Delaware & Northern Construction version 1.0

[postalkarl]

Hey Tom:

WOW!!!!!! what a great looking RR.

Karl

[Jerry]

Jerry nice job on that room.  I see how easily it can be converted back to the bedroom.


Looking forward to your next phase!


Jerry

[GPdemayo]

The room looks great Jerry.....looking forward to seeing the modules come together. 

[jerryrbeach]

Jerry,

You have been on quite the journey with the layout and lighting. I also went through several months of "How to light" my layout. Hard to believe that was 20+ some years ago. I also read where the fluorescent lighting contributed to fading of structures and scenery. I invested in the fluorescent light covers to reduce the fading.

I did notice the covers reduced the light in the layout room so I got rid of the tube covers and did over a long period notice fading of scenery and structures.

I decided to "invert" my fluorescent light fixtures and hide them in a valance. I painted the ceiling a gloss white to reflect the lighting. This has worked wonderfully for me and I've noticed no fading over the past 8 years.

Below is how I solved my lighting issues. This is referred to as "ambient lighting".

My two cents worth.

And, to add, your room looks great with respect to your lighting.

Tom 

Tom,


Thanks for looking in and leaving your nice comment.  As you said, I did a lot of research and would have preferred to use LED fixtures to avoid fading.  However, the shadows thrown from similar shop light style LED lights were very harsh, most likely due to the low ceiling in the room.  I did, however "over light" the room based on formulas I found for calculating lumens of light based on room size and purpose.  I'm fairly confident that adding the sleeves to my fluorescent tubes won't negatively impact the overall room lighting.  And, as I have mentioned before, I wanted inexpensive fixtures that would easily allow the room to be converted back into a bedroom.  Unhook the lights, remove the hooks, patch the holes in the ceiling, put the ceiling light fixture back up, and presto, back to a bedroom. 


I love the shot of your layout, really helps put in perspective all the wonderful scenes that you post as individual photos.  I hope that someday I can make the trip to see your layout in person.

[jerryrbeach]

Hey Tom:

WOW!!!!!! what a great looking RR.

Karl

Karl,


You got that right!  Tom's layout is absolutely beautiful!

[jerryrbeach]

Jerry nice job on that room.  I see how easily it can be converted back to the bedroom.


Looking forward to your next phase!


Jerry

Jerry,


Thanks for your kind words.  I hope to get the layout in place before the weather warms up next week and I (re)turn to outside work.

[jerryrbeach]

The room looks great Jerry.....looking forward to seeing the modules come together. 

Thanks Greg.


As I'm sure you know, remodeling an old house comes with its own set of challenges.  I got the leg on the last module reworked yesterday so it will now fit flush against the wall.  Stay tuned.

[jerryrbeach]

When I bought this place (back in 1975) the heating duct for the upstairs bedroom actually ran up inside the wall.  It stuck into the room 4" from the wall and was two foot wide.  Better still, it was wrapped with asbestos.  I decided the best approach was to tuck it behind the door where it would be less intrusive.  This has never been an issue until I wanted to put my layout in the room.  I decided the extra 12" of track I could get behind the door was worth the effort to build the benchwork around the enclosed ductwork. 


I used some aluminum angle from Lowe's to fasten the backdrop corners to keep everything looking neat.  I used the same technique for the backdrops on the two corner modules at the far end of the room.  The angles were fastened to the Masonite with construction adhesive.

[Jerry]

Hey Jerry great idea.  An some nice work!


Jerry

[jerryrbeach]

Jerry,


Thanks.  I was looking for a way to secure the corners that still allowed me to have the backdrop as tight against the wall as possible.

[jerryrbeach]

This "filler" piece of the backdrop took three tries (and two pieces of scrap) to get it right.  The problem is that the backdrop on the corner module to the right was cut incorrectly when I built that module.  Looking at it now it seems obvious the top isn't level, nor is the end by the window plumb.  That made fitting the one next to it a challenge since it was marked on the front but had to be cut from the back so not to chip the finish on the front when making the cut.   FWIW, the backdrop is purposely lower to allow me easy access to the window latch.  That is the window I will use for a fan to cool the room in the summer.

[postalkarl]

Hey Jerry:

Looks good to me. It's A shame you have to cover up that beautiful window..

Karl

[jerryrbeach]

Hey Jerry:

Looks good to me. It's A shame you have to cover up that beautiful window..

Karl

Karl,


I'm tall enough to see outside over the backdrop in front of the window.  I don't intend to leave the blinds open often because I'm concerned about sunlight fading colors on the layout.  FWIW, I initially intended to build a 6" wide removable piece to cross in front of the window.  After some thought I realized I would be better off by bolting a piece in place to help keep the layout fastened solidly together.  At that point I started checking how wide I could make that section and still easily open the window.  After some experimentation I decided to go with an 18" wide piece as that allowed me to easily reach the track in the rear corners of both modules. 

[tom.boyd.125]

Jerry,
Decided to purchase a ticket, grab a coach seat, and settle in for a scenic ride on the Delaware & Northern RR...
Keep the photos coming...
Tommy

[jerryrbeach]

Tommy,


Thanks for stopping in.  A coach seat is about as good as it gets, no chair cars or other luxury accommodations on this short line.