingly.  Sometimes this means including those horrible "model railroady" features that make Ed's skin crawl, but at some point, you have to recognize your limitations.  If compromising on the layout plan is not in the cards, then decide how much time and how many resources you have to commit to fixing the basement issues, and budget both accordingly.

Lee

[Dave Schneider]

I feel your pain Daniel. In my case, I don't have a basement so I have to settle for part of the garage. I have decided to go the modular route, and have a 4 x 15 foot area with access on all sides. I scored some industrial pallet rack from Craigslist so that the layout will be 60 inches above the garage floor with storage underneath.  Each module is being built in shadowbox style with a roof over each section and the ability to seal off the front when not in operation. I will have two 2 foot by 6 foot modules on each side with 1.5 x 4 foot section on each end to form a simple oval. The track will be layed out so that I can reconfigure into a longer section or substitute the ends for 90 degree curves as space allows.  Here is a quick sketch of sorts showing my plan (done in Powerpoint...the end curves will be 15 inch radius). There will be some staging on incorporated as well as a branch line off one end to an industrial section over my workbench. This approach has allowed me to get started building instead of planning, and allows me to work on one module at a time in the comfort of my family room.



Best wishes, Dave

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Here is a rough sketch of the basement. The devider between the porch and basement is a cement load bearing wall and can not be removed.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

So this is the basic idea. The mainline would exit the boxed layout areas and run into the next viewpoint. I could run the mainline behind movable bookshelves or storage areas. To access the bulkheads or equipment, I could just remove a small section of mainline without having to cut through scenery.

[DKS]

If it comes as any consolation, I've seen worse. Anyway, a couple of quick questions. Do you use the exterior walkout a lot? Do you use the porch storage area for much of anything? Obviously you can't remove the inner porch wall, but can you punch a couple of small holes through it? (My immediate thought is to use it for staging...) Also... would shifting the water heater a little be out of the question? (Usually they're not that hard to relocate.)

[Craig Martyn]

This might be of good reference for a segmented layout idea:

http://macrodyn.com/ldsig/wiki/index.php?title=Cascade_Subdivision_-_N_-_Mark_Lestico

[daniel_leavitt2000]

1. we use the exterior walk-out a lot because we do not have a back door. The previous owners removed a door on the main floor and turned the mudroom into a second, tiny bathroom. I plan on adding a slider to the dining room for a second entrance, which would mean the basement walk-out can be removed/covered.

2. I can bore holes in the porch devider.

3. I may need to replace the water heater soon as the flooding last year caused the bottom to start to rest. I was thinking of placing it next to the boiler paralell to the stairs.

[Chris333]

Doesn't seem very segmented:
http://macrodyn.com/ldsig/wiki/index.php?title=Cascade_Subdivision_-_N_-_Mark_Lestico#Track_Plan

I just looked up tankless water heaters on ebay. A bunch for around $200, but I haven't done any research. I don't need a H2O heater, but I like to save money on gas.


Could you duckunder to the porch? That would leave most of the layout connected with just a drop section for your back door. This would be the only no sceniced area near the oil tank.

[John]

I wouldn't plug up the basement door .. you need to be able to get to the oil tank, furnace, etc .. plus, it's probably a code requirement

[SebastianLee]

Is the oil tank in use?  If not has it been "closed in place" (ie filled with inert material).  Will it fit through the door?  If you do remove it make sure to take out the exterior fill line.  Find out who will take it and whats required before moving it though.

The bigger problem is the flooding.  Start at the roof and work your way down. Even if you have clean gutters clogged down spouts can cause a lot of headaches. Just remember the three rules 1. Get rid of the water 2. Get rid of the water 3. Get rid of the water