After all the warm welcomes I received from my "about me introduction" in the announcements section, I'll start this thread for my D&RG Railroad. (A nod to both the Denver & Rio Grande (I live in Denver, CO), but also an odd-nod to my parents home on "D"odford Rd, in the village of "R"ussell "G"ardens, yeah, I'm a little weird that way. <chuckle>
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OK, here is my train room.
Basement non-bedroom (no window escape), 11 ft x 11 ft. I have these 3 walls to use. The 4th wall has Furnace/water-heater access & off-season walk-in closet door. Allowing for open closet door leaves me 9ft x 11ft. leaving about 30" aisle access to closet. The room door gives 7 ft on that wall. So usable space I see is: 9 ft on left wall, 11 ft on back (center) wall, and 7 ft on right wall, I can sit in the 30" aisle.
That crawlspace (35x39") door on 11ft wall is used about monthly, but a 2 track hinged/removable bridge is very do-able (IF I build a "custom-ladder" (from leftovers) to replace the step stool, the bridge could stay installed). I was thinking I could make that a bridge & transformer/dispatcher pannel, but looking at the wall isn't too desirable. So I'm thinking of making dispatch table on hinges on the left board by closet so I can see the whole room.
My initial read of this space has me building a 4x8 on the left wall, a 4x7 on the right wall, leaving a 3 ft 2-track bridge connecting them together (leaving ~3 ft. aisle to crawlspace). I'm not really concerned with the 4 ft reach, a grabber works fine for me, I'm 6'1" and long arms :-)
Until I unpack those boxes, I won't have item counts, but about 20 years ago, I got a GREAT deal on eBay for ~10 - 022 switches for about $80 (if I remember right), so that added to my existing 6 (or 8??), so I have a lot! I just have O-Gauge track curve & straight tubular track, that's all there was 40 years ago, I'm in a time-bubble for now. Budget is just for this workbenching build. I'm a Diesel engineer, not a steamer, so I don't need the larger diameters at this point.
Those "laundry-soap boxes" in the corner are the train tracks, ZW, engines/cars, etc. (#364 & 362 still need to arrive).
My past style of track layout-ing is to place switches in key locations and build around them to provide loops, sidings, freight-yard, etc. This sort-of allows for a dogbone design? I've never used a "track layout program" (I downloaded the RTS Ver. 8 & 10, but haven't done much), so if anyone enjoys designing, I'd be ever-so-grateful <wink-wink;nudge-nudge; know-what-I-mean>. LOL!
Your input, comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
-Lewis
CORRECTION! I mistakenly said I have 027 track, It's actually the 'better/heavier' o-gauge track. I guess this a common mistake?
