F-UnitMad Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Here's some pics of my new layout being built in the old Servant's Quarters of our East Wing... Â ... okay, in the loft of our 1930's Semi... Â Â The overall layout size is about 17ft x 8ft, and if you're expecting something really spectacular sorry but this is really just a large trainset... Â Â The layout is really just two big ovals with a siding (UK= passing loop) each and a freight branch around the outside. There's no hidden sidings - I don't see the point in this case. The inner oval is DC; the outer oval & branch are DCC. There is just one crossover that links them, but it has insulated fishplates. Eventually if/when the happy day arrives that we have an all-DCC fleet, the inner oval will be wired to the DCC bus. I know mixing DC & DCC is strongly advised against, but that is mainly aimed at club layouts as far as I can see, with many possible operators. For my lad & I alone we shouldn't get confused, and all locos are having little sticky 'dot' labels put under them - red for DC, green for DCC. I am not enabling any of the DCC locos to run on DC - something that isn't very good for them anyway as far as I've read? The side with the plain running lines is where we plan to have a "British" station for my lad. The other side with all the sidings and spurs (or loops and sidings in UK parlance) is the "American" side for me. Â You will note my lad's taste in trains leans towards high speed expresses, of various Eras!! Â Track on the main lines is Code 100; on the branch it is Code 83. The join between the two is here on the right-hand line. Code 100 fishplates are fitted half onto the Code 100 rail, then squashed flat, and the Code 83 soldered on top!! Â Curves are nominally 3ft radius on the outer oval, but tighten to Hornby 3rd radius (about 21inch?) over the central heating boiler. I made the boards narrow over that, mainly so they don't trap any heat from it, or that they don't get in the way when it's serviced. All the curves are canted, by setting them in coving adhesive spread out when the track was being laid. They're a little bit unevenly canted in places, but certainly help keep the Hornby Virgin Pendolino on the rails! The tight curves in the one corner do mean that fast trains have to slow a touch around there - this is a good thing really as it means you really do have to drive them - they can't just be set to full power and left to their own devices. Â Â There are just three sidings on the freight branch, holding about six boxcars each. It was tempting to make a complete Industrial Switching layout (as per Sir Mindheim), but I'd never have time to complete it or have a really good operating session - just switching a train to these three spurs can take over half an hour - not including running it around to the interchange siding on the other side of the layout. One picture shows one of the sidings "disappearing" in a grey mess - this is in-laid track, using coving adhesive smoothed out, and the flangeways formed by dragging a home-made scraper through the mix before it drys. Â Â Â The loft itself has just been insulated and boarded, with the joists etc having more wood added to them for weight support, and a velux skylight put in - it's not a full-blown conversion, doesn't add value to the house (except in layout terms!!) and counts as storage, so no planning permission is required. The internal walls of the house rise up into the loft to support the main beams, which is what the two 'intrusions' are - the builders boarded them is right up to the ceiling, which was easier for them and saved us a bit of money. On the one I removed just part of the plasterboard, leaving the framing wood, as that is the side the loft ladder comes up, and there's a handrail fitted at the bottom of that wall to assist entry. On the other side I took out the plasterboard completely, which really opens up the view down the layout, but explains the 'patch' in the ceiling boarding! Â Â The boards themselves are Knauf Spaceboard extruded foam sheets from B&Q. They are supported by wooden battens that are screwed to the main roof beams. Hardboard strips are stuck to the edge. It's all very light but quite strong enough for HO trains - I wouldn't like to put my Heljan O Hymek on it, though!! Best of all there's no legs cluttering up the floor space. Â Â I've got one of my small O Scale layouts up the loft, too!! Â .....and finally, a You-Tube video... this is why it had to be HO Scale.... Â Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BabbOfEz8fQ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Ooh! Jordan, you lucky chap! That is one nice 'play room'!!! I only wish my loft was as inviting as that (I've still got lots of work to do!). I have a similar idea to you, only I would do US and German (no offspring, you see!). Hope you and your lad have lots of great times up there, Cheers, John E. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveB Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Jordan That is ace! That space looks like a modeller's dream My loft has only about 5ft headroom - I know I'm just a short -a**e - but I hate banging my head all the time! Hope you keep us all up to date with progress on this one  Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Didn't he do well - mine is full of Trusses - the roof variety - I know I'm getting old, but I'm not yet in need of one! - and is the very devil to get into. - I'll have to carry on with the small space jobs! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilM Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 My kind of layout! You probably realise this already but if you try to put British platforms anywhere like the right distance from the track they foul the US loading guage - since I have been running US on my British layout all work has stopped on the scenery (i.e for 2.5 years!!!) as I cant fix the platforms in place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 You probably realise this already but if you try to put British platforms anywhere like the right distance from the track they foul the US loading gauge .... Yes, I did realise... my subtle plan is to not fix the platforms in place, as my own Top Secret very-long-term plan will be to re-work that side a bit, if/once my lad loses interest, or leaves home; then the layout will become all-American. Whether or not I keep the double track, I'm not sure, but that's all a long way off.... let's hope I'm still able to climb the loft ladder by then.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Occasionally my lad & I indulge in racing trains - well with two ovals it'd be rude not to!! I can confirm that the Hornby Pendolino is way faster than Flying Scotsman, and pretty much everything else..!! Â This infantile behaviour would be utterly frowned upon in certain circles of the hobby, but I am delighted to report that, as ever, in the USA there really IS a Prototype for Everything.... :D Â Â Now THAT'S Highballing..!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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