Michigan Central UNLIMITED


New Guy,

I agree with toot'n - you have a "lot" of area to work with. Honestly, adding a peninsula or two is not being elaborate or high tech, a peninsula will give you infinite options, if not for immediate planning BUT for future expansion.

Believe me, expansion will come to mind after a little while no matter what size layout you start with. Obviously it is your choice and I don't think anyone is trying to "talk you into anything you don't want to do" but if it were me, I would seriously consider adding at least one peninsula for the reasons that toot'n has mentioned. You may be apprehensive now, but in the long run it could pay dividends ;)
 
All advise welcome if not followed. When the construction is done there will BE no room for expansion, I'm doing that part first!

WIN_20151005_070731.JPGThe minicoke is where the program track ends and a bridge to the layout will be.

WIN_20151005_070744.JPGFirst corner, small yard and loco parking.

WIN_20151005_070758.JPGWill be another 'wide' section added for a 24" turn here.

WIN_20151005_070858.JPGThe camera is in the middle of where the four foot table will go across the whole room and connect to the shelf yonder. Access holes will be to the left along that wall. In a way two 'peninsulas' hang off the ends of the four footer to the right in this pic, one on the far wall and one to the immediate right from the camera.
 
WIN_20151004_172053.JPGone here.

WIN_20151005_072104.JPGone here. Shots are from each end of the 'four footer' with my back to the 'brick wall'.
 
Another 'near ROW' over covering PART while the rest is being framed! NEIN! NO covering until the frame is complete! YA?

THEN the trains and all the rest comes in here! I KNOW me! I WILL do NOTHING else once they are down here!

I'll be UP for the first three days of track laying!
 
Not sure if you are asking if you can start putting on the "covering" on before you finish the framing or not but, if you are, then there isn't any real reason why you couldn't so you could start looking at marking out your track plan and so forth. If you have the ply or whatever you are going to be using then why not start putting it on :)
 
It really looks like you are making great progress. I would make a suggestion of looking at what Ken did on his D&J Railroad. Instead of covering the entire benchwork with plywood of foam, to have a track plan and to use plywood just under the tracks. Leave the rest open. This will allow you to have changes in elevation of the landscape and to form mountains and valleys while just keeping the tracks at an even surface. This will use so much less plywood. Here's a picture from Ken's layout.

IMG_5700.png


The only areas I used a sheet, or part of a sheet of plywood is under towns and yards. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of early stages of my layout, but it can save you a lot of $$$. The open areas can be covered by screen and covered with hydrocal, or as in Kens case, he got sheet rock mud in 5 gallon buckets to form hills and gulleys.

Mountains5_zpsb62db2b2.png


These are just suggestions, but these are also excellent ideas. Ken stated in another post that he applying lessons learned from previous layouts to avoid problems. My layout and other forum members layouts are built in the same manner. I was lucky to have had a good friend, who had a large HO scale layout point me into using this method and I have never regretted it. In the long run it has saved me a lot of money and allowed me to build the layout that I really wanted.

Just a suggestion. I don't know if you have gone through Kens post of the D&J, but it could give you some ideas. I see so much potential for a great layout with the room you have.
 
I'm after wide open spaces, large flat areas are part of the program. I know I will want to make changes in track lines that will require ROOM to shift track hither and yon as 'needs' dictate.
WIN_20151005_205047.JPGThe first of three middle sections of the 'infamous' four footer. The 'pit' on this side begins to take shape.
 
I always enjoy seeing a new layout coming to life and with the amount of real estate you have there this can be a real adventure.
 
wombat457 said:
Not sure if you are asking if you can start putting on the "covering" on before you finish the framing or not but, if you are, then there isn't any real reason why you couldn't so you could start looking at marking out your track plan and so forth. If you have the ply or whatever you are going to be using then why not start putting it on :)
Click to expand...

Not asking, trying to hold back a little. My carpenter/rail buddy is more eager to get running than and I am and I'm EAGER! Trying not to RUSH this last bit and ruin the pretty good quality of work we have done so far. I have been chuckling for months about how much everybody 'plans'. My 'plan' from before beginning was to make a layout I could change. The design allows for cutting out part of the table and making the holes not holes anymore, but 'walk ins'. thus two MORE 'peninsulas' may appear in the future and when I'm a few years along and do not want to crawl under anymore, I can change it. The most BORING thing (for ME) would be to be 'stuck' with narrow roadways that would not ever be able to move. Again, it comes down to 'what you want' out of trains, I want operation not scenery. Of course I will have SOME and I cannot stress how impressed I am by the quality of diorama action I see from various members. It's just 'not my thing'. Never was going to try to 'model' a railroad so I don't need ballast since it never rains down here and I won't be installing signals since I don't want to do all that wiring and they don't matter (to ME.) I'm not in my 'second' childhood but CONTINUING childhood action mode! Sorry guys, to me it's JUST a TRAIN SET. and I'm going to have FUN with it! Move track around, make the steepest grades run diesel/steam consists and all the rest of the most 'heretical' behavior I can come up with.
 
Sorry bout the 'uppity' tone. Feeling a wee bit 'pummeled' from all sides with too many "helpful" 'things I should/could do' on this table.

Getting the thing built is proving stressful enough.


It will be what it will be.
 
Don't get stressed out. banghead_125.gif Chill out and consider yourself a sawdust manufacturer. Once the benchwork is up, the fun part begins. cheer.gif Planning your empire. With the job you have done so far, you have endless possibilities.
 
montanan said:
Don't get stressed out. View attachment 52834 Chill out and consider yourself a sawdust manufacturer. Once the benchwork is up, the fun part begins. View attachment 52835 Planning your empire. With the job you have done so far, you have endless possibilities.
Click to expand...

Thanks, ya, sawdust to the MAX down here. I 'plan' no more than working on it for the rest of my 'born days'! It will be better than I have been imagining when it 'gets going'.

The lumber difficulty was unforeseen and perplexing. I know it's BAD enough when you HAVE to go to work, BEEN there! BUTT! I always TRIED to remember it was NOT the customers FAULT! ALL I ask is they DO what they are PAID to do. They don't even have to do it WELL.
 
Had to literally go to the next county for decent lumber to finish the frame and got some tap-cons for the table legs closest to the stairs. This thing will be solid.
 
"...to me it's JUST a TRAIN SET. and I'm going to have FUN with it! Move track around, make the steepest grades run diesel/steam consists and all the rest of the most 'heretical' behavior I can come up with..."
Click to expand...

At the end of the day, that is what it is - a Train Set to be enjoyed and to have fun with however you want ... push it to it's limits and have lots of fun with it!
 
WIN_20151006_205531.JPGThe middle of the middle with the connector to the shelf and one of the 'pits' appears!

Pits will be 30" x 9' each. Plenty high enough to crawl under, yes I know, 'butt' the Arthritis dictated a slightly 'gymnastic' design on purpose. The more you move the more you CAN move!
 
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I beg to differ about it being a simple train set, would we spend oodles of money , dream sleep and day dream about a train set ? Spend endless hours perfecting techniques? Go through all kinds of learning curves , some painful some not so painful?
No our layouts are not just a train set.
 
Lynnb said:
I beg to differ about it being a simple train set, would we spend oodles of money , dream sleep and day dream about a train set ? Spend endless hours perfecting techniques? Go through all kinds of learning curves , some painful some not so painful?
No our layouts are not just a train set.
Click to expand...

Obsession much? LOL! ( MEE TOO!)

After burning thru near ten grand on this just to get started, I do believe you are correct sir. It is a little more than JUST a train set.

It has become my 'thing' I'm a 'train guy' now and I LIKEE!

Not as knowledgeable or as skilled as I'd like to be but that is changing.
 
NG - None of us were very knowledgeable or skilled when were started into the hobby. For many of us it was the school of hard knocks. Trial and error. Sure wish there were forums like this years back when I started work on my layout. I had a lot of things go goos, but probably just as many projects go south on me too.

Over the years I learned a lot from other modelers during my visits to other model railroaders out of state where we could exchange ideas and I am still learning things here on the forum from other members. Many of the materials that are in common use today weren't around when I started my layout. DCC wasn't even a dream. The abundance of kits, rolling stock and locomotives we have today is amazing. A lot of things we take for granted today that is available off the shelf would have to have been scratchbuilt years back.

One thing we all have in common is our interest in trains.

Nothing wrong with that.
 
montanan said:
NG - None of us were very knowledgeable or skilled when were started into the hobby. For many of us it was the school of hard knocks. Trial and error. Sure wish there were forums like this years back when I started work on my layout. I had a lot of things go goos, but probably just as many projects go south on me too.

Over the years I learned a lot from other modelers during my visits to other model railroaders out of state where we could exchange ideas and I am still learning things here on the forum from other members. Many of the materials that are in common use today weren't around when I started my layout. DCC wasn't even a dream. The abundance of kits, rolling stock and locomotives we have today is amazing. A lot of things we take for granted today that is available off the shelf would have to have been scratchbuilt years back.

One thing we all have in common is our interest in trains.

Nothing wrong with that.
Click to expand...

That is why my hat will always doff to the 'rivet counters'! THEY drive the manufacturers to make what we all 'take for granted'!

SOUND, for one, is something I took for granted on these BLI's and RIV's just because of the price!

( for THIS kinda money it BETTER "make a noise"!)

Part of the appeal for me IS the learning curve! I WANT to learn about ALL this stuff! And I know it will take time, ALSO part of the appeal.


Rob pointed out this hobby is CHOCK full of "problems" that we almost intentionally make just to 'fix' them! LOL!
 
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