# Asking for help with new layout design



## Guest (Jul 23, 2016)

We closed on the sale of our house in the Hudson Valley yesterday and will be driving to Florida Monday. The layout is dismantled and my trains are in storage until our new house is ready this fall. These are the dimensions of my train future room, taken from the plans.









Here is my problem. I'm not sure if I want to build a layout that will run 4 to 6 trains on independent loops with a siding here and there for some switching or a layout that runs fewer trains with more operations. There are times I like to just watch the trains run and others when I like to do operations.

I am willing to listen to all ideas and if you have a track plan that will fit in my room I'd like to see it. I have quite a bit of FasTrack and 10 remote O36 FasTrack switches so I'm thinking of staying with it. I run Railking and other traditional size trains so I don't need big curves.

Thanks for any and all help. I hope the drawing is understandable. One last thing, I would like to be able to get to the windows if at all possible.


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2016)

First, best wishes on the move, Joe. It is not like you are moving to the next town so it is a rather big move.

I think looking at the room and it's dimensions, I would go with "U" shape benchwork. I think you first have to settle on what you want for benchwork, then you can work on the track design.

Hope you get many suggestions.


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2016)

Thanks Brian. Moving to Florida is the biggest move we have ever made. A U shape is a good idea.


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## RonthePirate (Sep 9, 2015)

Country Joe said:


> Thanks Brian. Moving to Florida is the biggest move we have ever made. A U shape is a good idea.


Watch out for gators, Joe! They'll getcha if you ain't a-watchin'.  

Now back to track. I also agree with a u-shape. That pocket door is a real blessing in that it won't get in the way when open.

First off, don't make the big mistake I made. I have a 16 x 12 room, with an L-shaped layout against three walls.
The main table (16 x 5) is impossible to reach across without a stepladder.
My big bad was, I didn't put up backdrops.
Now, if I want them, I have to chance ruining any scenery or track that may get underknee as I slather across the layout.

That said, I guess you would want your open part where the door is. You could almost make a circle, stopping by that door.
The small area by the door could be a staging area, an industry, or a yard.









The rest I will leave to the real experts here. I just happened to think of that.


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## Fabforrest (Aug 31, 2015)

i would get a bigger room.

that said, i think the pirate has the right idea.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

I wish you well on your move, Joe! I like Ron's suggestion. I am thinking of putting a simple lift out or swing up bridge inside the door on mine. Of course my room will only be 11 X 11.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Forgive my very crude free hand drawing.

If you want to preserve access to the windows then you will need to place the layout in the center of the room and your room is only 11' wide. 

My suggestion is a layered cake layout with curved edges and three dog bones. Each run of track will be on a different layer. You will be able to do a tremendous amount of scenery. You will have access to all of your walls and windows. Everything is within 4' reach. You will have wall space for displaying trains, if you are a collector. Finally you will not have trains chasing their caboose on a rectangle layout.

You would have to work with this in a mock-up but with O36 curves it appears to be possible.


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## balidas (Jun 3, 2011)

RonthePirate said:


> Watch out for gators, Joe! They'll getcha if you ain't a-watchin'.


Nah..gators are easy, it's some of the people you gotta watch out for. 

Where in Florida are you moving to? I'm from Jersey originally.


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## c.midland (Sep 22, 2015)

Congratulations on your new home. Moving can be pretty stressful and it's nice to have something relaxing like a new layout to think about during all the madness. 

I really like Wood's idea. I like the idea of an island railroad as opposed to a U that blocks all the windows. I model western roads, so the scenery aspect of his idea is great. You can do an awful lot with a small space with a little imagination.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I'm not good at layout plans. This looks good and you can modify it to fit your room. Good luck with your move. Been there done that.


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## njrailer93 (Nov 28, 2011)

Or maybe an L in the corner


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

RonthePirate said:


> Watch out for gators, Joe! They'll getcha if you ain't a-watchin'.
> 
> Now back to track. I also agree with a u-shape. That pocket door is a real blessing in that it won't get in the way when open.
> 
> ...


Thanks Ron, I like the around the walls idea. If I go this route I am thinking of adding a lift section like Spence is building. I also want to avoid benchwork that I can't reach easily.



Fabforrest said:


> i would get a bigger room.
> 
> that said, i think the pirate has the right idea.


Thanks Forrest. Unfortunately Florida doesn't have basements so my expanded den is about as good as I could do without adding a second floor.



Mark Boyce said:


> I wish you well on your move, Joe! I like Ron's suggestion. I am thinking of putting a simple lift out or swing up bridge inside the door on mine. Of course my room will only be 11 X 11.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks Mark. 11 x 11 is pretty big if you can go around the walls.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

Wood said:


> Forgive my very crude free hand drawing.
> 
> If you want to preserve access to the windows then you will need to place the layout in the center of the room and your room is only 11' wide.
> 
> ...


Thanks Wood. You make a good case for an island layout. I will give this some serious thought and maybe draw a few track plans to see how much I like it.



balidas said:


> Nah..gators are easy, it's some of the people you gotta watch out for.
> 
> Where in Florida are you moving to? I'm from Jersey originally.


I agree, it's people that are really dangerous. 

We are moving to Vero Beach about 8-10 miles inland. We don't want to be right on the coast but it's only about a 15 minute drive to the beach. While our house is being built we are renting a condo on Hutchinson Island 200 yards from the ocean.



c.midland said:


> Congratulations on your new home. Moving can be pretty stressful and it's nice to have something relaxing like a new layout to think about during all the madness.
> 
> I really like Wood's idea. I like the idea of an island railroad as opposed to a U that blocks all the windows. I model western roads, so the scenery aspect of his idea is great. You can do an awful lot with a small space with a little imagination.


Thanks c. Spending time thinking trains is a nice break from the stress of moving. I also like Wood's idea even though I don't model western railroads. I'm an eastern guy with mostly New York Central but I do dabble in other eastern railroads for variety.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

DennyM said:


> I'm not good at layout plans. This looks good and you can modify it to fit your room. Good luck with your move. Been there done that.


Thanks for the plan Denny. Seeing lots of plans helps me to get new ideas of what can be done.



njrailer93 said:


> Or maybe an L in the corner


Thanks nj. One big advantage of an L or and around the room layout is that it leaves floor space for a workbench, TV and a couple of chairs.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Country Joe said:


> We closed on the sale of our house in the Hudson Valley yesterday and will be driving to Florida Monday. The layout is dismantled and my trains are in storage until our new house is ready this fall. These are the dimensions of my train future room, taken from the plans.
> 
> View attachment 207425
> 
> ...


Weird room?
11 foot on the left side and 11 foot 4 inch on the right side?

If you want to get to the windows I would go with the layout somehow in the center of the room.

Your having the house built?
How much more could it cost to make the room a hair larger? Any extra space if possible would be a benefit to your table. Now is the time before it is finished.

I am no good at planning. 
I just wanted to wish you a _smooth move_ Joe.

You giving away all your heavy clothes right?
All you need down there is bathing suits, shorts and T- shirts and a few light dress up clothes to go out on the town.

For me it would include a new supply of bandanas.
Lots of them.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

Here is my thinking for operation. On my just dismantled layout I could run 2 trains unattended on a double track mainline. If I just felt like watching the wheels go round I let them run.

For operations I would usually run a passenger and a freight train. I would get both trains running and first stop the passenger train at the station and activate the passenger announcements. When that finished I switched over to the freight train and switched an industrial siding. I could repeat this for a while as I had 4 spurs on the outside track and 2 on the inside track. I could do something like this on my new layout but with more trains for more variety.

My other idea is what I did with my N scale layout before I had to move up to a bigger scale. I had an around the room U with a small yard, an interchange track and around 10 or so industrial spurs. I could make up a train in the yard and run it over the layout (twice around) without running over the same track and switching industries. at the end of the line there was a passing siding/run around track where the loco and caboose were switched end for end for the train to return to the yard. On the way back it switched the remaining industries. This was a lot of fun and could keep me busy for quite a while.

My quandary is which of these two operating schemes do I want on the next layout? The first scheme can run a number of trains unattended and is great for just railfanning the layout and the second is best for operations. The ideas you guys are posting are really helping me to evaluate different ideas.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Can't you combine both unattended running and space for operations? I combine some around the walls for longer runs with an area in the middle. You don't have to do exclusively around the walls or in the middle, you can combine them.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

Big Ed said:


> Weird room?
> 11 foot on the left side and 11 foot 4 inch on the right side?
> 
> If you want to get to the windows I would go with the layout somehow in the center of the room.
> ...


Thanks Ed. The right side is 3'9" + 3'9"=7'6"+3'6"=11'. Either you or I made an addition error but the room is 11' wide at both ends. 

I couldn't go any bigger without a significant cost increase. The 11' width is restricted by the width of the house. The original den was 13'6" long. It's on the front of the house and the original plan was for a long, wide porch out front. I took the 7 feet from the porch making is smaller but still plenty big and added it to the den. This didn't cost very much. To add any more space would incur a lot of cost as it would now change the roofline and require a completely new plan so I accepted the 11x20.5 foot room as the best I could get and still stay within our budget. Plus, my wife has been very good about the changes allowing me as big a room as possible. I figure that if we ever sell, or our heirs do, the room could be a den/office combo, a home theatre or just a very large den.

I've already given away some of my heavy clothes but I need to keep a little for those cold winter days. There are some days in the 40's when it's exceptionally cold, and that's extremely cold for Floridians where the average high temp in January is 65.

Yes, I plan on living the rest of my life in shorts, T shirts and bathing trunks as much as possible.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Can't you combine both unattended running and space for operations? I combine some around the walls for longer runs with an area in the middle. You don't have to do exclusively around the walls or in the middle, you can combine them.


Thanks John, I'll try to do a combination. I'm not sure if the 11 foot width of the room will allow it but I'll give it a shot.


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## highvoltage (Apr 6, 2014)

Big Ed said:


> Weird room?
> 11 foot on the left side and 11 foot 4 inch on the right side?...


Nope, it's 11 x 11. 3' 9" + 3' 6" + 3' 9" adds up to 11 feet.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Country Joe said:


> Thanks Ed. The right side is 3'9" + 3'9"=7'6"+3'6"=11'. Either you or I made an addition error but the room is 11' wide at both ends.





highvoltage said:


> Nope, it's 11 x 11. 3' 9" + 3' 6" + 3' 9" adds up to 11 feet.


Edit,I did it wrong.
my math wiz kid showed me my error.


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## highvoltage (Apr 6, 2014)

Big Ed, didn't mean to double team you. My post showed up about the same time as Country Joe's.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

highvoltage said:


> Big Ed, didn't mean to double team you. My post showed up about the same time as Country Joe's.


That is OK, I did it wrong, and I was wrong.

I did it on a calculator using 3.9 x 3.9 x 3.6. that is wrong. That comes out 11'4".

I should have used 3.75 x 3.75 x 3.50. That ='s the 11'.

Don't forget a nice assortment of hats for down there Joe.


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## Red October (Sep 13, 2015)

Mark Boyce said:


> Of course my room will only be 11 X 11.


11 x 11 - no lift out - four trains running simultaneously, 50 structures.


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## RonthePirate (Sep 9, 2015)

Looks like you crammed half of what Lionel ever manufactured in there, Red October.
Very nicely done.
Joe, a good compromise, if you want to call it that would be a peninsula.
That would give you center space, yet keep the walls full.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

The layout looks incredible, Red. Do you have a trackplan?


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2016)

RonthePirate said:


> Looks like you crammed half of what Lionel ever manufactured in there, Red October.
> Very nicely done.
> Joe, a good compromise, if you want to call it that would be a peninsula.
> That would give you center space, yet keep the walls full.


That's another good idea, Ron. I hadn't thought of a peninsula. I'll have to see if one will fit and still give me room to move around.


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## Red October (Sep 13, 2015)

Country Joe said:


> The layout looks incredible, Red. Do you have a trackplan?


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Red, All of that in 11 X 11 is an inspiration to us all! I will have to study that on the big screen as I am on the iPhone right now. The entrance is in the right place for my room if I did away with the spur shelf. I have 2 doors on adjacent walls. 

Joe, certainly possible for you too with 11 X 20.

Have a good trip south this week!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## BWA (Jun 16, 2012)

If it isn't too late/set in stone, I would think about moving the door to the right by a foot.

This would allow a return loop of 036" Fast Track between the left hand wall and the door.

That would allow a giant folded Dogbone, with both end loops either side of the door, giving a pretty long loop (approximately a bit over 100 feet), and, no need for a lift out/bridge across the door.....


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2016)

Red October said:


>


This is a great trackplan, Red. I am going to study it and try to adapt it to my space.



Mark Boyce said:


> Red, All of that in 11 X 11 is an inspiration to us all! I will have to study that on the big screen as I am on the iPhone right now. The entrance is in the right place for my room if I did away with the spur shelf. I have 2 doors on adjacent walls.
> 
> Joe, certainly possible for you too with 11 X 20.
> 
> ...


You nailed it, Mark. Red's plan certainly is an inspiration for all of us that are space challenged.

Thanks Mark. We leave for Florida tomorrow morning. We are driving two cars fully loaded. We are thinking of making it a 3 day drive so we can arrive early in the afternoon Wednesday. I may not be able to check in for the next few days, but I'll try.



BWA said:


> If it isn't too late/set in stone, I would think about moving the door to the right by a foot.
> 
> This would allow a return loop of 036" Fast Track between the left hand wall and the door.
> 
> That would allow a giant folded Dogbone, with both end loops either side of the door, giving a pretty long loop (approximately a bit over 100 feet), and, no need for a lift out/bridge across the door.....


Unfortunately, it would be difficult to change the door location at this point. The builder charges a premium to make any changes since the permits have been approved. I can use an O31 return loop there which all of my train can negotiate though I'd like to stick with O36 if possible.


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## BWA (Jun 16, 2012)

Can't really see it being that much of an issue. Being an inside door, just moving it a foot over on the same wall it's already on should have nothing to do with building permits, or, inspections. I can guarantee you, no inspector on the planet is going to measure (or, even look at) where that door is.....

If you wanted to put a another door in an outside wall, I could see it being an issue.

I would talk to the builder, it would only take 5 minutes of his time. Worth 5 minutes for some thing you might be wishing later down the line you had done....

Just my thoughts.....


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2016)

I will ask about moving the door when I get there later this week and see if they will move the door without charging me a small fortune. Moving it over by a foot would be a good idea. I wish I'd thought of it before approving the plans.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

3 days?

Where you headed all the way to the Keys?:smilie_daumenpos:


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## balidas (Jun 3, 2011)

Country Joe said:


> I will ask about moving the door when I get there later this week and see if they will move the door without charging me a small fortune. Moving it over by a foot would be a good idea. I wish I'd thought of it before approving the plans.


Architects & contractors worth their salt would expect some changes to be made during the building process & something as slight as moving a door over 1 foot should make no wave at all. 



Big Ed said:


> 3 days?
> 
> Where you headed all the way to the Keys?:smilie_daumenpos:


I can see 3 days. You have 2 vehicles loaded to the gills & if they're using I95 all the way & they're unfortunate enough to hit the Baltimore area during rush hour well, that could take 3 days in itself.


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## phillyreading (Aug 25, 2015)

I have been in Florida for almost 30 years. It depends on how you design your layout and what if any obstacles you may have to work around. Two major concerns down here; one is humidity, second is heat and/or sunlight. I use damp rid to help with the moisture content. I put window tint on my windows that I am using here in West Palm Beach FL. 

I put up a ceiling fan with wireless remote control before starting the layout building, also installed some track lighting for night time effect with black light bulbs. Also did some re-wiring of the electrical outlets in the room, replaced the outlets and stripped the wires back just a bit to get a clean wire hook-up to the receptacle. 

Being newly built you can have the place done to your liking.

Lee Fritz


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

balidas said:


> I can see 3 days. You have 2 vehicles loaded to the gills & if they're using I95 all the way & they're unfortunate enough to hit the Baltimore area during rush hour well, that could take 3 days in itself.


In 2 days I would have been in Miami out of Jersey with my car hauler and all offloaded & reloaded and on the way back.
You know they made some major improvements down getting into Baltimore now. Even in rush hour it moves right along..........unless you have one little accident.
Then it is rubbernecks that screw everything up....everyone wants to see blood!:goofball:
Back to hauling hazmat's now I can't go through the tunnels so I have to use the Key bridge anyway. Not bad at all even in rush hour. Forget getting around Baltimore on 695 west!
The real mess starts down by DC.



phillyreading said:


> I have been in Florida for almost 30 years. It depends on how you design your layout and what if any obstacles you may have to work around. Two major concerns down here; one is humidity, second is heat and/or sunlight.* I use damp rid *to help with the moisture content. I put window tint on my windows that I am using here in West Palm Beach FL.
> 
> Lee Fritz


Damp Rid?
I will have to google that, I never heard of it.
That is the main thing I hate about Florida, the humidity.
To me it is all year long down there!

Right now up here in Jersey we have the Florida weather, I cut the grass today and was just pouring the sweat off!
I hate jungle weather always did and always will!

Now down in the Keys is a different story, I could live down there.:smilie_daumenpos:
My Bro in law has a house down there around Deer Park.
Most of the times it is just Beeeutifull.


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2016)

Big Ed said:


> 3 days?
> 
> Where you headed all the way to the Keys?:smilie_daumenpos:





balidas said:


> I can see 3 days. You have 2 vehicles loaded to the gills & if they're using I95 all the way & they're unfortunate enough to hit the Baltimore area during rush hour well, that could take 3 days in itself.


If it was a normal vacation it would take 2 days. We're driving the 2 cars in a small convoy plus my wife had a major back operation last summer so she doesn't want to drive too many hours in one day, thus it takes 3 days. 

We decided not to go 95 this time. We took 287 to 78 to 81 south and went through the Shenandoah Valley. It's about an hour longer but a much nicer ride. We picked up 95 in South Carolina and are in Palm Coast tonight.


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2016)

phillyreading said:


> I have been in Florida for almost 30 years. It depends on how you design your layout and what if any obstacles you may have to work around. Two major concerns down here; one is humidity, second is heat and/or sunlight. I use damp rid to help with the moisture content. I put window tint on my windows that I am using here in West Palm Beach FL.
> 
> I put up a ceiling fan with wireless remote control before starting the layout building, also installed some track lighting for night time effect with black light bulbs. Also did some re-wiring of the electrical outlets in the room, replaced the outlets and stripped the wires back just a bit to get a clean wire hook-up to the receptacle.
> 
> ...


Thanks Lee. There are no obstacles in the room, just the 2 windows and the pocket door. I plan to put blinds on the windows to keep the sunlight out. I'll see how effective the A/C is in controlling the humidity. I may add a ceiling fan. I'm not sure yet.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Country Joe said:


> If it was a normal vacation it would take 2 days. We're driving the 2 cars in a small convoy plus my wife had a major back operation last summer so she doesn't want to drive too many hours in one day, thus it takes 3 days.
> 
> We decided not to go 95 this time. We took 287 to 78 to 81 south and went through the Shenandoah Valley. It's about an hour longer but a much nicer ride. We picked up 95 in South Carolina and are in Palm Coast tonight.


OK, I've been there and done it. I hear you on the nicer ride. 
I used to run down to Miami taking 95, then sometimes run back up over to Vance Alabama and pick up lease return BMW's going to the auction in Manheim Pa. If they didn't have anything coming out of Florida.
A nice ride compared to crazy 95.:thumbsup:
The furthest south I run on 81 now is to the second exit in Virginia. There is a place that makes the big buoy balls for waterways, they take a load of Acetone every once and a while.


You had a Convoy? Reminds me of a song. 
You should have had CB's, or walkie talkies.  

Breaker, breaker Mama J you got a copy? 
This here is the Florida Joe. Come in Mama J.

Go ahead Florida Joe I copy you 10-4.

Watch out when you pass that suicide jockey driving the thermos bottle Mama J, he's driving a little squirrel-y now. I think he needs a cup of motion lotion or a couple of pocket rockets. Back off the hammer a little, 10-4?

10-4 Florida Joe........how about we pull into a choke & puke soon? I am kind of hungry. Plus we will need some Go Go juice soon.

That sounds good Mama J, it is about time we rest our bones anyway. Lets look for a place to rest now. I know of a choke and puke that is next to a train store lets go to that one.
10-4 Florida Joe, I will back off the hammer and slip in behind you....lead the way.

Mama J, maybe I should not stop at that place.....we have no more room for any trains right now anyway and tomorrow we will be in the Bikini State, I will check out the train stores then,* first thing*. 10-4.
10-4 Florida Joe, sounds good to me. 
We do need a lot more trains for the train room when it is done. But like you said we are packed to the gills right now it is better to wait.
Mama J out.
10-4 Mama J, just remember to keep the sunny side up and the greasy side down you hear now. We do have a heavy load. 10-4?
Florida Joe out on the side now.


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

The legendary Tanker Yanker does it again!!! :smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Big Ed, LOL!

Joe,
Having lived in Virginia in the '80s and '90s, I agree the inland route is much better if you don't have to get there fast. I told my wife I should have gotten a license plate reading IH8I95

Looking forward to to how the layout planning turns out. I hope you can move the door as suggested.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Wood said:


> The legendary Tanker Yanker does it again!!! :smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:


10-4 Big Wood, are you in the chartreuse micra-bus with the eleven long-haired Friends a' Jesus.
We will put you in, right behind that suicide jockey. 
10-4?
Diesel Dawg over & out.


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2016)

Good convoy story, Ed. I forgot to mention we picked up 77 south in Virginia and that connects with 95 in South Carolina. We don't have CBs or walkie-talkies but we do have cell phones to keep in touch. We're leaving Palm Coast in a few minutes to finish the trip.


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## Guest (Jul 27, 2016)

Mark Boyce said:


> Big Ed, LOL!
> 
> Joe,
> Having lived in Virginia in the '80s and '90s, I agree the inland route is much better if you don't have to get there fast. I told my wife I should have gotten a license plate reading IH8I95
> ...


I like that license plate, Mark. I95 isn't bad here in the south but I hate it in Jersey and Maryland. It was worth the extra hour of driving to take the inland route.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

I have never been on 95 south of the 85 split to Raleigh. Two trips 30 years apart. It was better down there. I've never been on it north of Maryland, but that was 20 years ago. I'll bet it's worse now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

10-4 Diesel Dawg, You got me. Put me in front of that suicide jockey, the friend's a' Jesus are all going to heaven. Ain't no place for me up there. I'm going in the opposite direction and I don't want it to happen today.
Big Wood out....


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Big Ed said:


> OK, I've been there and done it. I hear you on the nicer ride.
> I used to run down to Miami taking 95, then sometimes run back up over to Vance Alabama and pick up lease return BMW's going to the auction in Manheim Pa. If they didn't have anything coming out of Florida.
> A nice ride compared to crazy 95.:thumbsup:
> The furthest south I run on 81 now is to the second exit in Virginia. There is a place that makes the big buoy balls for waterways, they take a load of Acetone every once and a while.
> ...


My CB handle was Nitecrawler. I was 10-8 and straight. For all you non-CBers that means your feeling good and your radio is working great.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

DennyM said:


> My CB handle was Nitecrawler. I was 10-8 and straight. For all you non-CBers that means your feeling good and your radio is working great.




10-4 Nitecrawler.

10-8? I had to look it up.
Most say 10-8 = In Service, subject to call (you're back on the air).

Straight?.....to me that means = You are not Gay (or not a good buddy)
I used to have a lot of good buddy's till "they" changed the meaning.:laugh:
Now I have no good buddy's.:smokin:


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## RonthePirate (Sep 9, 2015)

Know who William Dale Fries is? 
You ought to, we've been listening to him courtesy of Ed. 

C.W. McCall.......Convoy. Great song, not-so-great movie.

Gawd: Born in 1928, still alive. He's 87. 
He's doing something right.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Big Ed said:


> 10-4 Nitecrawler.
> 
> 10-8? I had to look it up.
> Most say 10-8 = In Service, subject to call (you're back on the air).
> ...


Yeah I hate they changed that.The 70's was a great time for CB. I got back into it in the 90's and there were terms we used that were not used by other CBer's such as 10-8 and straight.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2016)

*Mini update*

They are making progress on our new house and it's on target to be finished in November. This is a picture of it as it is today. The room on the right, behind the red dumpster, will be my train room.









If you remember, it was suggested to move the pocket door into the room 1 foot to allow an O36 turn back curve to be placed in the corner. I spoke with the construction manager and that small change was incorporated so, if you look at the picture in the first post, the door will be 4'1" from the wall. I haven't made any progress on a trackplan yet but I am looking at lots of layouts for ideas. If you have any ideas or suggestions I'm all ears, or since we're reading posts on a forum, eyes.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2016)

Congratulations on your new home, Joe. Nice to see progress is being made.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2016)

Thanks Brian. I can't wait to get into the new home. The condo we are renting is nice and it's a short walk to the beach but it's not the same as being home, plus I don't have a layout here.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Sorry to come to this so late. Somehow I didn't see it until now. My have been blind. 

Anyway, there is a lot I don't know about what you want to do and your priorities including not liking duckunders (I don't either, but . . . ).

But if this were my space, I'd do something like shown below. This is a crude drawing and you'd need to refine it some. I give comments below it.









My thinking is:

The room is for trains so I'm going to use nearly all the room for trains. 
The shaded area indicates the benchtop. The three white boxes are access hatches from underneath. They are a pain. I have three now and don't like going donw there, but have no regrets . . . 
Tried to leave at lease a good roomy aisle and access.
Green line is mainline 1, a contiuous loop at the benchtop level all around, which should be do-able as I measure it with minimum of 54 inch curves or bigger, although not bigger than 64 inch. Getting above 54 inches is critical to me: there are many locos and some passenger cars, etc., that can't run on tighter curves. Much of my plan centers on first getting the biggest radius curves in this room. I tried 72 inch curves but could not get what would be an acceptable arrangement of anything much more than a simple oval. 
Red line is a dogbone with switches at each end's reversing loop - I'd strongly recommend Fastrack remote switches and making the 72 inch even if miost of the curves on the loop are tighter (if possible). It is also at benchtop level all around. This red dogbone should be doable with nothing tighter than 48 inch curves, which leaving reasonable spacing between adjacent tracks. 
The blue loop is also a dogbone, again with switches, and mostly 36" but nothing tighter. It is at a level 6 inches or so above the other two, and would involve tunnels for the lower tracks and mountainous terrain and bridges and trestles - cool stuff to make!
Room left here and there for buildings and neat stuff. 
The only thing I'd do myself as I moved forward would be try to crame one good EZ-Street road into this. Not much room but I think it could be done.


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## emmetd (Aug 1, 2012)

florida weather is nice, people not so much.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2016)

Thanks so much, Lee, I like what you have come up with. I run LionChief Plus and Railking locos and traditional/PW size cars that will run fine on O36 curves and switches. I don't mind the pop-up hatches though I hope to not have to use them after the layout is completed. My bench top will be extruded styrofoam so moving them out of the way for access won't be that difficult. I'll try playing with the plan so I can add some industrial sidings. I enjoy switching cars at industries while the other trains are running unattended.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2016)

emmetd said:


> florida weather is nice, people not so much.


I've enjoyed both the weather and the people so far, Emmet. If it turns out that there are some obnoxious people I can deal with it, I'm from New York. In NY I saw a car with a bumper sticker that said, "Courtesy my ***, this is New York."


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Joe; best of luck with the new house & layout. It's got to be exciting planning the new layout. All I can say is don't rush into building it. Make all the mistakes on paper; it will save a lot of headaches later. 
By the way, I'm extremely happy with my Mianne Lift Gate.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

CJ, good luck in your new life. Enjoy all the good things.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2016)

Spence said:


> Joe; best of luck with the new house & layout. It's got to be exciting planning the new layout. All I can say is don't rush into building it. Make all the mistakes on paper; it will save a lot of headaches later.
> By the way, I'm extremely happy with my Mianne Lift Gate.


Thanks Spence. I plan on taking my time designing the new layout. I am considering going around all 4 walls and the Mianne Lift Gate would be perfect if I go that route.



DennyM said:


> CJ, good luck in your new life. Enjoy all the good things.


Thanks Denny. I am pretty happy right now but I think I'll be ecstatic when winter comes and there's no snow and ice to deal with, and I have my train room. I miss my trains but MTF is keeping me involved.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Joe, I like your house! One level! Yes! I'm glad the builder was able to locate the door as suggested. I'm looking forward to seeing tour progress. Maybe you and I will be building layouts at the same time. As you know our daughter's wedding Saturday made us empty nesters. The train room still has some of her stuff, but she will be emptying it before I get time and a plan.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

You'll be back on the rail before you know it. Here's something to look at until you can start construction.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2016)

Thanks Mark, and wish your daughter and new son-in-law the best from us. I hope they have a happy, healthy and prosperous life together and give you plenty of grandkids. 

We considered building a house with a big room upstairs for my trains but I decided I'd rather have one level and could live with a smaller train room. It does sound like we will be building at the same time. I really like Lee's idea and Frank's (Red October) layout. I will start trying to design a trackplan soon. 

Do you know what type on layout you want to build in your new train room?


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2016)

Thanks for the great video, Denny. I've been watching lots of train videos on You Tube to hold me until the house is done.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Joe, The room is 11' 4" X 11' 6". One wall has a sliding glass door in the middle to the outside. An adjacent wall has a door to the rest of the basement near the corner closest to the wall with the glass door. I am thinking of making a U shaped layout with the open end of the U facing the glass door. To have a track with curves broad enough for my N&W J 611 and B&O Cincinnatian, I am thinking of a track or twice around going around the room with a lift up bridge over the gap of the loop. All I have done so far is get the overall dimensions of the room last week when they got the breakables out of the room. I still have to get a plan started.


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## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Mark,
Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. I wish them and you happiness. Why don't you start a thread and let us follow along with your planning and building your layout?


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

PatKn said:


> Mark,
> Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. I wish them and you happiness. Why don't you start a thread and let us follow along with your planning and building your layout?




Pat,
Thank you very much. Yes that is a good idea. I will start a new topic of my own. I Don't want to clutter up Joe's with any more comments on mine, as it could cause confusion. 

Joe,
Lee has some good ideas. Personally I don't want any lift out access, but turn back loops may require it.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2016)

Mark, I find an empty room to be the hardest part of building a layout. That's why I started this thread. Once I get a basic plan it's easy to refine it and make it what I want but I struggle with a blank canvas.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Joe, I think I may have the same problem!


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

When designing stuff in a blank room I find some blue painters tape on the floor always helps before I begin a build. I mostly do it for kitchens and baths but it worked for my layout too. I used a pre made plan then changed it to my needs and likes. Then I set the prototype up, the last thing I did was the bench work and the securing of track. Mostly , I had planned everything out before the build.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

my layout isn't anything advanced, but it's fun.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

sjm,
That's a nice functional layout. It doesn't need to be advanced. I try to keep mine simple even though I keep finding things to do like move buildings or extend my train yard.


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2016)

Thanks for the excellent video, sjm. You have a very nice layout.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Thanks for the kind words, I think the hardest part was cramming in all the accessories. I got the log loader, coal loader, oil barrel loader, barrel loader, horse and cattle corrals, milk platform, gateman, oil platform, etc, lots of action stuff that needed to be thought out ahead of time.


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## Fabforrest (Aug 31, 2015)

I'm a fan of operating accessories


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I am too, but I didn't consider operating accessories when I was putting my layout together. hwell: So if I get any, I'll have to do some rearranging.


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## balidas (Jun 3, 2011)

Country Joe said:


> They are making progress on our new house and it's on target to be finished in November. This is a picture of it as it is today. The room on the right, behind the red dumpster, will be my train room.
> 
> View attachment 226810
> 
> If you remember, it was suggested to move the pocket door into the room 1 foot to allow an O36 turn back curve to be placed in the corner. I spoke with the construction manager and that small change was incorporated so, if you look at the picture in the first post, the door will be 4'1" from the wall. I haven't made any progress on a trackplan yet but I am looking at lots of layouts for ideas. If you have any ideas or suggestions I'm all ears, or since we're reading posts on a forum, eyes.


Looking good Country Joe! Welcome to the humid...I mean... the Sunshine State! I hope you've considered a good alarm system. One thing I am concerned with are home invasions & break ins.





DennyM said:


> You'll be back on the rail before you know it. Here's something to look at until you can start construction.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny3LYYwV_-I


These videos just piss me off since I can't yet have a layout of my own.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

balidas said:


> Looking good Country Joe! Welcome to the humid...I mean... the Sunshine State! I hope you've considered a good alarm system. One thing I am concerned with are home invasions & break ins.


Alarm? We don't need no stinkin' alarm!


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## balidas (Jun 3, 2011)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Alarm? We don't need no stinkin' alarm!


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2016)

balidas said:


> Looking good Country Joe! Welcome to the humid...I mean... the Sunshine State! I hope you've considered a good alarm system. One thing I am concerned with are home invasions & break ins.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It is hot and humid but my wife and I don't mind. When winter comes and our friends and family up north are freezing their butts off, shoveling snow and sliding on ice we will be enjoying the warmth. 

I really enjoy the videos. I've had a layout for my whole life except for brief periods and I find it hard not having one for these few months. The videos allow me to enjoy someone else's trains until I can start on my next layout.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Joe,
I'll send you a photo come winter to remind you of what you are missing!!


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2016)

Sounds good, Mark. I can send you a picture of people in shorts and tee shirts this winter. 

I won't miss the snow, ice and bitter cold.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Send them along Joe! I find the winters harder to endure each passing year. We will remain here as long as our remaining parents are still with us! I'm glad for you and your wife!!


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## balidas (Jun 3, 2011)

I've been down from Jersey for like 40+ years & I have to say that along with the autumn colours & smells, I do miss the snow.


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2016)

Mark Boyce said:


> Send them along Joe! I find the winters harder to endure each passing year. We will remain here as long as our remaining parents are still with us! I'm glad for you and your wife!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I know what you're saying, Mark. The cold didn't bother me when I was young but as I got older it really got to me. We miss our family, especially the grandkids. We will still see them, but not as often as we did living in NY.



balidas said:


> I've been down from Jersey for like 40+ years & I have to say that along with the autumn colours & smells, I do miss the snow.


The autumn colors are fabulous and I'll miss them but not the snow and ice. I lived through 66 winters, more than enough for me.


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