Thoughts on initial construction

It's almost time to start the benchwork. I've put a lot of thought and planning into this. As with any project, I'm sure things will be adjusted during construction. Here's what I'm planning.

Basic benchwork:

• 1" square steel tubing for the frame of the benchwork. 
• The peninsulas will be built first and attached to one wall. Strength and stability are my top priority. All pieces will be welded together. I will reinforce as necessary. 
• One of my guiding principles is that I don't want any floor to ceiling connections. The railroad is designed for open space above the backdrop. 
• A key challenge in designing the peninsulas is the fact that they must support 3 levels. 1) Lower Staging, 2) Main level, 3) Upper level on the small peninsula and a small staging yard on the large (Taylor Yard) peninsula.
• I'm planning on a square steel pad on the bottom of each let about 2"x2". And then attach to the floor with caulk. Worst case if I'm not able to establish the rigidity that I'm looking for, I'll attach the legs to the floor. 
• I will build the helices in conjunction with the lower staging level.

I will need to build the railroad from the bottom up. In doing so, I need to determine the best way to support the levels above. For that, the main frame of the peninsula will be ladder like construction. Once the lower staging benchwork frame is complete, I will attach legs that support both the lower level and connect to support the main level. The legs will be inset somewhere between 9" and 12". I used the same inset on the Exeter Branch and I've never had issues with operators kicking the legs.

Supporting the upper staging level above the Taylor Yard peninsula will be vertical posts on the centerline. Since the staging is only 12" wide, I don't see an issue. 

For the smaller peninsula I'm still working on my approach. I want to keep the posts between the main and upper levels as invisible as possible. Again, not wanting to have something connecting up to the ceiling. 

Peninsula construction is really the foundation. The benchwork that is attached to the walls will be pretty simple in comparison. 

For the sub-roadbed my plan is to have wood risers from the steel benchwork and plywood for the track. I'm going to use Homabed under the main track and sidings. And, potentially masonite spline on the upper level. 

Helix construction will be made from masonite. Likely 3/16". I will cut sections that are 1/3 of a circle. Next will be to laminate 2 pieces together using wood glue. The pieces will be offset by 1/2. As laminated material will be stronger, this will allow me to keep sections thin. I'll use all thread rods to maintain the separation. My calculations have the grade around 1.45%

I continue to refine my benchwork design as I prepare to start construction.

The room is almost ready!

It's been a journey, but the room is finally nearly complete. I needed to wait for nearly a year from initial construction for the building to settle and to take care of the one year 'punch list' items. The ceiling settled and some cracks needed to be repaired. That is done,

The flooring is complete (mostly). I decided to go with laminate as I was concerned with wear on the carpet. Especially the stairs. So, I've done 100% laminate.

As you can see in the photo, I've laid out the railroad footprint in blue tape. It's not easy to get a good perspective from the picture.

I expect construction to start after Labor Day weekend. No need to labor on Labor Day :)

New SP sign

Progress update - little progress. Actually, the contractors are here fixing some issues with cracks in the drywall. That should all be wrapped up this week and I can prep for construction.

In the mean time, I've been acquiring more schwag. Received this yesterday. It's very cool!

It's a big sign. 42" in diameter. Now...where to put it?

Just add water

Yesterday, the UPS driver dropped off a package. well 9 packages of Peco code 83 flex track, turnouts, rail joiners, and some Atlas 83 rerailers. I placed one VERY large order for track. About 15% of the order is for friends who wanted to have their track added to my order.

I'd like recognize and thank Chris Coscia at the DCC Shop www.dccshop.com in Coeur d'Alene, ID for helping me out with the large order at a great price. Chris has been a great help and I highly recommend him.

Here is what UPS dropped off

And here is the result after unpackaging. I call it 'Layout in a Box'. Now I need to just add water. Right???

I'm planning to use Atlas 83 flex for all my staging and have already acquired it. I'll use the Peco turnouts for staging. And, each staging track will have Atlas rerailers on each end.

More on staging as I build it. Construction starts next month!

More G & D

I've had a few questions on email. So, I thought I'd give a few more Givens and Druthers.

• Radius: I've settled on a 40" radius for all the mainline trackage. The two helixes that go down to staging are double tracked, Those are designed to be 40" and 38" respectively.

• Track power: I'm a firm believer in feeders for each and every piece of track. Yep, if it's 1/2" long, I'll put feeders on it. That's the same method I used for the Exeter Branch and I'm happy with the results. Even thought it is more work. 
• I'm also planning 12 gauge track bus wiring throughout. I prefer to use automotive wire as it's multi-strand and the case is easier to strip. I'll share pictures of the bus to feeder connections when I get to wiring. Suffice it to say, I'll use the same method as the Exeter Branch
• I'm a big fan of multiple power districts managed using PSXs. It will be a bit more challenging, but I'm planning on 3 boosters (including the command station) with multiple PSXs per district. 

• Rolling Stock: All of my rolling stock goes thru a quality control process. I used the NMRA weight standard (although I think it's a bit heavy). All trucks reamed to ensure axles are free rolling. And the couplers are all replaces with Kadee #5 or #148. I'd like to go with the #58s but I have a substantial investmetnt in #5s already. As we all know, RTR most often means ready to repair. I go thru all equipment. 

That's it for today, time to go to dinner with the wife!