Hello out there. I'm Barbara Dunham, Clarke's wife, and a working member of the Dunham Studios team. Generally at Dunham Studios we design and build complex complete layouts museums, corporations or private clients, mostly model railroaders. The evolution of a project starts with a meeting between Clarke (design), Fletcher (graphic development) and the client. Usually the client has a dream that he (and sometimes she) can visualize but not follow through with either because of lack of specific skills or time. (We figured that for one person to build the layouts on our iconic Citicorp Station- minus the 30' station building itself- it would take 25 years of working full time 7 days a week. Who has that much time?) The client whose layout I would like to share here wanted a 'naked' layout, a basic layout. He had built a rather large layout himself but it never got finished and never ran properly. He wanted to scenic the layout himself once it is installed but he wanted Clarke to design the layout and track plan, Fletcher to develop it to fit into his Manhattan brownstone and The Studio to build the basic layout, lay the track and do the wiring. (With us a 'basic' layout included a finished T1-11 skirted base with entry doors for under-the-layout storage.) What I would like to share with you, as this layout is presently evolving at the studio, is photos of it as it grows. We'll start with the plans and take you to where we are now which is the base on the studio floor getting ready for the first level of track.
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This should be a very interesting thread and I'm looking forward to seeing the process documented!
-Greg
Barbara, very much looking forward to seeing how this project develops here! Thanks for documenting it here for us.
David
Looking forward to more pics!
Peter
Thanks and we'll keep posting.
After I win lotto, you will be the second phone call I make.
rat
I'm really, really interested in what Ratpak's First phone call will be?
Clarke
"I'm really, really interested in what Ratpak's First phone call will be?"
Celebratory pizza or calzones?
Love the photos and delighted you folks are sharing.
Ythank you for sharing your process. I'm sure it will be very interesting to many of us!
I admit (and apologize) that this has been a long time coming, but we've got three complete, all O Gauge, projects from basic (see above) to hugely complex -- and ongoing (see our embedded video post)-- to a fascinating "walk-around" layout built for a father and his seven-year-old son (Currently on our OGR half-page Ad) featuring a layout loop at "seven-year-old height"--about twenty inches above the floor--complete with handheld (LionTech, of course) control. We're not quite sure whether to do these one at a time or to work them in together, or in three separate OGR Forum posts. What's your opinion?
Clarke
Great thread Clarke intertwine the projects into one thread.
I'm very interested to see the layouts and the building process and how the professionals go about doing these things. I have admired some of your completed layouts on the TM videos.
I would prefer separate threads. I think it would make it much easier for the followers to keep them straight and not get mixed up. So many good threads are posted on the OGR forum, the really long ones on just a single subject are sometimes difficult enough to keep up with all by themselves. With a separate thread for each layout it would be much easier for us to follow along and keep the related questions/comments straight. I think it would be highly unlikely, but some members might not want to follow all of the layouts? If so they could follow just the ones they wanted to.
Barbara, separate threads are better. Better still, edit the threads' titles to include the dates of any new photos.
Looking forward to your next project post and photos.
Great Thread. They provided me with the drawings of my first layout.
I put my vote in with RTR12 and Carl for separate topics. I may get some things mixed up if they are on the same topic.
Thank you!!
Ditto!
Our railroad museum in Sioux City, IA has a Dunham designed and built HO layout about 15' x 75'. It was built in 91 for a businessman in Omaha, NE. We obtained the layout in about 2004 and had it stored until 2010 when we finished a separate building. It is well build and runs daily. see www.milwaukeerailroadshops.com.
Dick
Hi Barbara,
I, too, would prefer separate threads for each project. I have admired many of your projects.
Thank you for taking the time to provide us all with a look "inside".
Hey Clarke! kudos to you as an owner having a shop with WINDOWS and letting natural light! makes a workers' environment much nicer! And as RatPack said...after I WIN the lottery I will be making my second phone call to you.