# Out with the old ... planning new



## riogrande (Apr 28, 2012)

I think I had a layout topic but it's buried and I'm too lazy to go find it. Besides, they were hosted by Photo Bucket and links broke when they drove off the masses. 

Wife and I sold the town home last November and tore down the old layout last summer. Here are a few of the old:


























Layout dismantling:


















Space for the new and early draft of track plan:


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Congrats!!*

Riogrande looks like you've hit paydirt with that new space. Very impressive track plan and that staging yard is huge!! Are you going to incorporate the old sections of your layout into the new or junk it and start from scratch...nice bench work by the way...and again that space is huge!! Keep us posted with progress and lots of pictures!!! good luck!:thumbsup:


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## riogrande (Apr 28, 2012)

Each square on the new track plan is 6x6 inches, so two squares are a foot. The new space along the bottom wall is 27 1/2 feet long vs. 18 feet in the old room.

The old layout was broken down all the way to basic bench-work sections - single level. I knew any new space would require a totally new track plan so didn't even try to leave more than that intact. Plus it was easiest and safest to move things all packed up. The track was all packed into boxes for re-use and the benchwork just basic frames. 

I plan to re-use as much as possible. It looks like I can immediately re-use two 2 x 8 foot sections from the old staging yard directly into the new one. They will just fit into the bottom middle and right hand space along the wall.

In this photo you can see most of the two 2x8' long staging track sections - broken down to just the frames plus the sandwich of Homasote and 7/16ths inch OSB:










I will need an additional 8 foot section but it will be 18 inches wide to allow for the turn-back at one end and will have have fewer tracks. I'm hoping what I've lost in tracks can be made up in length.

This is what one of the 2x8' sections looks like before the upper supports were removed. 










There was only 7 1/2 inches vertical clearance to the ceiling under the yard above in the old smaller layout to keep grades minimal out of and back into staging. On the new layout I'm aiming at 14 inches vertical clearance but with a much longer run, grades an be kept much gentler. A helix will connect both levels on the right side of the track plan.

I'm guessing other benchwork will probably need to be re-built to fit other parts of the layout as it much narrower in some parts and different shapes. For example, the upper yard on the old layout was 30 inches wide. I will need to gut that down to 24 inches so it will fit same width as the staging below. The old layout was 24 inches in staging and 30 inches above.

I only have basic carpentry skills and you are going to laugh but the old layout above was built using only two power tools, a sabre saw and a 20 year old cordless Sears Craftsman drill. I had lumber pre-cut at Home Depot or Lowes to get it in my car, and mostly it was cut to the widths I had planned for benchwork - namely the Homasote and the OSB wafer board.

As seen in the new basement photo, it is already framed in but I still need to put in electrical and drywall this summer before benchwork can start going in. The home was bank owned and although it had all new paint and carpet, the kitchen and main floor needs work done to bring it up to par - we've already put in all new appliances, new granite countertops, sink, faucet. Hardwood floors need re-finishing and cabinets stained so yeah... hopefully will be able to start on the layout this fall or winter. In the mean time I'm refining the layout plan and working on rolling stock and lumber loads etc.


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