My Train room

Blake, GO FOR IT, full steam ahead.

Steve

Rescued Trains posted:

Blake, GO FOR IT, full steam ahead.

Steve

Trying my best Steve!

Thanks

I love these threads, promise to post update details!

Very nice, your front elevation sort of looks like a freight depot to me--intentional?

Hope everything goes well--lots of folks will like to see progress photos, of course!

hokie71 posted:

I love these threads, promise to post update details!

I sure will Hokie!  It will have a repair area on the left,  trains in the middle and around the ceiling plus a small meeting area on the right for guest if I want’em.  May never go back into the house.

Blake

Tuscan Jim posted:

Very nice, your front elevation sort of looks like a freight depot to me--intentional?

Hope everything goes well--lots of folks will like to see progress photos, of course!

I sorta want it to resemble a small freight/passenger depot.  Gonna put lanterns converted into light fixtures on both sides of the front door and similar fixtures inside.  Two super quiet exhaust fans are going to be installed because there will be smoke.  Trains and memorabilia will cover the walls.  Progress photos will follow.  

Maybe you could put up a train order semaphore in the front? 

tncentrr posted:

Maybe you could put up a train order semaphore in the front? 

It has crossed my mind!

Blake

Really, a train ROOM!

- walt

walt rapp posted:

Really, a train ROOM!

- walt

Yeppers!!!

Blake

Tom Tee posted:

Neat!   Would you happen to be building on a descending grade?  Anyway to walk in low and step up a few steps so no lift out would be necessary?

The layout will be completely a walk around with easy access to all areas of the layout.  

Blake

Alway exciting. Is the 16X26 all RR space, or does that include the porch? 

Keep up posted; you'll enjoy having it, but train buildings get small in a hurry...

==========

I just got mine enlarged; it's now 12X39 (I added a workshop extension to get that out of the layout area). I live in the Sunbelt, the Land of Rare Basements, but I actually prefer the separate building/wing if it's do-able.

Before (there was this cedar tree, it seems). August. Gulf Coast. Thunderstorms. Mobile: 65"/year. 

After. Before final washing. New on the left. The door on the right has not been used for years; there's this stupid layout in the way. 

D500 posted:

Alway exciting. Is the 16X26 all RR space, or does that include the porch? 

Keep up posted; you'll enjoy having it, but train buildings get small in a hurry...

==========

I just got mine enlarged; it's now 12X39 (I added a workshop extension to get that out of the layout area). I live in the Sunbelt, the Land of Rare Basements, but I actually prefer the separate building/wing if it's do-able.

Before (there was this cedar tree, it seems). August. Gulf Coast. Thunderstorms. Mobile: 65"/year. 

After. Before final washing. New on the left. The door on the right has not been used for years; there's this stupid layout in the way. 

The actual pad is a 20’ x 26’ with 4 of it being a porch.  I have enough back yard for future expansion if need be.

Blake

Phase 1 in progress!

tncentrr posted:

Maybe you could put up a train order semaphore in the front? 

Phase ll 

Congrats on your new train room!

-Greg 

BEAUTIFUL !!!!

Steve

Not simply a train room but an entire train building! That's the way to go if you can. Btw, what will be the actual size of the train layout/ platform in that building?

Blake, It looks great!!!

Cool, you're cookin' now!

Thisogaugeguy posted:

Not simply a train room but an entire train building! That's the way to go if you can. Btw, what will be the actual size of the train layout/ platform in that building?

This layout was custom designed for me by Ken Hoganson.  Currently,  the layout is 8x12x8.  Since I have more room now, I’m going to stretch it out by adding 2 more feet to each end and 2 feet to each leg which will give me a 10x16x10.  This should allow me to modify the outer curve for an 072 radius instead of the current 048.  I want to run some larger locomotives.  This train room has 9 foot ceilings which will allow for a dual track ceiling run of 16x26’.  I’m putting in two exhaust fans to pull all the smoke out as well.  When the train room is finished,  exteriorly,  the building will look like a train station,  I hope.  My layout will hopefully be fully automated using Lionel’s LCS system and the use of the Etrain software.  The software will allow for me to create unlimited scenarios with up to 10,000 command count instead of Lionel’s current 2000.  It’s going to be interesting.

Blake

Greg Houser posted:

Congrats on your new train room!

-Greg 

Thanks Greg!

Rescued Trains posted:

BEAUTIFUL !!!!

Steve

Thanks Steve!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Cool, you're cookin' now!

You’re right John!  We were all Cookin down here two weeks ago trying to get this thing framed up.  It got so hot,  I swear I saw the trees chasing the dogs.  LOL 

Mark Boyce posted:

Blake, It looks great!!!

Thanks Mark!!

Vet Nice!!! Best of Luck and enjoy when your all done!

Very nice, this is what many of my friends in the UK do that lack space in the main house itself, they build a train"shed" in the back yard.  Cant wait to see how things progress!     Mike the Aspie

Very nice! I wanted a train building, but my wife nixed it. She said I had to have a room in the house for the layout otherwise she wouldn't see me again. I'm not kidding. We are building the house now. I have a 16'X21' room for my layout. Looking forward to it! Good luck with yours and keep those updates coming.

Very nice, Blake!  Thank you for sharing.  I'm planning to start the same process in the near future.

Could you please tell me the electrical requirements you have (amps, outlets, separate fuse box, HVAC and lighting)?  Also, did you add a small bathroom in the building? What type of builder did you use?

Sorry about all the questions, I'm trying to figure out where/how to start.

Traindiesel posted:

Very nice, Blake!  Thank you for sharing.  I'm planning to start the same process in the near future.

Could you please tell me the electrical requirements you have (amps, outlets, separate fuse box, HVAC and lighting)?  Also, did you add a small bathroom in the building? What type of builder did you use?

Sorry about all the questions, I'm trying to figure out where/how to start.

The building is stick built with 9 foot ceilings on a 4” inch slab and 12” footings,  well insulated and drywall with trim work,  running 60 amp service from home to sub panel in shop with a receptacle about every 4 feet and also a floor receptacle which will be located under the layout and on a separate switch,  running a chase conduit up the area of the ceiling train for needed wiring,  also will have the shop wired to my existing home security and fire alarm, installing a vent fan to handle train smoke,  running LED lighting and one ceiling fan,  installing indoor/outdoor carpet,  using a framed in 16,000 btu AC with built in heater (220 volt), but did not install a toilet because the wife was concerned that she would never see me again.  I tried to tell her that it would be to her advantage,  but she wouldn’t go for it.  LOL The builder is my brother who is a general contractor.

Blake

12" footings?  I'd think I'd want them a bit deeper, even in NC!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

12" footings?  I'd think I'd want them a bit deeper, even in NC!

The plans called for 16,  but the county inspectors office said that 12 would be sufficient in this case plus it saved some money in material cost.  I do have rebar in the footing and slab.  

Blake

Hmm...  In this case, I think I'd have ignored the inspectors, a few extra inches of footer would have made me feel better and can't have added that much to the overall cost.  After all, a good foundation is the rock that everything else is built on.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Hmm...  In this case, I think I'd have ignored the inspectors, a few extra inches of footer would have made me feel better and can't have added that much to the overall cost.  After all, a good foundation is the rock that everything else is built on.

👌

Thank you for the info, Blake.  I appreciate it!  It'll give me a good start.

Getting into the short rows now!

tncentrr posted:

Maybe you could put up a train order semaphore in the front? 

I’d love to have this in front too!