I'm building a layout

[NEMMRRC]

That is an intriguing space.  Sooooooo, you have decent access to be bringing up dimensional lumber and cut plywood sheets?

My basement has two single garage doors. My pick up truck can haul sheet goods with room to spare. I don't have a table saw to cut up sheet goods but that is an easy purchase. Hauling stuff from the basement up is not too much trouble. I am only limited by the width and height of the doorways in my house.


I also have a regular two car garage and that cuts down one set of stairs up to the attic. It is to sets of stairs from the basement to the attic.


For now the basement will suffice. It stays a cool 58 - 60 degrees F in the basement all year round.


Jaime

[S&S RR]

Jaime


A couple thoughts after readying through your build thread.  1) If you like cutting the grass - I cut 1.5 acres in about 40 minutes with a 53 inch garden tractor. Either purchase the lawn service or the equipment to do it yourself. 2) The reinforcements in both the garage and the attic need to stay.  They are for that ice storm or heavy wet snow that you get down there every so often in the attic. A truss to do the same job is going to take up more valuable space.  In the basement they keep your wife's space from taking over your basement and smashing your build space.   Think of them as opportunities for ceil to benchwork mountains. I have about 75 different rock molds that you can borrow. Have fun designing your empire.

[BandOGuy]

So am I!
Well, maybe.
Rather than hiring a lawn service, would it be more cost and time effective to hire a layout designer? That may seem heretical here, but time is time and time learning software is money lost for better purposes.
The name Robert (Bob) Sprague from Maryland comes to mind and I know there are many more out there.
Just thinking on the keyboard.

[deemery]

I used this guy:  http://www.thetrackplanner.com   This was my second attempt with a track planner, and it went MUCH better than the first attempt (30 years ago...)   He had some good ideas, and I had some good ideas.  Then I sent it around to friends for review and comment, and they had some good ideas, including one from Bernie Kempinski that almost caused me to start over.  But I went with basically what I paid for, and so far it's working well.  The big advantage of starting with a custom track plan is that it prevents "analysis paralysis" where I'd spend too much time worrying "will this work?"  It's the first of 3 big boosts I got to get me off my butt.  (Second was the day Craig Bisgeier and Dave White came over and we installed spline roadbed on most of the layout.  The third was a couple days ago when James Van Bokkelen came over and "forced me" to actually put power to the track and run a locomotive.)


dave

[NEMMRRC]

Wow! All super great feedback.


I had not considered outsourcing the layout design. I figured I'd learn as I go.


I have a 42" lawn tractor. If I don't stop to empty out the grass catcher I can do the whole property in a little under 1.5 hours. If I stop to empty out the grass catcher it takes an extra 45 minutes. I listen to my favorite podcast (The Dave Ramsey Show) while I do yard work so it makes it enjoyable. The part I am not crazy about is raking leaves.


It's all a big trade off, time vs money. Right now I have more time than money. However, I have way more craftsman kits than I have time and money (I've been hoarding kits for the last 25 years).


If I have some whiz-bang layout guru design my layout will it include the lumber cut list?


Jaime

[deemery]

I think my planner can do that, if you pay extra.  Once I had the track plan, I made some extra copies of it.  On one, I sketched out the benchwork.  I used another to do a clay model of the topography on top of the track plan (like Dave Frary shows in some of his books.)  That was a good idea, it helped work out some scenery concepts. 

One of the key concepts on my plan was zero elevation change on the track.  I wanted the scenery to look hilly, but with my small steamers, not worrying about grades was a real feature.  The clay model helped me make sure the layout didn't look flat.

dave

[NEMMRRC]

I think my planner can do that, if you pay extra.  Once I had the track plan, I made some extra copies of it.  On one, I sketched out the benchwork.  I used another to do a clay model of the topography on top of the track plan (like Dave Frary shows in some of his books.)  That was a good idea, it helped work out some scenery concepts. 

One of the key concepts on my plan was zero elevation change on the track.  I wanted the scenery to look hilly, but with my small steamers, not worrying about grades was a real feature.  The clay model helped me make sure the layout didn't look flat.

dave

That is a great tool, a model of the layout.


Jaime

[jbvb]

Calculating a lumber cut list can't be done without an absolutely accurate survey of the room.  You should also check exactly where your designer is putting legs and other supports.  My leg layout and framing above is planned for long L-girder spans and few legs: Space to put things under the layout, space to move around when I have to crawl underneath to wire, install switch machines, square up building foundations etc.

I've never had a mower with a grass catcher.  A few years ago I tried out a lawn service. I told them not to bother with removing clippings, but sometimes they sent mowers with catchers.  Did that a few years and my lawn looked really unhappy - bald spots, turned brown at the first hint of a drought.  So I went back to doing it myself again, which meant not as often and leaving the clippings.  My lawn looks much happier now.

[NEMMRRC]

Calculating a lumber cut list can't be done without an absolutely accurate survey of the room.  You should also check exactly where your designer is putting legs and other supports.  My leg layout and framing above is planned for long L-girder spans and few legs: Space to put things under the layout, space to move around when I have to crawl underneath to wire, install switch machines, square up building foundations etc.

I've never had a mower with a grass catcher.  A few years ago I tried out a lawn service. I told them not to bother with removing clippings, but sometimes they sent mowers with catchers.  Did that a few years and my lawn looked really unhappy - bald spots, turned brown at the first hint of a drought.  So I went back to doing it myself again, which meant not as often and leaving the clippings.  My lawn looks much happier now.

I've started to put together a cut list for three test modules of different dimensions. I'm going to test a 3' x 8', a 3' x 6' and a 3' x 4'. I'm hoping that will be give me a representation of what I'm up against.


Sometimes the only way to do something right is to do it yourself    It is challenging to find a good lawn service.


Jaime

[Jerry]

Jaime any progress on this!! 


Jerry

[NEMMRRC]

Jaime any progress on this!! 


Jerry

I have the materials handy for the start. That's as far as I got.


Jaime

[tom.boyd.125]

Jaime,
Looks like you are off to a great start on your project.
Tommy

[Lynnb]

Jaime,
Looks like you are off to a great start on your project.
Tommy

Tapping foot. 

[S&S RR]

You sure are keeping us waiting.

[postalkarl]

Jaime:

I will be following along. Can't wait to see what you have in mind.

Karl