# The adventure begins! My new train room and layout.



## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

We closed on our new home on the 15th. The seller moved his last items out of the home yesterday afternoon.One of the great selling points of this home is the fully finished heated and cooled basement.Attached is a pix of the "train"room just after the seller cleared out his belongings before I started cleaning it out. It's 20' X 39.5'. I have ambitious plans in mind for the layout.It will be all Ross/Gargraves MTH DCS/Legacy/Conventional running powered by at least 4 Z4000's. Over the next week,I'm be moving 2500+ pieces of rolling stock and countless locomotives.I will be reporting as time permits on the progress of the room,displays and layout.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

WOW, nice room! Looking forward to what you do with all that space!


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## AG216 (Sep 28, 2011)

Pretty nice room size.
keep us posted.
Andre.


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## MOVL (Aug 23, 2015)

Congrats on your new home and new train room!


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## Todd Lopes (Nov 11, 2015)

Looks great Ricky! Look forward to seeing it all come together.


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

This is is the only room in the entire mid-century modern home that still has the original 1960's look and carpet. The paneling is nicer in person than it looks. The "Brady Bunch" carpet will be removed and replaced with tile or hardwood. The rest of the home was updated/remodeled in very good taste by the previous owner. 

Those awful blue cabinets will be out at the curb tonight.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I wondered what the blue cabinets were for.


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## steam chaser (Feb 21, 2011)

Congrats on the new train room, ought to be spectacular.:smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:


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## Guest (Dec 19, 2015)

*Merry Christmas* and congratulations on your new home and future layout. What a beautiful space to work.

Please do keep us posted, Ricky.


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

Thanks Brian,GRJ,Andre,Keith,Todd,Don and everyone! Have a great Christmas and warmest wishes for the holidays!


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

Update 1/18/16. The transformation into a suitable train room continues. I decided to pull up all the old carpet and use a two coat industrial grade epoxy floor coating and paint the mid-century paneling with three coats of premium latex (there's 1 coat in the photo) the electrical supply has been upgraded and additional outlets installed.We should begin unpacking track and starting benchwork next week.


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

That is awesome, and all for your trains.
I am thankful for what I have, but I am also jealous of that nice space.
I can’t wait to see what you are able to create there.
Do keep us posted.
Roger

PS, the white paint and the carpet removed is already a really nice upgrade.


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

Thanks Roger,I've been waiting for decades to be able to do this.Suitable basements are rare in Arkansas and large basements heated and cooled even more so.It's going to be fun unpacking all the trains.


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## Bill Webb (Sep 14, 2015)

Ricky this will be fun to watch.


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2016)

Very clean look to the train room. I really like it. Now for the benchwork.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Let the fun begin. I know you have a plan like we all do, but I've read so many threads where one item was forgotten... Lighting.

Just a reminder!

Have fun Ricky!!


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## AG216 (Sep 28, 2011)

Your floor decision IMO the the right one.
Carpet are just a micro zoo. 

thank you for your time to keep the post!

Andre.


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## Todd Lopes (Nov 11, 2015)

Ricky, Taking shape! Congrats on your great progress!


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

Ricky Tanner said:


> Thanks Roger,I've been waiting for decades to be able to do this.Suitable basements are rare in Arkansas and large basements heated and cooled even more so.It's going to be fun unpacking all the trains.


You go Ricky.
Live your dream.
We'll live it with you.


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## bluecomet400 (Sep 13, 2015)

Very nice, lots of possibilities. Looking forward to seeing the progress.


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Great start. The room looks much better.


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## PDDMI (Oct 25, 2015)

Ricky, Great space...do you have a track plan in place...and if you do, could you post it here? I'm trying to get ideas for a new layout..getting ready to rebuild and expand mine. Thanks


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Just saw this thread for the first time and when I saw the before photo, I was thinking that more outlets and track lighting would be nice. Glad to see you did the electrical work and with the white walls, it looks like the fluorescent lights might just be adequate. Nice size room for a dream layout.


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## rboatertoo (Aug 5, 2015)

When I did mine, I thought I had enough light, but after I was done, I realized I need more to see. My fixtures were rated for 60 watt bulbs, but I used LED to boast the "watt". You can never have enough light, and with dimmers you can adjust how much. 

Another thing is have your outlets switched. When I leave my trainroom I hit the switch on the wall and everything is off. No worries about leaving anything on. I have also used it to stop everything. I have some outlets that aren't switch for clocks, etc...


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

Thanks for the nice comments.As of last night,the walls and floor are completely finished and the floor needs a few days to cure properly. The light is more than adequate at this point. It's very bright which I need at this point for construction. The outlets are all switched also. As far as the track plan goes,I have working several ideas at this point. There will be four double track mainlines,two yards,a through station,a stub station and a hidden staging yard. Scenery at first will be minimal and spartan.Norm Charbonneau's layout has been a big inspiration as well as Rich Battista's Diamond Railway and lastly our very own Doug"Laidoffsick". I will continue to update and share photos as work progresses. The room is 19.5 ft wide by 39.5 ft long by the way.


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## rboatertoo (Aug 5, 2015)

Sounds like you have the bases covered!!! Nice size. Any windows, mechanicals or doors to contend with?


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

rboatertoo said:


> Sounds like you have the bases covered!!! Nice size. Any windows, mechanicals or doors to contend with?


No windows.There's one door on the left out of the photo. The entire basement is finished out,heated and cooled. I've got most of the trains stored in an adjacent room,I'm slowly unpacking.Lots of surprises so far!


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Ricky,
I just found this. Looks like a great room for a layout!


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

The train room is finished,We are now building benchwork! Phase 1- central island benchwork underway. I'm using the time tested open grid method. Plywood on top is temporary. As you can see,the benchwork is over engineered.Lots of fun and surprises ahead!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'll say, it looks like you're building a house, not a train platform!


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## Fabforrest (Aug 31, 2015)

Track plan???


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

GRJ - Yes,built like a house on purpose! This is the same benchwork like the great Lorell Joiner did on his Great Southern. 

Fabforrest - It's a surprise! There is a basic track plan/concept but a lot is going to be done "on the fly" there's a lot of clearances to be considered. This layout will be around the wall with a large 12 X 30 island (as you see here) with pop up hatches in the middle.Engine shops to the right of the view. I'm not rushing this like I have on previous layouts and seen others do time and time again. Taking time and making little changes as you go is the best way IMHO.


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## Laidoffsick (Sep 20, 2015)

Daaayum! What a room. Oooh the possibilities. IMO you can never over build the benchwork to a stationary/permanent layout. Ya never know when you have to crawl or walk across the top of it.


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## Kurtds2 (Feb 5, 2016)

Wow! Can not wait to see your layout!


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

Ricky Tanner said:


> GRJ - Yes,built like a house on purpose! This is the same benchwork like the great Lorell Joiner did on his Great Southern.
> 
> Fabforrest - It's a surprise! There is a basic track plan/concept but a lot is going to be done "on the fly" there's a lot of clearances to be considered. This layout will be around the wall with a large 12 X 30 island (as you see here) with pop up hatches in the middle.Engine shops to the right of the view. I'm not rushing this like I have on previous layouts and seen others do time and time again. Taking time and making little changes as you go is the best way IMHO.


WOW, Ricky,
You are really making tracks, pun definitely intended.
It has only been a few weeks, and you are really on the way. I even see train shelves on the walls.
I can't wait to see the ongoing plan.

Roger


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

Herkulese - Those are some older shelves I put up to see how they looked. They are not going to stay,I'm going to use Glenn Snyder shelving on that whole wall. There will also be shelves on another wall - not shown. The two walls you see behind the layout will eventually have nice scenic backdrops.


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

Ricky Tanner said:


> Herkulese - Those are some older shelves I put up to see how they looked. They are not going to stay,I'm going to use Glenn Snyder shelving on that whole wall. There will also be shelves on another wall - not shown. The two walls you see behind the layout will eventually have nice scenic backdrops.


Very nice plan Ricky,
I am impressed already.
By the way, you can call me Roger


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## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

I just found this thread. Looks like a great project Ricky. You have a lot to work with. Looking forward to following your progress.


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## biglionelguy (Nov 11, 2015)

That's a solid room, just a question, why Islas style as opposed to around the room? Seems like more track and wider curves could be achieved with the around the room style


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

biglionelguy said:


> That's a solid room, just a question, why Islas style as opposed to around the room? Seems like more track and wider curves could be achieved with the around the room style


That's a good question and I'll answer it. The layout you are seeing is phase 1. What I didn't mention is the whole thing is on furniture glides.When this section is completed. It will move 24" East and 24" South up against the two walls. There is another section of the layout to be built that will have a 36" turntable and locomotive shops. I call this Phase 2. Phase three will eventually be running around the whole 20' X 40' room with double 2-4 track mainlines with passing sidings with 48" to 60" radius (0-96 up to 0-120) curves! 

I am building in phases to break the layout down into easier "chunks". Unlike many folks who just "jump right into the big one" I work much slower and methodologically,testing ideas and adjusting as I go. This will be my seventh layout in 45 years.


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## Mark Boyce (Jul 22, 2015)

Ricky,
I like your plan of building one section at a time. Also, being able to slide or maybe I should say roll the sections into position makes sense for construction, and also for future changes, or even if you have to move. I am looking forward to seeing what surprises you present to us!!


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

UPDATE: April 10, 2016

I have decided to make some radical changes to the original plan. All the Gargraves and Ross track/Switches has been removed and sold. Although I spent of hours carefully laying the track and installing the switches.I was not happy with the result. I have decided to reconfigure enlarge the layout into a stretched "8" formation where it now will encompass the entire 20' X 40' room - with eight around the room mainlines with the large storage yard and train station on the middle. The mean height of the layout will now be 30" rather than 60". I have decided to go back to the "tried and true" and use tubular track as it is more "forgiving" that the other track. I there is about 1/16" difference in flange spacing amongst all the locomotives I have. I had several expensive locomotives that would not track well on the Ross and Gargraves system. They run fine on tubular. The Menards 96" dia. curves have been a lifesaver! I'm very satisfied with my progress now.I can run 50'-60' long freight trains easily now and 20 car passenger trains without a hitch.Photos to come.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Sounds like it'll be impressive.


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

Ricky Tanner said:


> UPDATE: April 10, 2016
> 
> I have decided to make some radical changes to the original plan. All the Gargraves and Ross track/Switches has been removed and sold. Although I spent of hours carefully laying the track and installing the switches.I was not happy with the result. I have decided to reconfigure enlarge the layout into a stretched "8" formation where it now will encompass the entire 20' X 40' room - with eight around the room mainlines with the large storage yard and train station on the middle. The mean height of the layout will now be 30" rather than 60". I have decided to go back to the "tried and true" and use tubular track as it is more "forgiving" that the other track. I there is about 1/16" difference in flange spacing amongst all the locomotives I have. I had several expensive locomotives that would not track well on the Ross and Gargraves system. They run fine on tubular. The Menards 96" dia. curves have been a lifesaver! I'm very satisfied with my progress now.I can run 50'-60' long freight trains easily now and 20 car passenger trains without a hitch.Photos to come.



Sounds like an impressive layout when it is finished, and I can’t wait to see pics, when you are able to post them.

This does bring up a couple of questions, as I have been planning a complete Ross Track and Switches layout:

You said that you are going back to tubular track.
*1) Which switches will you be using with this track?*
You mentioned now being able to run longer trains.

*2) Can you elaborate a little more on why you moved away from Ross Switches*

Thanks,
Roger


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

herkulese said:


> Sounds like an impressive layout when it is finished, and I can’t wait to see pics, when you are able to post them.
> 
> This does bring up a couple of questions, as I have been planning a complete Ross Track and Switches layout:
> 
> ...


The Ross track / switches were not the problem. The GG flex track was. Some of my large rigid frame steam and diesel didn't like the GG curves and would derail.I checked the gauge on many of my locomotives that derailed and track area where there seemed to be a problem. There's a 1/16 or 0.0625 spread in gauge of my locomotive fleet and almost the same in GG track. Didn't see this in any of the Ross or rigid (pre bent) Gargraves. I had about 10 or so very large steam locomotives that always derailed on the same curves. These were bent using a jig to 40"-60" radius or 090-120 curves. It seems that when you bend GG track the gauge tightens ever so slightly. Combine the two and you have problems.These locos wanted to climb out of the curves.I had a similar problem when testing Atlas O years ago. I had purchased some of Menard's 096 for a elevated line and everything,I mean everything from a Prewar 260E to a Lionel Vision Big Boy ran fine on it.

I will be using Lionel O72 switches and will be looking into Ross's new wide radius tubular track switches.


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

Ricky Tanner said:


> The Ross track / switches were not the problem. The GG flex track was. Some of my large rigid frame steam and diesel didn't like the GG curves and would derail.I checked the gauge on many of my locomotives that derailed and track area where there seemed to be a problem. There's a 1/16 or 0.0625 spread in gauge of my locomotive fleet and almost the same in GG track. Didn't see this in any of the Ross or rigid (pre bent) Gargraves. I had about 10 or so very large steam locomotives that always derailed on the same curves. These were bent using a jig to 40"-60" radius or 090-120 curves. It seems that when you bend GG track the gauge tightens ever so slightly. Combine the two and you have problems.These locos wanted to climb out of the curves.I had a similar problem when testing Atlas O years ago. I had purchased some of Menard's 096 for a elevated line and everything,I mean everything from a Prewar 260E to a Lionel Vision Big Boy ran fine on it.


Thanks for the clarifications, both here and in my other thread.

BTW - Which switches will you be using with that tubular track?


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## Ricky Tanner (Sep 19, 2015)

herkulese said:


> Thanks for the clarifications, both here and in my other thread.
> 
> BTW - Which switches will you be using with that tubular track?


I am using Lionel O72 switches and will be ordering several of Ross's wide radius _tubular_ track switches.


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## herkulese (Feb 16, 2015)

Ricky Tanner said:


> I am using Lionel O72 switches and will be ordering several of Ross's wide radius _tubular_ track switches.


Oh yes, I forgot that Ross makes Tubular Switches.


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## steam chaser (Feb 21, 2011)

Looking forward to seeing more  going to be nice.


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