Paint Creek Railroad

I will definitely try to make it work in the Scarm software.  Thanks for the advice.

The current plan that Jan put together has 9 inches between the blue upper level and the red staging level.  In order to get the drawbridge in, I will need to reduce that distance.  What is the minimum distance that I should consider between the blue and red levels in order to still be able to access the red staging level? 

No shorter than your tallest car. You have to measure and not buy a new car that is taller or run an engine with pantographs up. I can't run MTH premier stack cars due to tunnel and bridge heights. Funny K-line and Lionel stacks are fine. I would guess the auto carriers would also be too tall.   

The 9" over the actual staging tracks is to let you get your hands in without forcing to remove the cars in front.  So you can lower the sections before the the switches leading into the staging tracks.

Jan

As much a like the layout developed by Jan, I can't get it to work out with the drawbridge.  My tallest car is a a little over 5 inches and lowering the blue level to get acceptable grades has me taking it down to far.

I extended the grade in order to lower it below the upper layer by 2".  The only requirement I had was to maintain a 6" separation between the grade and the entrance to the staging.  I don't know what the drawbridge needed in the way of vertical separation of the tracks.

Jan

@Jan  @Vitto  I like where this is going and tried running the train simulator. Saw a few open sections. Made some cuts and inserted flex track to help the match up. There would be enough flex in the tracks when laying down to not need to do the flex. I think I got all the breaks fixed.

I thought the grades were not lining up very well and re-worked the long grade transition. I think this replaced section will operate better than having a switch on a grade. Installation would be a challenge. Just a suggestion. The grade is not more than 3% which should be fine.  As drawn, this will be a fun build.

Thank you for doing that as I am going to start the prepping for the benchwork.  I have to clean up a little bit, then paint, improve the lighting and work on the electrical.  Attached are some pictures on the area that I have to work with.   

@Vitto  your plumber is going to love you if he has to get to the clean out traps in the corner.

BTW if you are going to take videos of the layout make sure you have the ability to add enough light to capture decent video footage.

Scouting Dad, I guess I really didn't think about the plumber so thanks for pointing that out.  I imagine I will have to do something in the corner with the benchwork just in case the traps do need to be accessed.  Also, I did to home depot and looked at some lights and right now i'm thinking about maybe 3 or 4 LED light bars.  Once again, thanks for the tips.

I added some lighting today and now the room is really bright.  I still have to adjust the heights of the lights and tuck back some wires but for the most part the lighting is complete and the room is no longer dark.  I thought about finishing the ceiling but I decided to leave that as is.  Next step is to add some electrical outlets. 

I am taking a look at where I can add electrical outlets and I'm not exactly sure where to put them.
Walls 1 and 2 are cement so I don't think they are good choices.
Wall 3 is drywall and the easiest place to add a couple of outlets.
Walls 4 and 5 are drywall but due to the beams it will a little more difficult to put outlets on either of these walls but it can be done. 

I'm thinking about two outlets on wall 3, 2 outlets on wall 4, and 1 outlet on wall 5.  Also, I think a switch to stop all power would be beneficial so maybe hook up a 3-way with a stop all power switch on walls 3 and 5, or maybe walls 3 and 4 instead. 

Does this sound like a good plan?

It also depends on where you plan on having your control panel. Also if you are planning on using plug n play items you won’t want too many extension cords in the way. You might consider running conduit with receptacles low along the concrete walls.

I think I need to do a lot more planning.  My plan is to run DCS from a tablet or the handheld but I am still debating whether I should also set up for conventional and I wasn't planning on really having a control panel since it seems to take up a lot of room.

@Vitto

Maybe I am underthinking this - you need one outlet for transformer power and another for accessories. I do use surge protected power strips (metal case) to connect the wall warts. For what its worth, my previous employer removed all plastic case power strips over the course of a couple of days from all facilities, offices too, due to an office fire caused by a failed plastic cased power strip.   

If you are only using transformer bricks then you will need a TIU and and AIU for switches.  I've found I can run reasonably well under conventional transformer control and have fallen back on it when I just want to run trains in a loop. Sometimes I do not want to bother with connecting the WiFi TIU and tablet.  I have a z4000 but also a stand alone transformer controller when needed for conventional. Layout wiring is the same.

Are your turnouts going to be manual or motor control?  If using Ross, the DZ1000 and DZ2500 are the usual motors/control. The DZ1000 has a nub you can use to move the points without power. The DZ2500 needs to be powered in order to move the points. Since I turn the power off when I am working on the layout, the DZ-1000 is a better option for me, but I do have both kinds.  My biggest operating problem is when the DZs decide to only partially throw the points. I've got one turnout which is a pain to get to and also happens to be my main problem child. That one is reliable maybe 50% of the time - so I avoid using it. Keep the turnouts in easy/manageable reach.

@Vitto I know this might be a little to late. I as well agree with the third plan with the two yards. That way down the road it gives you some more operating options. Either a in bound and out bound, or just two separate yards.

My plan is to use my Z-4000 for track power and the bricks for accessories/switches.  I do have a TIU but I am going to have to purchase at least one and maybe two AIU's.  Of my 13 locomotives, 9 are MTH DCS and 4 are old Lionel conventional engines.  I will probably only operate DCS engines so I will use the DZ-1000 for switches and still not sure about wiring for conventional operations too.  As far as the layout, I have not started the benchwork yet but I am leaning towards the multi-level plan that evolved from the help of others on the forum here.  My biggest concern is if that track plan is beyond my capabilities to build and get it running.  However, I do like the idea of more and more yard space and multi levels.  I'm gonna try to get the electrical complete and paint in the next couple of weeks so I can get moving on the benchwork.  Thanks for all of the help thus far as I will be needing a lot more going forward.

I am working on the electrical and I am a little befuddled.  I want to put in 2 emergency shut offs but without the benchwork, I am not sure how to do it.  I think one shut off should be somewhere along wall 2 and the second one along wall 4, and I will tie them together using 3 way switches.  My issue is that I am not planning for a large control panel as I am thinking about putting push buttons for the switches along the facing of the benchwork.  I think I am going to try to put the shutoffs on the facing of the benchwork too so when I do the electrical, I will leave a lot of extra wire and the trim later once the benchwork is done.  I am just not sure if not having a large control panel is going to be a problem. 

GunrunnerJohn uses these devices on his layout to control all power.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0...ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Here's the link to the thread.

https://ogrforum.com/...3#157406524014392573

Jan

I see the light fixtures have pull strings and are plugged in. Are you planning to wire them direct and have a switch to control? Also wondering why you didn't go with a couple track lights. It would have made it easier to control lighting in certain areas.

I would paint the ceiling black.

I have been watching this thread and it is coming together nicely.