New house - New Layout, Ripley802's layout build!

ripley802

Staring this thread to try and cover the build of my new layout. As some already knew, I recently moved into a new home and with that have decided to build a more permenant layout and one off the ground. I have a small setup in the basement for doing repairs and customs but I needed somewhere to run them right..😃

Props to my wife for helping with all of the cutting and building today. We knocked out the framing in a few hours. I have some sheets of MDF I will be using as the top. Also planning on putting in some more supports in the square sections.

From the door way, the length of 9' x 8' on the back wall. There are two 3' (ish) squares on either end, which my plan was to maybe use the MDF to make it round for the top. I eventually may make a lower staging level, but that will be phase 2..😃

Let me know thoughts and suggestions. :cool:

MuddyPoppins

Awesome!! This will be super cool to watch unfold!!🙂

Suggestion #1 if you are certain that you are doing 2 levels, decide on a good, bright, compact light source, and wire and install it (to the underside) as part of the top installation...you will be happy that you did.

ActionChugger

i am expecting this small type of layout when it is done.... :dodgy::angel: 😃

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr3NAJAM7y8[/video]

Super

This is going to be exciting. I do have a suggestion but it may be too late. I am assuming you are not screwing the framework to the wall to prevent movement so Toe Kick Room would be important. I don't know if you plan on extending the MDF farther than the edge of the frame by a few inches but it may help. By Toe Kick Room I mean room for when you stand right up next to the Layout to play that your toes don't kick the frame and jolting the whole table and you watch all your PlaKids, trees and anything else prone to fall over. by overhanging the MDF by a 2 or 3 inches all the way around and re-positioning the horizontal floor braces to the inside of the legs should give you an additional 4 to 6 inches of toe kick space. It is the one thing that using banquet tables for my Layout gives me the willies.

You could do this for both end squares.

Aresedale productions

dang cool i would love to see whats gonna happen after this

Off The Rails

If you plan to have a lower level, I wonder if those battery powered LED under-cabinet lights would be useful. I suppose they could be a major pain too when it came time to change batteries!

ripley802

Muddy Poppins wrote
Awesome!! This will be super cool to watch unfold!!🙂

Suggestion #1 if you are certain that you are doing 2 levels, decide on a good, bright, compact light source, and wire and install it (to the underside) as part of the top installation...you will be happy that you did.

Thanks Muddy.

Yeah I am thinking of using some LED strip lighting. I have purchased and installed this for out cabinets in the kitchen as well as put some in my daughters room. Very inexpensive and with remotes and dimmers it makes it ideal I think. The nice thing is there are outlets on the ends of both 3' squares and one in the middle of the 9' side so I should be ok to add a few, but they will daisy chain together too which makes it nice.

Super wrote
This is going to be exciting. I do have a suggestion but it may be too late. I am assuming you are not screwing the framework to the wall to prevent movement so Toe Kick Room would be important. I don't know if you plan on extending the MDF farther than the edge of the frame by a few inches but it may help. By Toe Kick Room I mean room for when you stand right up next to the Layout to play that your toes don't kick the frame and jolting the whole table and you watch all your PlaKids, trees and anything else prone to fall over. by overhanging the MDF by a 2 or 3 inches all the way around and re-positioning the horizontal floor braces to the inside of the legs should give you an additional 4 to 6 inches of toe kick space. It is the one thing that using banquet tables for my Layout gives me the willies.

Thanks Super. Great idea, I had not thought of that. Yeah it is pretty well secured and in place for now. I could probably take the front piece off and re-fit it, but the two 3' squares as well as the two wall pieces have wood glue in addition to screws, then I fasted them together once in the room. This makes it semi-removeable if needed. The MDF will overhang on top a little, and I will plant to dress up he sides with some side skirting eventually.

ActionChugger wrote
i am expecting this small type of layout when it is done.... :dodgy::angel: 😃

Oh, for sure. The ceiling is the limit..lol..😃

Super

If you have bolted the frame to the wall that should probably work but that won't save your toes when when playing without shoes LOL

783Merlin

You are lucky to have a lady in your life that respects your items unlike my mom :-/:dodgy::huh:

Aresedale productions

I know how you feel Otis also it's me douglas#10 productions

Off The Rails

783Merlin wrote
You are lucky to have a lady in your life that respects your items unlike my mom :-/:dodgy::huh:

Mrs OTR isn't in to train stuff but she's surrounded and outnumbered by our son, daughter and me! 😃

MuddyPoppins

Mrs. OTR...that's funny!🙂

Suggestion #2: Get an absolutely accurate measurement from level 1 to level 2, based on a multiplied unit height of risers and slopes. If the difference between the two levels is off by an odd amount, you will not be happy with the jerry rigging adjustments you'll have to make to make it work, and even though you'll be able to jerry rig it to work, you'll have to continually worry about, make adjustments, and monitor your engine's climbs and descents, as it will never be truly sound.

Aresedale productions

Here’s a suggestion maybe make a tiny layout of plarail advance s in the middle or maybe some road vehicles

ripley802

Thanks. Unfortunately for me, I have no Plarail advance. :dodgy: I should have purchased some awhile back but never got into that range and now it is going to be phased out it sounds like.

I am planning to have some road track though, I have tons of track, slopes, and some accessories for it, so just trying to work out a plan on where it all should be. 😉

Tharazero1

Very nice layout and it would be great to watch it unfold. I have a suggestion, in the corner of the room I would put a mountain that would be 2 or 3 girders high so the train can travel through a mountain. You can do this by getting a big lump of foam, cutting out the foam and the tunnels then spray painting it. Other than that I’m sure regardless it will look very, very nice.

ripley802

Small update.

I got all of the MDF for the main level cut to size. It is not secured down yet only laid in place to test the fit. You may be wondering why there is such and overhang on the two 3ft box areas. Well my plan is to make a radius on each of them to give more of a chance to have a nice outer loop or two. I need to still cut those and then need to add a few more supports to fasten the MDF down to, but after that I should be ready to start with some track.

I think I will be fastening the frame to the wall as well at least in a couple spots as it still has some movement in it. Also eventually I may do some sort of scenery for the base like a grass or gravel look but for now it will likely stay the unfinished MDF, or possibly a primer coat of paint. My first layout may end up being a Christmas one due to the timing. 😃

Also (last pic) I added some more supports just to make sure there should not being any sag, etc...

Super

Looking good and sturdy Ripley. A nice set of drawers under the narrow center section for all the trains and such would look nice. Maybe a trip to Ikea is in order. 😃 Hope you are going to cut a radius on those 4 corners so the kids (you) don't get stabbed? You can get rolls of fake grass mats to cover the deck before laying out the track that you can get from a Hobby shop or Hobby Lobby. I had bought a lot of fake grass indoor outdoor carpeting in advance of our elevated layout but I gave it all to my daughter because its blades are too tall.

ripley802

Thanks Super. Yep, definitely going to round the corners. I will take a look at the local Hobby lobby and see what they have. Now that you mention it I remember seeing the rolls of that there in the past.

I like the idea of the drawers, would make a nice finished touch. Please NO IKEA...LOL.. that place always seems to take my money.. haha. I swear you go in for one thing and end up with a cart full of "necessities..."😃:dodgy:

Super

While you are at Hobby Lobby "Might As Well" Pick up some trees, shrubbery etc 😃

ripley802

I am debating if I want to do some sort of natural scenery, with trees, grass, (eventual water scene of some sort) or maybe go more abstract and use lots of colors, elevations, etc... hmmm..

I will probably start building and see where it takes me. This is another reason I like Blue Plastic Tracks vs say HO or another scale because it is so easy to re-configure and take down/rebuild.