# A New Start



## HowardH (Sep 18, 2020)

Wanted to let everyone know how much I've been enjoying posts over the past couple months - especially since I haven't been able to play with my own trains. Had to take down what I'd had running in our attic - folks came in to redo our HVAC, then this blow-in insulation. In following weeks, I slapped together a floor and ceiling, ran power and hung lights. In doing so, realized that if I kept the height at no more than 24", could have a 14'X18' oval, anywhere from 12" to 30" at perimeter (want to be able to reach everything from inside oval - see pics). Now to figure out what to do with it. All I know for sure is that I want to stick with the eclectic mix of original Flyer with S-scale I've been enjoying so much over past several years. (I figure if folks come out of my scale structures and are alarmed to see 10 ft. black cubes with bright red/green lights beside every turnout in the yard - well, that's their world and they'll have to deal with it.) I'll keep you posted.

(When my grand-nephew visited the attic soon after the insulation was blown in and asked what happened to the trains, I explained I'd decided to switch to growing pink cotton candy under controlled conditions. He's only four, but didn't buy it - and made clear his expectation of a commitment on my part to have those trains running again.)


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Get them running again. Looks like a nice place to run trains. Glad you are enjoying the forum.
Nice guys here. Pics are always welcomed.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

The photos brought back memories of when I started my attic layout back in 1984. My platform is about 12” off the floor so I can have a 20’ X 20’ layout. Here is a shot from 1984 and another from a similar angle taken a few years ago. One thing I would recommend is to paint the ceiling sky blue before you get too far along. Something I wish I did before I made it too difficult. I’m wondering if you can stand up in the attic.


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## HowardH (Sep 18, 2020)

Thanks, Bob - Always a great look, multiple tracks heading into the tunnel. Some good ideas. I'd had something running closer to 20'x20', but after dismantling everything went smaller because: Wanted to be able to crawl underneath benchwork and, referring to your question, yes - you can stand up around the center of the attic, so keeping things centered around there helps keep folks from bumping their heads. (By "folks", I mainly mean me.)
Update: Starting to piece things together, starting with larger structures. Found a home for my old Union Station, paired with the Lionel repo terminal my son got me for Christmas a couple years ago. Then wanted to see the end trusses of the terminal together with those AF truss bridges. 
Slowly but surely . . .


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Looking good Howard. Glad you are getting it going again. I do not have a layout. No excuse for that.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Nice, good luck with it!!


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Great to see your posts again Howard. It will be fun to follow along with the new layout progress. I have built many 24” high layouts. They work well and are both child and adult friendly. The 40” to 60” high layouts are also nice to operate, I have one, but in my experience they do not draw the children’s interest like a lower layout does.


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## AFGP9 (Apr 8, 2015)

HowardH it looks like you got an excellent start there. It also looks like you got a good collection there. Nice.

Kenny


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## alaft61ri (Oct 11, 2019)

Welcome to the post bunch of nice guys here full of knowledge.


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## HowardH (Sep 18, 2020)

Thanks for all the encouragement and inspiration! To re-cap: Re-did our attic, then saw how much 24" high benchwork I could fit. Started two mainlines at bottom of oval (switching in between), then to elevate outer line went with advice of gunrunnerjoe and others to go with 2.5% rise (which I figured as a quarter-inch rise per foot of track). Started on left side of oval (you can see in attached "yard" pic where I stopped putting plywood on the risers) then started work on right side. As mentioned prior, wanted to find home for my larger structures. On left side, it was my Union Station. On right side, found home for the Bar Mills "Idaho Hotel" I'd put together a few years' back (with another kit I'd painted to match). For the yard, wanted to cram as much track as I could in 2' X 5' area. Managed four sidings with bypass for ground-level mainline. Now to see what I can do at top of oval to bring it together - trying to work in some over-under and a tunnel. Thanks again! (I know - best to start with a track plan - but this is fun!)


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Cool trains Howard. Its coming together. Looking good. In your last pic. what is the steam engine on the left?
Good pics. Nice buildings.


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## HowardH (Sep 18, 2020)

Thanks, mopac! In that "yard" pic, going from left-to-right, they're an S-Helper SW-9 NP switcher, a Lionel FlyerChief 808 4-8-4 UP Northern (the one you asked about), an AF 21160 4-4-2 and an AF 332 4-8-4. Hope to post more in-progress pics before too long, but for now spending time getting more cross-beams into the benchwork.


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## alaft61ri (Oct 11, 2019)

Great job.looking really good keep up the good work can't wait to see more pics.
Al


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Quick progress on the new layout! The 2.5% grade will be fine with the traction tire equipped engines. My layout has 2.5% max grades as well. I have tested the link coupler engines w/o traction tires and except for the 370 switcher they will pull at least 8 freight cars or four passenger cars up the grade if all the axles are properly lubricated.


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## HowardH (Sep 18, 2020)

Update: Track laid and wired-up. As mentioned, what I did was according to space available. Ended up with two mainlines - adjacent to each other at bottom of oval, then outside lines rising at 2.5% grades on either side allowing for a little over-under and tunnel at top of oval. Unfortunately, unable to accommodate nice yard to assemble trains (though I didn't have one when playing with my first American Flyer set some sixty years ago, either). But sidings at Union Station at left can take an abbreviated North Coast Limited (A-B and five cars), and four spurs at lower right for locos to rest between runs. Space main consideration with control panel, too - crammed switch controls in the middle (kept with old-school - toggle switches for block controls). Now to work out kinks (never-ending) and then tackle scenery. Can't overstate help and inspiration provided by posts on this site along the way. Thanks!


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Howard, looks like a fun layout. Good job. Love the ZW-L also. I have a ZW.
Hope to get the L someday.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Looking great! I like the way you did the mimic panel around the turnout controllers. I also have to admire that you fit the track plan around the diagonal roof braces. I would have taken the easy way and hired a contractor and a structural engineer to devise a way to supprt the roof without them.
It looks like there are places along the track plan you could add turnouts and two pieces of track to park engines. Maybe there are interferences with the roof that are not obvious.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Howard, just checking in to see how the layout is coming along. Are you running much?


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## HowardH (Sep 18, 2020)

Thanks for checking in! Actually, have been running quite a bit lately. Took me awhile to wire up the switches, then have been running various trains across to work out the kinks. Nice to be working with that ZW-L - first time working with four separate circuits. Got the two outside throttles for the trains, and an inside one solely for switches - kept at 17V. So - if something goes haywire, I know it's with a switch - not a short in the track somewhere. Eventually, the other inside one will be dedicated to accessories. Should be cool to be able to dim-down attic lights while dimming-up lights in structures. Now that track's laid and wired up, have embarked on scenery. I started with that over-under at top of the oval. Managed a tunnel long enough so a small train might disappear for a second-or-two. I was thinking along the lines of small towns and light industrial. My wife has been indulgent of my hobby, but made it clear she expects a farm. I figured fair trade-off, so roughed-out that area to include a farm at the left side on top of the tunnel (tractor's already there to till the plaster) with a steep dirt road from the left side of the right-side tunnel portal heading up to the farm. Will keep you updated -


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## alaft61ri (Oct 11, 2019)

Looking good I like farms.lol


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## HowardH (Sep 18, 2020)

Wow - realized it's been a couple months since updating. Am now a quarter-way through my fourth go-around; first was benchwork, then track, then wiring - now basic scenery. Fifth will be cleaning-up and detailing, and sixth will probably be deciding to do the whole thing over again. A lot of time was spent on the water - something I hadn't done before. Lesson learned: When tinting resin, a couple drops go a long way. (Another lesson learned: When spilling plaster on the floor, 
my attitude would be, "I'll clean it up later". With resin, that's not an option.) And in response to Tom - I did find a place on the lower right of the loop by the yard to add an additional siding along with another station, which I'll be getting to - so passengers will have an option rather than just taking a round-trip. Will keep you posted.


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## alaft61ri (Oct 11, 2019)

Looking really nice work.
Al


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Very nice Howard. I like.


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

The layout looks great, and from my perspective you made fast progress.


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## TimmyD (Dec 6, 2021)

That looks great! You mentioned in your post from 4 months ago about painting the sky blue? Just wondering what changed your mind. Your work is beautiful, I imagine your grandson will approve!


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## JMedwick (Feb 11, 2017)

Amazing stuff. In working on my layout with my son it has become very clear that I enjoy repairing the trains and accessories far far more than I do the layout design work you clearly did so well and so quickly.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

JMedwick said:


> Amazing stuff. In working on my layout with my son it has become very clear that I enjoy repairing the trains and accessories far far more than I do the layout design work you clearly did so well and so quickly.


I'm the same way, I'd rather fix them..


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## HowardH (Sep 18, 2020)

Thanks. As for the sky, assessing the angle and height of the ceiling above the tracks, I figured I'd possibly throw out my back and end up with a not-so-great job. Considering another option: Getting some thin panels, cutting to size, laying out on the floor for painting, then tacking them up when I get the right look. I do have a workbench in the garage - with a 303 Atlantic, 283 Pacific and 8114 Alco in various stages of disrepair. In both the attic and garage, it's a learn-as-I-go approach. But when I get frustrated in the garage, I'll spend some time in the attic - and vice-versa. All part of the fun.,


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