UPDATED 1-10-21!!!!!!! THE NEW JADA RAILROAD IS FINALLY GETTING UNDERWAY, TRAINS ARE RUNNING !!!!!!!!!!

Go get 'em Alex!

Looking good Alex, wish you the best of luck. 

Dave

That's a nice sized area for a layout.  I really like the 9' ceiling - plenty of room to build vertically.   I look forward to seeing the progress!

-Greg

Look forward to see your progress.  I need inspiration to get back to trains this fall and winter.

Alex,

Good news, looking forward to seeing JADA v3.0!

JohnB

Hey Alex. Looks great. I am sure you are excited to get started.

My only suggestion would be to cover up that ceiling. I understand all the utilities. I have the same situation and solved the problem with a simple Armstrong 2X4 drop ceiling on a grid with removable tiles. I also have concrete floors with block walls. I covered the walls around the layout as needed with studs and drywall. I have one exterior wall that I also insulated before the drywall.

For the floor, I have 2'x2'x5/8" thick foam tiles that interlock together. You see these tiles at trade shows, etc in the booths. They are removable if needed but make a BIG difference when standing or working. The cushioning feels good underfoot.

Over time, regardless of how secure you get your insulation, it will sag and pieces will come off. Not to mention it is amazing how much dust will filter down from above. The drop ceiling will catch all of it and keep it off the layout. With a 9' ceiling, not a problem. I only have a 8' ceiling and it works for me at being 6' tall. I dropped mine down around 6" or so, not too much. I then installed 6" LED flood lights thru the tiles on a 4'x4' grid for even coverage.

My layout area is around 25' x 30' and I heat it with a 220VAC wall mounted heater. It keeps everything nice and warm during the winter. I live in southeast PA.

Anyway, that is my suggestion. Good luck with the build and keep all of us posted on progress!

Donald

Best of luck on the new layout.  My basement layout room is 28' x 14'  Its almost an identical space and also uses Gargraves track and Ross switches.  IMO plenty of room to build a nice layout.  As for the ceiling, you might want to consider a suspended ceiling.  That will be a nice room for your trains.

Alex, good for you.  With all you've got on your plate progress probably will be slow but I'm sure you'll be posting progress photos soon.  I second the motion for the drop ceiling.

Alex great to see your under way!😊

ALex

Glad to help out if you can get a dedicated full day that agrees with my schedule.

Steve:-)

The hardest part(after planning) is always starting. It always seems that after you get started, things just start coming together quickly even if that is not actually true. I can remember when I had started on my HO layout in my teens, it started slow, but once it was started, it came together quick.

Weird houses seem to always be the case. We've been trying to get things done on my late mother's house and the person doing the work has said the same thing about no straight lines, no right measurements, the works. This sort of is the case with houses built in the 1800's I suppose, just don't know where in the 1800's but what also doesn't help is the add on's on it.

Good luck Alex, hope to see progress come quick and hear the distinct sounds of steam as well as see the smoke.

Looks great Alex 

Any paint question give me a call - SW has a great floor paint we use

Hope to see you at York

Congratulations Alex.  You are at a very exciting stage of a model railroad.  Great looking room for it.  Am anxious to see your progress.

Art

Alex,

I too agree on the need for a ceiling. However, rather than suspended, I'd go with regular drywall fastened to the joists with screws. If ductwork , piping, or electric wiring runs along the bottom of your joists, just add wood spacing blocks or runners to the joists. Doing that will essentially extend the joists below those utilities so you'll have something to screw the wallboard onto. With a 9 foot high space you can most likely lower the ceiling to 8 foot without feeling cramped or boxed in. That ceiling will not only cut down significantly the possibility of dust drifting down from above over time but another advantage would be if there should ever be a leak from any of those overhead water pipes, instead of it dripping or spraying directly onto the layout below, the wallboard will help catch and diffuse the water and hopefully, providing the water's not gushing out, you'll be alerted by any visible water stains on the ceiling to tend to it immediately before it becomes a significant and major problem. Also those interlocking foam floor tiles are a great idea since they'll not only provide cushioning for your feet and be kinder to your knees over the years ahead but they will provide a layer of insulation over that cold concrete slab floor.

I look forward to seeing your creativity in action!!

Congrats Alex! You have a nice clean slate to start your new masterpiece! Cant wait to see it come alive!

It is great you are finally getting started on your next layout.  Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

The hardest part(after planning) is always starting. 

From my experience, Dave is right on with that statement.  Also, don't be like me and constantly tweak the layout to get it perfect.  Once you have a good plan, start building.

Congrats Alex!  I'm am really happy to see you getting started, and I can't wait to see your new creation.  Given your previous layout, I'm sure it will be impressive.  That's about the space I have for mine, but I'll bet your will outshine me significantly, you are a true artist when it comes to that stuff!  Mine will be 20' x 12' 6" at the widest point.

I'll probably have basic benchwork up first, but I suspect you'll roar right by me in making a great looking layout.

Hello Alex, I agree with the dropped ceiling and finished walls as well as carpeting or cushioned tiles on the floor. The room will be more comfortable and easier to heat or cool. I had that done when our condo was being built. My 24 by 8 ft layout is much more welcoming to me as well as visitors.

Good luck!

Congratulations on getting to the point with the new house that you are ready to prepare the train room.  It looks like a nice space for a great layout!  I'll look forward to seeing your progress!

Yup, first things first in a new home ….. get the house squared away and find where the good pizza joints are …… then the fun of building a new layout. 

Look forward to seeing what you do.

Awesome news Alex. Can't wait to see the progress.

And here I thought I was going to see something like benchwork or painted walls  Or even a string of poloponies  It looks the same man   Get to work  Your first track plan was much better than the second   Try to get it like that   

As soon as I saw the last message was from Ben, I knew Alex was going to get the once over!  LOL

I thought he would at least address the ball.

 Exciting times Alex. I’m sure you’ll keep us posted. 

Alex Looks good!

Alex, this is great news.   The size is perfect to work with.  We are all looking forward to seeing pictures as you progress.

Marty

Looking forward to your progress Alex.

Alex, I strongly recommend that you also seal the concrete floor to prevent "dusting".

Steve

Nothing like a blank canvas to start on. Good luck Alex keep us posted!

Good luck with the new layout Alex.  I hope to get started on something in the next few months or so.  Right now I'm regulated to a temp setup.

Whatever you create & build Alex will be outstanding. Looking forward to seeing your progress reports posted on the forum.

Nice to see the space you have to work with.  Best of luck with the new venture!  

Excellent space, Alex.....looking forward to seeing your handiwork!

Peter

Alex, definitely go with a dropped ceiling; i wish i had had enough clearance to do that with mine.  As to the concrete walls, i sealed mine with a commercial grade paint/sealer and then put on firing strips (cheap) with a nail gun 16" on centers, followed up with sheet rock. It took less than a whole weekend to do a 17' x 28' space.

Best wishes on the new layout.  We're all looking forward to your pic/video progress updates.

Alex M posted:

...gotta hand it to  these builders they really know how to space joists 16 on center LOL !!!. I'm also yet to find a square 90 degree corner, they seem to forget what a tape measure, framing square, and a level is. I've owned a total of three homes in the past including this one , I'm yet to find a builder who uses the tools mentioned above.

 

Sounds like your builder and crew might be genetically related to the my builder.  Wonder if there is a category within Ancestry.com that could trace that stuff.  If like me, at least you will get many opportunities to add to your "The Great Big Book of Swear Words".

Hi Alex,   I am sure the layout will be fantastic!  Its kind of funny on the concrete floors, I work in a relatively new high-rise office in Seattle, the floor I work on is mainly polished concrete and the ceilings are open with exposed pipes and beams, that are mainly painted black.  It actually looks pretty good. I think you will make yours work well as described. The concrete floor will be easy to clean.  

I had the same issue with utilities in my train room. Before installing the ceiling, I took pictures of everything so I would know where everything is in the event of a problem. There are a few cleanouts in the ceiling (not over the layout thank goodness), but if I ever need to get to them, I can locate them and will make access panels in the unlikely event I would have to get into the ceiling. Just a thought. 

Either way, it looks like it will be a great train room. Keep up the great work. 

John