Small temp layout to increase !

I'm looking forward to seeing your new bigger layout.  Good luck (Love the traction 2 rail setup)

Good luck

Welcome to the forum!  You have got one great wife in Suzie!  I think you should keep her.  There is a double reward to the offer of the living room.  You will finally have a place to have your turkey dinners from now on.  And, who uses a living room for it's intended purpose any more these days?   A train room will certainly see more "living" than a bunch of stuffed furniture that get used once or twice a year.  Good luck with your new layout.  This is the place to be to help you work through it.

 

I hope your health problems have been resolved.  Nothing worse than being retired, and not being able to enjoy it due to aches and pains.  Bob Severin

Welcome to the forum.

By all means, welcome to the Forum, Ken. You sure have a very nice wife. I strongly suggest that you get her involved as much as you can, particularly when you get to the scenery.

 

My Bride now of two years was like a duck to water. She got involved right away and enjoys this hobby as much as I do. Really helps keep you both close.

 

Also congratulations on your retirement and I hope your health has improved.

Ken,

   Welcome to the forum, looking forward to the pictures of your new living room layout.  My Christmas layout is in the formal living room also!

PCRR/Dave

Thanks to all of you for your replies and encouragement.  By the way, that nice wife of mine (Suzie) who is giving me more space all of a sudden, we've been married over forty-one years.  She KNOWS trains!  Goes to all the shows.  Sets up the tables. She KNOWS what my large collection of trains, books and videos are worth, in case something happens to me!  (Had open heart surgery two years ago!!)

Anyway, in regards to the second photo I originally posted, of the Lionel "Z" transformer, et al...  The two primary outputs for running trains are hooked-up in series with each of the "bulbs" shown immediately above the 'Z' .  These are old auto headlamp bulbs, # 1000.  They act as automatic circuit breakers!  Several companies used to make them in the 20's, 30's and 40's.  The specs are:

6-8V, 32 & 32 C. P., Automotive Headlamp, BA15d double contact bayonet base,
RP11 Glass, C-2V Dual Filament, 32&32C, 6.2V, 4.19A Maximum, 2C-2V...

The two filaments are hooked in-series, and then, the combination is hooked in-series with your power leads.  For modern equipment, the bulbs don't usually light.  For much older equipment, that have older motors drawing more current, the bulbs may light dimly or pretty darn bright.  If an absolute short, the bulbs may burn out and have to be replaced!

I learned this trick on the giant O-scale trolley layout (130x75 ft) at the Eastbay Model Engineers Society layout in Emeryville, CA. many years ago where I was very active.

See attached photo of Kenny (KRK) running O-scale trolleys...

Thanks folks..  Have a great day!

Welcome to the forum!  Congrats on acquiring nrw real estate for you layout.  Please share pics of your progress.

-Greg

UPDATE:  In order to make space in the "Living Room" for a new super layout, the starter layout will have to be moved out of the "Dining Room" (shown in the photo).

Certain bookcases full of railroad DVD's and "others" will then be moved from the Living Room into the Dining Room.  The display shelves in the Dining Room will be removed. Equipment to be stored in new Yards.  She has suggested selling or donating our nice Dining Room set with chairs, sofa, coffee table and other stuff.  Gee, what kind of sauce has she been taking ?  (grin)  Besides buying a bunch of trains (a bunch), I invested close to $ 500.00 just in track and switches.  The new layout will be all "tubular"-type, code 031 or larger (as required) with wooden ties!

Power (so far) will be provided by two CW-80 transformers; one "KW"; one "ZW-R"; and one "Z" type...  Others might be added as required. The attached photo shows one of four support platforms to get the layout started.  Dimensions are 46"W by 24"D x 30.25"H   The existing small layout (45 sq ft) will be moved from Dining Room and sit on saw horses...

(to be continued)

 

KRK

I also belonged to the old EBMES club from 1975-1982.

I ran the old HOn3 layout until the HOn3 area was donated to the new N scale members for their layout.

I got my first O gauge while at the Club, to run on the On3 part of the large O layout.

I left where I learned we would lose the building lease, the club had from Santa Fe.

Club moved to Richmond CA and in still in business, but only one old member is still there.

Tim O'Hare

Welcome to the forum!

 

So, you want a model railroad?...

I too am constructing a provisional layout in an area of our dining room.  It involved moving the dining table over to the windows where it serves as a display table for our Santa collection. I then used 2 6 ft folding banquet tables to construct a 6 ft by 5 ft main section and an extension measuring 4 x 4 ft, for a loop around a small natural tree, and to allow access to the grandfather clock.  So it ends up being ten ft in the widthwise direction.  I wanted at least on good run.  The children's interlocking play mat makes a nice surface to smooth out any irregularities in the table heights and helps to deaden the sound of the Fastrack.  I cover that with table cloths.   This is just a temporary fix until I get a larger space.  We usually display a D56 NP village with the NPC line that I construct, but this year I am just looking to see what I can do with just the trains in a small space.  I'll post more of the finished product in a day or two.

 

We are empty nesters and our daughter lives in CA (we are in FL) so we aren't expecting visitors this holiday season.  My wife too, is very understanding, but not yet ready to relinquish our upstairs bonus room which she uses for crafting Christmas cards this time of year.  

That's really cool.  I could probably use our living room, I know we don't use it for much!  Other than my grandson taking piano lessons, I don't think anyone ever goes in there, except to clean now and again.

 

John:  Here's an idea.  Build a layout around the piano, and then your grandson can play background music for the trains.  

What a blessing to be married to a lady that not only is into trains, but knows them as well. Welcome to the forum and I am sure your layout will look fabulous when it is all done. Layouts, regardless of size, location or era are always cool to watch and admire. I wish I could catalogue them all along with their various artist.

 

 

Best wishes,

 

Pete

Hi Everybody..  I'm getting fairly close to start construction of my new O-gauge layout in our Living Room that my wife Suzie has "deeded to me"..  Thanks for your nice comments about Suzie.  We'll be married 42 years in June-2015.  Yes, she attends all the Train Shows with me, sets up the table displays, answers questions and sells stuff.  She is very qualified in RETAIL, having worked the past 12 seasons in Merchandising for the Seattle Mariners Baseball Club.

 

Most of you know my TRAIN background, especially because of being introduced to the Live Steam hobby through my grandfather, Vic Shattock, as currently shown in OGR on the Photo Album page.  Vic also had an extensive career on the Southern Pacific and worked for three years on the GWR in England starting when he was just 14 years old!

 

I tell you all this because when I first met Suzie, I find out she has railroad blood in her veins too.  (Hooray !!)  Because her paternal grandfather worked as a Station Agent on both the Milwaukee Road as well as the SOO !  (Hooray, again !!)

 

(This introduction to be continued...)

 

KRK

Wow what a lucky guy! You should write one of those self help books to teach other model train hobbyists how to negotiate with their spouses for real estate and equipment. Maybe title it "Finding Your Own Suzie Soo Line"

Looking forward to the watching the progress.

You will have so much fun.  And the process never ends: invariably, layouts get bigger.  Rarer do they get smaller.

Ken,

I have enjoyed the topic you posted about your grandfather's live steam.  I am looking forward to following the building of your new layout.  Your wife is great to you!  We live in a small house, so I haven't had a layout for a few years because the kids needed the space.  A couple years ago, my wife suggested I put ip a ceiling level loop in a basement room about 12x12.  I got 3 walls done, then stopped for the summer before last.  I got very little done last winter due to my own health problems.  This fall, one daughter moved out, and we were going to use her old room for a guest bed, sewing and ironing room.  Then my wife suggested we put up a Christmas layout featuring porcelain buildings she inherited from her grandmother.  I took that down, and am reconfiguring it for a more interesting run, probably with the ability to remove the regular buildings, put down some snow and the Christmas buildings in the fall.  It is a sheet of 2-inch foam on a heavy card table.  I consider this a temporary layout, because when our last daughter moves out, I will acquire her 12x12 room totally for trains.  Monday, I will be having surgery on one hand and when that heals I will have surgery on the other, so things may go slow, but I'm trying to make this as simple as possible just so I can run some trains.

 

Well, that was a lot to say, I am interested in following what you are going to do.