Around the room shelf layout

Just some thoughts...

I removed hinged Plantation Shutters from wide twin windows on my now dismantled 15x25./8x12 layout and replaced with simple venetian blinds. Now in a small 9x19 attic room[9x16 round-the-wall layout] with window at the end and did the same ---venetian blind.

As for door entry I recycled my Jim Barrett designed hinged drop section [designed from the long past days of OGR magazine] with spring-loaded catches. Jim's latest version of a Drop Section and/or Lift Bridge construction/installation is in OGR Backshop DVD #11.

Photos below of drop section as fake plate truss bridge, entry 3' back from door...2nd photo shows hinged section removed, removed when recycled and lying upside down to show mechanical operation [homemade]..3rd photo show wiring to drop section.

End curve arcs on the dual mainline for this little 9x16 layout are 072/084[at Drop Section] and 084/096

Dewey, many thnx.  Pix very helpful.  How do I reach Barrett?  ron

OGR Webb Store at top of page should have Jim Barrett's Backshop Stuff. DVD #11.

Jim illustrates installing a Drop Section and a Lift Bridge. The Drop Section components are from Lowe's[piano hinge,etc.], a Bicycle Shop[non-stretch cable] and an old line hardware store[the Transom Catches].

In regards to the window, I would essentially shutter them.  I might even go so far as to install a closed blind, then panel over it with drywall.  You want to be able to control the light on your layout, and sun fading is a very real problem, not only for your trains, but structures and accessories.  In time, you'll even get reverse shadows that will be very unnerving looking under artificial light (at night.)   

Thx, Wowak, but not a chance on the sheet rock.  The windows stay; we just put them in.  It's a sort of hobby room with my castles, man-of-war ship models, a small, pre-war table-top layout in the center with all my houses, figures, cars, lampposts, etc.  But several suggestions for venetian blinds are I think right-on:  Limit the light, and they'll be inside of the deep window frames, so won't interfere with the trains.  (I was thinking of having bridges across each of the windows to emphasize that the trains are "air borne".  Thanks to all.  ron

A bit off-topic for the moment, but I just discovered this thread...

Ron Hollander is THE person responsible for getting me back into the O gauge segment of the hobby with his "All Aboard: The Story of Joshua Lionel Cowen and His Lionel Train Company" which was first published in 1981.  I recounted the circumstances of my renewed involvement many times over the years, including in my column in the magazine.

I had received his book as a Christmas gift that year; devoured it in one l-o-n-g night on Christmas Day Eve because I just couldn't put it down; and then headed to the local hobby shop in Honolulu the next day and stocked-up on a whole car load of new (MPC) Lionel stuff.  I haven't looked back since then!

Ron has a new home with space for a train room, and wants to get those Lionel trains he wrote about up and running.  Please provide any assistance you possibly can in responding to his questions.  I would consider it a great favor and partial payback, in a small way, for the wonderful world of O gauge he re-introduced me to those many years ago.

I'll provide more input here myself, Ron, just as soon as I get some additional work completed on our August issue of the magazine.  Thanks for joining in here, and thanks to Phil Klopp for recommending that you do so.

Ron:

It might help if you could provide a floor plan/drawing of the area where you want to construct the layout, including any existing features and fixtures (windows, doors, closets, etc.) and any areas designated for other uses.  Even a simple sketch would definitely be a big help in visualizing things.

Ron

With your HVAC system the humidity should be controlled okay. My layout in the attic room is on the separate upstairs HVAC system[Condo-sized home] and the Humistat reading stays around 50%.  At that humidity level my plywood piano-hinged Drop Section doesn't swell/shrink and effect its tolerance. The same tolerance concern would apply for a Lift Bridge installation for access to your round-the-room layout.

I used 3/4' fir plywood on the now dismantled 1992 mountain cottage shelves for strength, including its capability and strength to cantilever, and most of all because it stained to closely match the cabinets and satisfy the Domestic CEO and General Manager of the kitchen.

In 1997 I built a 15x25/8x12 island type layout, [dismantled '09], upstairs here in the Condo, down the hall from my current little attic layout. I used 1/2" plywood with 1/2''extruded foam on top. If building a layout today I would use 1/2 plywood+ 1/2" Quietbrace sheathing glued to the plywood + extruded foam on top for easier groundscaping. My round-the-room benchwork consists of 2x4 legs/framing structure and 1x4 grid joists on edge to receive the plywood. 

Quietbrace is about $8-9 oer 4x8 sheet, less than 1/2  the cost of Homasote. Homasote is much harder to find at Building Supply shops these days than when I used it on my HO layouts in the 1970s-'80s. 

Plywood is comparatively easy to cut and install and is time-tested on many layouts. Lowe's or Depot can rip and cut your plywood to your benchwork dimensions for easier handling and transporting if you do not have the cutting equipment yourself.

Plan.

I am not computer literate and have avoided software planning. I use a 11x17 sketch pad and scale my layout plan at either 1/4'' or 1/2" = 1'-0". You can use a compass or template to pencil in the layout curve arcs  I agree with Allan, you need at least a rough plan sketched out--saves a lot of mistakes and do overs later.

On an 072 curve the outer overhang on a 4-6-6-4 Challenger at the front running board corner and, rear cab roof corner is 2-1/4" measured from the center rail to a mini square placed on the benchwork surface and against the engine, marked and measured to those spots. The inner side overhang at the center of the engine is about 1-7/8" on a 072 curve.

On a 80'[20"] passenger car the overhang is only slightly less than the engine's. I note this to indicate that overhang will be considerable more on tighter sectional mainline curves placed inside the 072. I am not up to date on available sectional tublar track curves: 054, 048, 036??

One question I didn't see a reply on:

Spacing of the track, especially in corners.

Lots of folks say 4.5" but if you run Big Steam and Scale Passenger cars you need more, 6" in the curves. If No big steam then try rolling those long cars past one another on a set of curves.

Personally I'd go with 4.5 on the straight, Start the inner curve a couple inches sooner than the outer one, and use easements into curves and 6" around the curves. It's a lot easier to set it wide to start than to spread it later.

Now, this means you need even more area in the corners. O-72 is 6 feet center rail to center rail for MTH, Ross and most Lionel track. That means once you add a few inches wall clearance you are eating a big chunk out of the corners.

Take a large piece of cardboard or such, lay it in the corner.

Make a point 40 inches out from each wall. Tie a string around a pencil. Measure 38 inches from the pencil. Put that point on the string at the point 40 inches from the walls. Draw an arc with the string tight.

That is the OUTSIDE of your O-72 curve. Reduce the string 4" and draw again. That is the inside of your track. Add inner tracks at proper radius. + and - 2 inches for  outside and inside of track. You might want to move the center point a few inches down the long wall for track spacing in the curve.  Look at leaving a bit of terrain inside that tightest curve, then mark off where your shelf stops. Stand there and try to reach the corner. You will find it eats a lot of area.

Then make your decision. Remember, you will always want a bigger engine and a bigger layout. Make it as big as you can possibly stand to finish.

BottomLine: HAVE FUN with your trains.

I agree on 6"track spacing in the corners.

K line made 0-81 and 0-96 tubular track.  It is getting hard to find, but it is out there.  Even if you do not have room for it around your corners, you can replace the first piece of 0-72 track going into and out of a curve and it makes a nice transition, or easement.  The  original 0-72 switches are such better than anything made recently.  Look for the ones with the plastic frogs.  They were the later production.  You may want to let the switches determine the track spacing if you are going to have any crossovers on straight track.

By the way, I loved your book.  It was the most readable and interesting thing I have ever read on the hobby.

Ron;

To start the inner curve sooner I use a half length straight instead of a full length one as the last piece before starting the curve. Thus the curve starts several inches sooner as you run from the middle of the straight. (My track actually has several lengths of straight)

If this makes the curve too far away from the outer curve slide the whole inner track down by half the length of the half straight. Now you are starting 1/4 the length of a straight early, (About 2.5" if I recall tubular length right) and the other end will not need a short straight as it gets the 2.5" you shifted to the first end.

This all assumes you were centered in the length to start with. Also, not all rooms work out for sectional length without cutting some track.

Easements with sectional tubular is difficult unless you find some larger curves. Then just use a larger curve on each end of the regular curves.

My current layout uses O-72 to O-54 to O-72 corners, this makes the train jerk less entering the curve. True easements require Flex track, which I'm buying for my Next Layout. They are a gradual decrease of radius from straight to Min Radius of the corner and back. I'm not going that far on all the corners, just one section of flex to get to the O-72's. Some are all flex tho, with constant curve radius changes.

Ron,

I believe I have some pics, although they are a little higher up than what u

are doing,  but , Russell's info is pretty much right, on,  I put my combo, curves

072 072 054 072, on the wall, and  072 054 054 072, on the inside, on the floor 1st

to see that I was gonna need 15-16 inches wide for 2 trains,  Yes, Lowes has

16 inch wide closet railing, from wall to the 1st straight, piece is 40 inches , (each side),  and then I cut out the back corner, and while it was on the floor, measured,

at least 34-35  inches out in the room from the corner. So we patterned an arch, from each side, and the arch measures about 37 inches, out,  there is a thread, about a ceiling train back in March, and a gentlemen used same style closet railing but only had to use the 12 in , for 1 train,  2 trains makes a big difference, and then if you use the 5 inch decking on the bridges,  it takes up some space.

For the record tubular track also comes 042

Bill

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