Model Railroad Infrastructure

My layout moved from the living room to the basement room several years back. The room is under the garage. Snow andsalt brought in by the car melts and finds its way down. But I bought a garage mat, extending it beyond the door about 6 inches. Now the snow melt is captured on the mat and either drains or is swept out and beyond. I just replaced the mat.

I don't have any pics yet but I'm putting up 2x4 studs along the wall to

• hide the wires associated with the lights on the layout
• provide a sturdy anchor for mason for my backdrop
• even out the wall and make it flat

It was a $300 undertaking! But it was one of those projects that I had time to do it so I spent the money. I have a wedding or event every week from now till October I normally love getting down at weddings but this is a bit much. Either way, I'll be able to paint the ceiling black and start on the table this fall. Exciting times!

BillYo414 - may I make a suggestion - don't paint the ceiling black - if your layout is of any size you will need all of the light reflecting surfaces you can get - I'd recommended either white or a very very pale blue.

@Arnold D. Cribari

You keep coming up with these good ideas for themes of threads, but so many of our friends are busy this summer doing other outdoor exercises….
keep the ideas flowing 😄

As for my contribution, My train room is in a second floor of a shop building I built with retirement in mind. It has a bench dormer for added height and room for the layout. With two dormers and windows in front and two windows in the rear there’s lots of added sunlight and heat from the wonderful rays.

So after six years I finally hung window blinds in all five windows, a window in the eve,  I purchased the blinds on sale from Lowe’s four years ago. They are the new ones without the wands. My guess they totaled over $100.

Now, I rarely need to turn on the air conditioning in the late afternoon. The blinds are added insulation by blocking the rays from the trains.  A savings on the monthly power bill.

When I built the shop building I installed a through the wall heat pump.  I wish it was a central heat pump now because of the space the one from the wall takes up  from  the layout.  Something I mentioned to help the next train guy who builds his retirement shop.

I though I had everything figured out…

What excellent projects mentioned so far for improving our model railroad infrastructure.

Let's hope this thread goes viral and inspires those in power to reach agreement regarding our infrastructure. Arnold

One more thing about my model railroad infrastructure:

A small area of my backdrop got damaged that is behind, and just to the right of, the 031 switch in the area where the leak was. Fortunately, I saved scraps of the excess backdrop.

This morning, I cut a small piece of the backdrop scrap, and applied rubber cement to cover the damaged backdrop with the scrap. I will post photos of the covered backdrop later.

I haven't done any infastructure projects recently.  I'm waiting for federal funds!

John

I hope taking half a wall down qualifies ...

Another great topic discussion Arnold. Your creative thinking must come from many years of dealing with spouses at each others throats.

When I saw the topic I immediately thought of your birds nest wiring and that you were ripping it all out and starting over.

Guess not huh? I'm glad you got the piping fixed. Wouldn't want any floods on the George Washing Machine Bridge!

I guess in my case you could say that claiming the air rights over the file cabinets counts. Anyone who lives near/in a big city will know what I'm talking about.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Bob,

Your transformer, switch controllers and Lionel Lines steamer bring back memories of my layout of the 1950s. Very nice! As for infrastructure, how do you access the track along the back wall?

MELGAR

@RSJB18 posted:

Another great topic discussion Arnold. Your creative thinking must come from many years of dealing with spouses at each others throats.

When I saw the topic I immediately thought of your birds nest wiring and that you were ripping it all out and starting over.

Guess not huh? I'm glad you got the piping fixed. Wouldn't want any floods on the George Washing Machine Bridge!

I guess in my case you could say that claiming the air rights over the file cabinets counts. Anyone who lives near/in a big city will know what I'm talking about.

Bob

Bob, This is a neat layout, I love that KW and the switch controls!

I noticed in your avatar picture it looks well lit up with the room lights turn off. Any chance of a pic with it in that state?!

@Richie C. posted:

I hope taking half a wall down qualifies ...

I am assuming that is not a load bearing wall since the vertical studs were removed??? :-)

Correct .... it is not !   

@MELGAR posted:

Bob,

Your transformer, switch controllers and Lionel Lines steamer bring back memories of my layout of the 1950s. Very nice! As for infrastructure, how do you access the track along the back wall?

MELGAR

Like this Mel It helps that I'm 6'5" with an 8' reach.

@H1000 posted:

Bob, This is a neat layout, I love that KW and the switch controls!

I noticed in your avatar picture it looks well lit up with the room lights turn off. Any chance of a pic with it in that state?!

I have to take some new photos. A lot has changed since this was taken. My avatar pic was from Christmas a couple of years ago with some Evans Designs LED strings lit up.

@RSJB18 posted:

Like this Mel It helps that I'm 6'5" with an 8' reach.

I have to take some new photos. A lot has changed since this was taken. My avatar pic was from Christmas a couple of years ago with some Evans Designs LED strings lit up.

Hi RSJB18, I love it, it's a homemade version of what Micro-Mark sells! Your homemade version takes up less space though. Nicely done! ;-)

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Hi RSJB18, I love it, it's a homemade version of what Micro-Mark sells! Your homemade version takes up less space though. Nicely done! ;-)

That layout must be in fantasy land. Who would leave all the space underneath empty.

Now this could really solve your infrastructure issues ....

Bob, is the cut out the secure spot for the single malt? Nonetheless, I like the “upper torso extender” you created.

No the single malt would have fallen through that hole.

Unless I had a really big glass 🥃🥃

I actually was climbing out on that when I did my corner tunnel. Notice the 2x4 blocks at the end for support. 🤪🤪

@Richie C. posted:

Now this could really solve your infrastructure issues ....

This guy must be in agony!!!   

Here is what I started with.  This was our older daughter's art and craft room as she was starting to pack it up.  Yes she does spin both sheep wool and alpaca wool.  If she was able to pack that much stuff in an 11x11 room, I figured I could fit an O gauge layout in.

Here it is after she evacuated.  I temporarily used the shelving to stash some rolling stock.  I have sold a lot of what is on those shelves.

Basically all I did was take the shelves down, patch and paint the walls, and started building the layout.  I really didn't spend much on that at all.  Here we are this summer.

Mark you definitely had a vision for your layout.

Late spring i added black landscape fabric to the ceiling joists around the layout but not directly above since i have a valence hiding the joists there.  Outcome was a whole lot less dust and an overall cleaner look to the space.  I will be bumping up the layout lighting but the effect of a dark ceiling and a dark layout skirt makes the layout pop.  So much so i have some scenic work to do this winter.

I did take note of the supports and in fact I took a screenshot so that I can replicate your ingenious design. Also, I figured the cut out would be for the bottle. Just in the interest of being productive in your work. No sense loosing time in refilling the glass.

@necrails posted:

Late spring i added black landscape fabric to the ceiling joists around the layout but not directly above since i have a valence hiding the joists there.  Outcome was a whole lot less dust and an overall cleaner look to the space.  I will be bumping up the layout lighting but the effect of a dark ceiling and a dark layout skirt makes the layout pop.  So much so i have some scenic work to do this winter.

Oh, I forgot, I replaced the incandescent fixture in the center of the ceiling with a brighter LED fixture and added 2 track lighting units.  I need to add a third.  It is much better than the poor light in my first photograph with all my daughter's stuff.

Seth and Bob, regarding the topics I've posted, usually it's a mystery to me how ideas for them come to mind. This reminds me of when I was active writing songs and coming up with subjects and titles for them, which  usually came to me mysteriously.

The title for this Forum topic was not a mystery. When I heard infrastructure  mentioned in the news this morning, I had the amusing thought that model railroaders like us can post how we have developed infrastructure for our layouts, which can inspire our nation's leaders when they vote in Congress on infrastructure.

Getting that amusing thought when I listened to the morning news - that is a mystery to me. Arnold

Arnold, that is quite interesting how you came up with this topic.  Good explanation on how ideas come to you!

I wanted another yard area, so I expanded outward. It is setup to be removed if I change my mind.

Charlie

I have been assembling my modular bench work in my garage in the summers of 2020 & 2021.

I am using LCCA FasTrack module kits with Mianne legs & lower Cross beams.

Also building lower shelves to span the the lower Cross beams (underneath the bench tops).

After the benchwork is stained & sealed, it will be stored temporarily in an off site storage unit while 30 years of clutter is removed from the basement.

I plan to have the basement floor & walls sealed with sky blue epoxy coatings like those used in garages & church basements.  

Progress is happening !!!

Arnold:

I hope that your pipe project is only a "fantastic success" because you have a great layout.

None of us want any "smashing" to happen on your layout !!! 😀🚂

Sometime in the 20th century, there was. a campaign slogan about

"A chicken in every pot & a car in every driveway".

I keep looking for candidates to campaign on

"A basement  for every house, a railroad in every basement, and a steamer & streamliner on every basement RR"

Now that is an infrastructure plan that we OGR forumites can live with !!!

🚂  🚄  🚆  🚉  🚝  🚂

I'm so glad you folks have enjoyed this thread.

Here is a photo of my new hose and pipe in my basement,  the patchwork I did on the backdrop behind it, and the crane and steam shovel I placed in the vicinity:

I may replace the construction vehicles with a structure or two that is the right shape and size. I will keep a look out for them at my LHS and future train shows, which will be fun to hunt for.

Of course, the thought occurs to me to paint the black hose and white pipe. I would appreciate input from you folks about that, but I'm inclined not to do it. Maybe I will turn that area into an oil refinery of sorts in which the hose and pipe can kinda blend in. Arnold

I have a long way to go on having our "new" house's basement ready for trains.  Former owners said "possible basement seepage",  we got definite basement leakage !  Basement remediation guys said $6500 of "infrastructure" repairs !   Oh well, gotta do it !

Not quite sure I would call it infrastructure but in September I'm having a chair/stair lift installed on my basement steps.  Steps present a real physical challenge for me and since my layout and work shop is in the basement, I don't get down there as often as I want.  The chair lift will be a real game changer.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I'm so glad you folks have enjoyed this thread.

Here is a photo of my new hose and pipe in my basement,  the patchwork I did on the backdrop behind it, and the crane and steam shovel I placed in the vicinity:

I may replace the construction vehicles with a structure or two that is the right shape and size. I will keep a look out for them at my LHS and future train shows, which will be fun to hunt for.

Of course, the thought occurs to me to paint the black hose and white pipe. I would appreciate input from you folks about that, but I'm inclined not to do it. Maybe I will turn that area into an oil refinery of sorts in which the hose and pipe can kinda blend in. Arnold

Arnold,

Retain the horizontal slope/pitch of the drain pipe but raise the trap closer to the ceiling.  Get it out of the line of sight and glue on some cotton forms for clouds.

Or,  a Hindenburg dirigible encapsulating the pipe

The black hose, somehow position it plumb and wrap brick paper around it as a faux chimney with cotton smoke rising to the sky (ceiling)..

Or,  Create a fire scene at the base of the black hose with a rising cloud of black over sprayed cotton smoke.  You could leave the black hose as positioned due to wind shift of rising smoke.

The waist high water meter was raised a couple of feet then covered with a full size PRR smoke box keystone emblem which now provides clearance for rail access to a staging area in the shop and a whole new town and 8 track TT.

Additionally, the tank style water heater was switched earlier to a wall hung tankless water heater hug in an out of the way area below the bathrooms which provided room for an additional town and yard.

An infrastructure upgrade we made earlier was to convert an obtrusive vertical 275 gallon fuel oil to a 275 gallon under the layout horizontal fuel tank to make way for a large passenger station and yard covering the entire new out of the way tank.

@Tom Tee posted:

Arnold,

Retain the horizontal slope/pitch of the drain pipe but raise the trap closer to the ceiling.  Get it out of the line of sight and glue on some cotton forms for clouds.

Or,  a Hindenburg dirigible encapsulating the pipe

The black hose, somehow position it plumb and wrap brick paper around it as a faux chimney with cotton smoke rising to the sky (ceiling)..

Or,  Create a fire scene at the base of the black hose with a rising cloud of black over sprayed cotton smoke.  You could leave the black hose as positioned due to wind shift of rising smoke.

What brilliant ideas! Thanks Tom! Such creativity is what makes our hobby so much fun. Arnold

I had new lighting installed in our basement about 8 years ago. After the electrician had finished, I discovered how crappy some of my ballasting and scenery efforts had been “in the dark”. Had to redo a number of areas once I could actually see them! 😉

Curt

@wild mary

I'm so glad your layout will be accessible for you again. I hope there's restroom facilities on layout level as well. And oh, order your lift without one of those black belts.

Our lift is much simpler to exit since I cut out ours 😆

Enjoy Your new lift and your Western Maryland again!

Speaking of game changers, Cleveland Indians vs. The Guardians.... I don't think I'm as excited....

@Richie C. posted:

Now this could really solve your infrastructure issues ....

Didn't I see you in Ocean's Eleven Richie? 

John

@Seth Thomas posted:

@wild mary

I'm so glad your layout will be accessible for you again. I hope there's restroom facilities on layout level as well. And oh, order your lift without one of those black belts.

Our lift is much simpler to exit since I cut out ours 😆

Enjoy Your new lift and your Western Maryland again!

Speaking of game changers, Cleveland Indians vs. The Guardians.... I don't think I'm as excited....

Thanks Seth.  Actually there's a full bath and a kitchen in the basement level.  When the house was built 70 plus years ago it was built as a two family dwelling.  When I retired 14 years ago I did a complete renovation and converted the house to a single family dwelling.

Anyway the Cleveland GARDIANS is going to take some getting use to.  I sure hope they leave the Cleveland Browns alone.

Wild Mary & Seth:

Your chair lift systems are more than mere infrastructure.

They are major ASSets to your RRs & homes !!!

😀 🚂 🤡

@Wild mary

I think the Browns are going to win more games this year, unless the players don’t vaccinate 😜

Yes, the chairlift will change your life at home. And your engines with get more exercise soon as well.  I recommend to buy a good surge protector for the chair electronics as well.

WM, I do believe we are related via the C&O flag.  I intend to branch out into the WM and Southern in the next few years…

I am having my Allegheny updated from ps1 to ps3 as we speak by a friend in PA. So I will need a ps3 WM to keep my C&O Allegheny company in the shed.
Have a great weekend Cuz😀

take care!

Seth and Wild Mary, we have decided we will have to sell this house before needing a chair lift.  I can’t see how they could install one in a split entry house.  We don’t like the house anyway, but my mother-in-law insisted we buy it from her.  It had Berger mother-in-law’s house.  Anyway, I think the chair lift is a great idea for those with a straight staircase.

@Mark Boyce

I have seen video of a chair lifts which makes 180 turns but not personally witnessed.  Wanted you to be aware
Just in case the sale of the M N L house doesn’t happen in time.

This afternoon I spent several hours working on lighting for several  used buildings I acquired for the layout over the years. It takes me a long time, but my CEO complains on how slow I am…
After issues with my M N L and my mother and my health since 2017 my scenics are happening.

I quit in time tonight to see in NBC the Team USA enter the Olympic Tokyo stadium 🇺🇸

Watching the 🇺🇸 Team Still sends goose pimples up my arms😀

I did a complete infrastructure modification to the basement. However, it was over a two year period.

180 degree chair lifts are a common option.  My neighbor had a stair lift with three 90 degree bends.  My doctor has a 180 degree stair lift.

@necrails posted:

Late spring i added black landscape fabric to the ceiling joists around the layout but not directly above since i have a valence hiding the joists there.  Outcome was a whole lot less dust and an overall cleaner look to the space.  I will be bumping up the layout lighting but the effect of a dark ceiling and a dark layout skirt makes the layout pop.  So much so i have some scenic work to do this winter.

Black ceilings and black skirting really DO make a layout “pop”! I’ve visited forum member Bob Bartizek’s layout in the Cincinnati area and he went a step further and laid black carpeting on the floor. When you walk down the steps and enter his basement layout room the effect is absolutely stunning! It’s like walking into a darkened theater with the stage brightly lit.

Curt

@Robert S. Butler posted:

BillYo414 - may I make a suggestion - don't paint the ceiling black - if your layout is of any size you will need all of the light reflecting surfaces you can get - I'd recommended either white or a very very pale blue.

That's one recommendation I would respectfully disagree with! In my last two homes, I had the ceilings painted flat black (gives kind of an industrial look to a basement ceiling with exposed wires, pipes, etc.). Everyone who has seen those ceilings comments on how the black makes the ceiling virtually "disappear" so attention is drawn to the layout. It really does work VERY effectively. I don't plan to ever move again, but if I were to, I would definitely go with the black ceiling again. Flat black Dryfall paint also helps to significantly reduce dust.

Allan - that's interesting.  The few layouts I've seen with black ceilings were almost impossible to see in their entirety.  Just curious - do you have lots of overhead lighting in addition to a black ceiling or is it really a situation of a black ceiling with little or no overhead lighting?

My New Jersey wife would call Arnold and have him sue me for divorce if I spray painted the basement ceiling black.

I will be finishing it out next years, and I think she wants real gold leaf tiles, with a copy of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted on them.

(Oh well, at least God and the angels will be looking down on my layout.)

Mannyrock

I currently use LED bulbs for my traditional recessed ceiling lights in the basement which are fairly bright, gliw cool and should last a very long time. I have already has them for 2 years.

Before the LEDs, I had very bright 200 watt incandescent lights. They sure brightened the layout, which was good for taking photos and videos of the trains.

The previous owner of our house, a draftsman, added an L-shaped  home office at the rear; it was added-on with two levels for the floor and a sliding patio door to the patio.  I claimed it as a train room and compensated for the two different levels of the floor with SKIL adjustable-height sawhorses so that the platforms would be at the same height.

I removed the sliding patio doors and hired a contractor to install a wall with an entry door; $1800. It worked great -- until the first rain storm. The concrete entry pad at the base of the new wall sloped "the wrong way;" i.e.; TOWARD the train room, not AWAY from it. So every rain storm brings with it some rain leakage under the base of the wall. Not "flooding" by definition, but enough to create a thin puddle on the floor at that wall -- a water nuisance.

My next infrastructure project -- fix that leakage.  I haven't yet figured out how to do it, but I hope a Water Damage Expert can offer suggestions without removing the wall, starting over, and draining my bank account.  When I see TV commercials for FLEXSEAL, it starts my wondering if that cheap fix would work.

Future infrastructure project -- when the existing florescent celling fixture above the north leg of the layout dies, I'll replace it with a longer-lasting LED fixture(s).  Problem is -- the perimeter aisle space around the layout is LIMITED (done intentionally so I could install layout platforms five feet wide in that narrow room in order to accommodate O42 minimum curves and switches and perimeter sidings). I can't get a stepladder in position for that project. I presume a scaffold will be required to straddle the layout as a work platform.

Never-ever infrastructure project -- because my layout platforms are maxed-out with O42 curvatures, I can't run some of my prized Rock Island trains that require O72 minimum curves. I used ANYRAIL software to make PC sketches of a ceiling route in my L-shaped train room, but getting all-around access to the ceiling prohibits realization of that dream.

Building a layout requires the "Five Cs" -- Creativity, Craftsmanship, Carpentry, Circuitry, and Clairvoyance (to foresee future problems and fix them up front). Obviously, I flunked the "Fifth C."

Mike Mottler   LCCA 12394

I did quite a bit before tracks where layed, but I have a much better house thats cheaper to own.  

Mike there’s another “C”; cash.
Based upon expensive experience, be on the lookout for mold. Mold will feast on the wood and boxes. I would also suggest putting a dehumidifier in there now.

Here's an infrastructure project that was accomplished about 20 years ago when the Train Room was occupied by my youngest son.  We have a small telescope and he liked looking at the night sky so I painted the ceiling in his bedroom a very deep blue and added stars individually using glow-in-the-dark paint.  You can see both the big and little dipper, part of the Milky Way, and the full moon in the photo below.  When he moved out a few years ago, we fixed up the room with new carpet and painted the walls in sky blue.  I couldn't bring myself to paint the ceiling.  Now that it's a Train Room I'm really glad I left it alone!  The afternoon sun is hitting the room right now so the image is kinda washed out.  It looks better in person. 

John

Jay Francis:

Your cautionary note about mold is timely; some of that is already manifest in my train room. I installed a modest-size AC window unit in the train room for cooling and dehumidifying, but it only runs when I'm in the room with hobby friends and visitors. I'll shop for a stand-along dehumidifier and let it run 24/7!

With thanks for that tip ...

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394

I also highly recommend a good dehumidifier. IMO, in addition to eliminating or minimizing mold, model trains and accessories all run better the drier the train room is.

Mike, you need something that is constant and in line with Arnold’s comments. Get a dehumidifier to which you can attach a hose to run to a drain so you don’t have to dump it all the time. Also give some consideration to a mini-split; which will provide heat and AC. When you set the unit on dry it really helps with the humidity.

A dehumidifier is a huge part of the answer.   Buy a good one for about $250 to $350, that has the hose drain attachment.  Plug it in, set it to 40, attach that hose to the unit, and run the hose down into a drainpipe in your basement. 

If you need help doing this, then by all means hire a plumber.

Keep the unit running on "Constant."

In just two weeks, you will be amazed at how dry your basement is, and how much of the mold/mildew smell is totally gone.  Suddenly, instead of the basement being a dank and smelly place, it will be great down there, and after a couple of more weeks it will smell somewhat like "new construction."

Also, anything you paint down there will be totally dry in matter of just a few hours.  Bare metal seems to stops rusting, and your trains will run much much better.

These types of dehumidifiers only last 3 to 5 years and then they burn out.  But, you just buy a new one and hook it up to the drain hose.

If you have a mold problem, you have to start by killing the humidity that is causing the mold. Then, if you have any large places with existing mold, you can proceed to treat those.  (A mixture of half water and half bleach, applied with a large natural bristle brush, totally kills mold in my experience, but you have to wear adequate protective gear and make sure you have plenty of ventilation when you do it.)

Mannyrock

@Wild Mary the attached is I feel a good article announcing the Guardian name for the baseball team

Well I cannot paste the link to the article.

There is a bridge located near the Cleveland stadium with stone sculptures located in each end of the bridge approaches.  These sculptures have been called the “guardians”for the city’s population for many years.

So this is the reason for the new name  selected for the team.

it was a very good article that I located by a Google search.

I know you were concerned as to the selection just as I , so now we know…

have a good day!

@Robert S. Butler posted:

Allan - that's interesting.  The few layouts I've seen with black ceilings were almost impossible to see in their entirety.  Just curious - do you have lots of overhead lighting in addition to a black ceiling or is it really a situation of a black ceiling with little or no overhead lighting?

I have overhead LED fluorescent-type fixtures in the basement, including the layout area, at the present time, and they provide adequate overall lighting. However, I will be adding track lighting with dimmer capability once I am satisfied with the configuration of the layout. I also had track lighting in my previous basement train room and was quite satisfied with it. Could have taken it with me, I suppose, but left it for my family members who bought that house from us.

Two things: (a) Brought in a plumber this May to replace the sump-pump before it became an emergency. Cost $600 and (b) checked my generator for if and when a hurricane heads our way. With Sandy, we lost power for four days but my generator kept the basement dry. Thinking of upgrading the generator to new technology, where the generator runs on natural gas and is permanently connected to the electricity, to go on automatically. With Sandy, I had to get gas to fuel the generator and many gas stations lost power (not all), creating a possible issue with a working generator and no gas. Mark

Ok, got it. Thanks Allan.

@barrister.2u posted:

Two things: (a) Brought in a plumber this May to replace the sump-pump before it became an emergency. Cost $600 and (b) checked my generator for if and when a hurricane heads our way. With Sandy, we lost power for four days but my generator kept the basement dry. Thinking of upgrading the generator to new technology, where the generator runs on natural gas and is permanently connected to the electricity, to go on automatically. With Sandy, I had to get gas to fuel the generator and many gas stations lost power (not all), creating a possible issue with a working generator and no gas. Mark

I was out for a week after Sandy. I have a 8Kw gasoline generator that kept us going through the ordeal. Fortunately I was able to get gas from my employer's pumps.

Planning on upgrading to a 14KW Generac soon. Natural gas fuel and automatic transfer. This will cover the whole house including a 4 ton CAC.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

I was out for a week after Sandy. I have a 8Kw gasoline generator that kept us going through the ordeal. Fortunately I was able to get gas from my employer's pumps.

Planning on upgrading to a 14KW Generac soon. Natural gas fuel and automatic transfer. This will cover the whole house including a 4 ton CAC.

Bob

Are you guys sure you don’t live down here in Florida with me? Too funny!  I thought we were the only ones regularly dealing with storms and generators.

If I get a serious flood in my basement, I have the perfect solution: a raft.  LOL.

Seriously, the generator, sump pump and dehumidifier are wise choices. I have 2 out of 3 (no generator).

@Richie C. posted:

Now this could really solve your infrastructure issues ....

That’s the late Tom Groff from the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg PA. That’s how he reached the items that needing work.

@romiller49 posted:

That’s the late Tom Groff from the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg PA. That’s how he reached the items that needing work.

Love that picture and the Choo Choo Barn. Maybe Tom Groff could have done the balance beam. LOL

He was a very talented and brilliant model railroader IMO.

Living in a very wooded development, we went with the whole house Generac unit. During a power disruption it automatically switches on and then off. It’s programmed to run a ten minute test once a week and then annual service. It’s very comforting to have that back up. Plus, in an outage I will be able to run trains.

I would call this infrastructure.  I was fortunate enough to convince my wife we didn't need a basement bathroom and converted it into a hobby workshop for structure building.  Still working on finalizing it but I'm happy with the features I designed in to provide many hours of model building for an eventual layout.
This room is designed to keep the mess in here and keep the future layout room (relatively) clean.

Answer: We are experiencing tropical rain storms, where slow-moving systems stall out and drop several inches of water, causing flooded basements. For example, a suburban Philly woman drowned in her basement, which was not in a flood plain, because it filled rapidly with water. She was unable to get out. This was in Abington, PA outside of Philly. Mark

@Arnold D. Cribari

how about incorporating the white stack into the layout scenes.

Use two of Mike g’s yellow towering cranes, one on each end of your pipes.

Thus, Making them lifting the stack to another part of the layout scene in tandem.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I also highly recommend a good dehumidifier. IMO, in addition to eliminating or minimizing mold, model trains and accessories all run better the drier the train room is.

Arnold; your comment is both a “yes and no” kind of thing. SOME accessories run better the drier the room but, I discovered my 464 sawmill worked better with some moisture in the air. Keep the room too dry and the “lumber” didn’t want to eject from the sawmill.

Curt

We added a 28 x 12 addition to the house that is all mine. We also refinished the 12 x 20 room that is next the addition.

I love my wife. The big room is all mine. The smaller room is "shared" but is mostly mine.

Frank

Way to go Frank. If you come up with a sensational design that needs, “ just a few more feet” perhaps you can plead your case. Also, give consideration to additional outlets, in the floor too, along with lighting. This is an exciting opportunity. Enjoy the process.

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Way to go Frank. If you come up with a sensational design that needs, “ just a few more feet” perhaps you can plead your case. Also, give consideration to additional outlets, in the floor too, along with lighting. This is an exciting opportunity. Enjoy the process.

Not to worry about outlets. I talked with the builder about what the county building code wanted and I got plenty.

Picked up a GE 50 pint dehumidifier at my local big box store on Saturday and seems to be working great. I can already feel the basement getting drier. It has a "smart function" where it automatically shuts off when the room reaches the humidity level you set it at - mine is 45%.

Also, for those interested in getting one for their train room, it appears that the DOE has recently issued new standards for dehumidifiers so that a new 35 pint one is now equivalent to the old 50 pint ones and a new 50 pint one is now equivalent to an old 70 pint one.

Frank, my thought wasn’t with regards to the building codes but with having enough to accommodate your layout needs. Such as, of course, the control panel, possible plug and play vehicles or even just for construction and maintenance needs under the layout. In my planning I didn’t want to have to run extension cords.

I got rid of all the junk I let relatives store in my basement, put up shelving against one wall and under the stairs for storage space, and purchased a 70 pint dehumidifier.  Still a crappy basement but at least it's now a clean basement which no longer smells like a basement.  Amazing how a dehumidifier can make it seem like any other room in the house. 

I'd love to be able to do what Joe did with his basement but my wallet isn't as big as his!

-Greg

@Richie C. posted:

Picked up a GE 50 pint dehumidifier at my local big box store on Saturday and seems to be working great. I can already feel the basement getting drier. It has a "smart function" where it automatically shuts off when the room reaches the humidity level you set it at - mine is 45%.

Also, for those interested in getting one for their train room, it appears that the DOE has recently issued new standards for dehumidifiers so that a new 35 pint one is now equivalent to the old 50 pint ones and a new 50 pint one is now equivalent to an old 70 pint one.

My new one is like yours, shutting off at 45%.  With it and the old one, we should be good.