| At left is the benchwork drawing the main level tables are drawn in brown. The longer tables around the perimeter of the room are attached to the walls at the back. They have angle braces running from the front back to the wall. The four tables that support the peninsulas have legs made from 2x3s with levelers on the bottom ends. The risers for the second level are drawn in blue they are made from two 1x4 uprights with 1x2 cross members for attaching the plywood. For the main tables and the risers I used 2x4 cross members wherever two pieces of plywood came together. I drilled 5/8 holes in the cross members of the tables and the uprights for the risers for my electrical wiring. |
| THE DESIGN |
| I spent about 3 months working on my layout design the format I used is called AutoCAD. I am a Toolmaker/Tool Designer by trade so I had the software at home and at work already. Since I was planning to use Atlas track I made the design in conjunction with Atlas RightTrack software it is a free download available at their web site. It allows you to design your track plan piece by piece. It also gives you a detailed list of materials for the plan. |
| BENCHWORK |
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| March 3rd, 2007 construction finally begins. Some tools I found to be invaluable for this project are a good Stud Finder with a Laser Line Level , a Carpenters Square, a top quality six foot Level, a 60 inch scale and a good set of cordless tools. I have a Craftsman set with a Drill/Driver, a Jigsaw, a Trim Saw, a Hand Vac, a Corner Sander and a Fluorescent light. I also recommend two batteries so you can have one charging at all times |
| I started by locating and marking all the wall studs around the room. Then I screwed a level 1x2 cleat to the wall all the way around the room. I used a 1x4 where it spanned the window openings for added support. This made attaching the benchwork to the wall much easier since most of the work is being done by me with out an extra set of hands. |
| Another handy item to have is two or three pairs of Quick Grip clamps. Here you can see I used them to hold a temporary leg in place. I used 2 1/2 inch long #8 Deck Screws to mount the table to the wall. I put two screws through the frame into every wall stud the table frame crossed over.After attaching the table to the wall I used the temporary leg to level the table before affixing the angle braces to the wall and the table. |
| The three photos above show how the angle braces were attached.I attached them to the table cross members with two 2 inch #8 deck screws. They are attached to the walls with two 3 inch #8 deck screws into the wall studs. I also put a three inch long 1x2 for the bottom of the brace to rest on for added support. The photo at the bottom right is an example of how it was some times necessary to put shims between the cross member and the angle brace to get it to line up with the wall stud |
| Everywhere two tables met I bolted them together with three 3/8 x 2 1/2 socket head cap screws with a flat washer under the bolt head and a flat washer and lock washer under the nut. |
| I used Select White Pine 1x4s from Home Depot to build my Tables it was a little more expensive but they are straight and flat with nice clean square cut edges. The table sizes varied according to what I thought would be necessary to support the plywood table tops. I placed a 2x4 cross member wherever two sheets of plywood met and used 1x4 cross members spaced 15 to 18 inches apart to fill in the rest of the frame.The four tables that support the peninsulas have legs made from 2x3s with levelers on the bottom ends.I am lucky in that I have access to a nice little wood shop where I work that has a compound mitre saw with a laser guide. This made for nice square cuts and consistent lengths on all my table components. |
| The risers for the second level are made from 1x4 uprights with 1x2 cross members for attaching the plywood to. I drilled 5/8 holes in the cross members of the tables and the uprights for the risers for my electrical wiring |
| The plywood I used was 11/32 4 ply BC Sanded also from Home Depot it is attached to the tables with 1 1/4 inch #6 deck screws. You might notice the walls are now painted Sky Blue if you are undertaking a project like this I recommend painting the walls first it was three times the work crawling around all the benchwork to get mine painted. |
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| TRACKWORK |
| I used Atlas O Nickel Silver Track and Woodland Scenics Foam Roadbed. The curves are all O72 or O81 meaning if you make a circle with O72 track the diameter will be 72 inches across the center rails. Most of the turnouts or switches if you prefer are O72 with the exception of the crossovers they are #5 turnouts.I found the Atlas track very easy to work with. |
| I started with the upper level of track a double track mainline that I will use mostly for my passenger trains. I started out by first test fitting all of the track together to check clearances between the lines and the areas where there are curves or where I will have tunnels. |
| I installed my electrical drops every six sections of track drilling a small hole through the roadbed and plywood beside the rail the terminal joiner was to be connected to. I used Atlas terminal joiners they come 2 in a pack one with a red wire the other black. The red or hot wire is always connected to the center rail and I alternated between the inside and outside rails every six sections of track with the black or neutral wire . |
| When assembly of both mainline loops was complete I went back and fastened everything down with Atlas track screws. Be wary of fastening the track down to tightly. I screwed the track down until it just stated to press into the roadbed be careful of getting your turnouts in a bind if they are not good and flat they will give you problems down the road. |
| ELECTRICAL |
| My layout was originally wired for use with Train Master Command Control (TMCC) equipped locomotives only.I have now upgraded to the next generation of Lionel TMCC with the Legacy Control System. It is a much more responsive system with many new features that simulate realistic railroad operation. Below is a photograph of the old Cab-1 hand held on the left and the new Legacy hand held on the right.At the present time I am not setup to run conventional transformer controlled locomotives. |
| Each element of the design is drawn on a separate layer so that it may be viewed by itself or in conjunction with one or more different layers. Above are the upper and lower level plywood and track plans as well as a combined view showing both levels and the connecting track between the two. Below is the uppermost level frame work and plywood where the Department 56 buildings will go. There is also an image showing all 35 of the layers viewed at once |
| As I stated above I do not use a conventional transformer to power my layout. Each mainline is powered by it's own 18volt / 180 watt Power Brick. Below is a photo of the control panel as it is currently configured there are also two diagrams showing how the various components are wired in. |
| The switches and various switch and accessory controllers are powered by a 12/24volt / 240 watt transformer. This transformer has a 12volt leg and a 24 volt leg. I find that 24 volts give my switch motors better performance. Below is a photograph and a diagram of my switch control panel |
| (click on thumbnails to enlarge) |
| After the test fit I disassembled the track in large sections and installed the Atlas Double Track Pratt Truss Bridge you see in front of the window. Working from the bridge in both directions I re-assembled the track with the roadbed underneath. The Woodlandscenics roadbed comes in 24 foot rolls and is easily shaped to the contour of the track I used 5x24 inch flat sheets under my turnouts they are easily cut to fit the shape of the turnout. |
| I recommend you thoroughly check the clearances for all your tunnels and anywhere the tracks run close to a wall. You should use the tallest and the longest cars you have. You should also check the clearance for any locomotives that have a large swing out in front when going around curves. |
| The passenger terminal area has 5 parallel tracks and several switches. There will be two covered passenger platforms, a locomotive service platform and a Railway Express Agency loading and unloading platform. |
| A Lionel BW type transformer powers the Lionel streetlamps in front of the Department 56 buildings. This transformer consists of a hollow shell with a rheostat connected to the handle to raise and lower the voltage provided by a separate 18 volt 80 watt power brick mounted on the control panel. Although the streetlamps are rated for 18 volts by using the handle on the BW I can reduce the voltage to 10-12 volts which will greatly extend the life of the bulbs. The 12-volt leg of the transformer on the switch control panel powers the streetlamps and building lights on the passenger platform. |
| I am a big fan of the three-outlet remote control made by Westinghouse .I use three of these to turn the various power sources for the layout on and off. |
| Individual C7 type lamps light the Department 56 buildings. These are plugged into several power strips mounted under the layout. The power strips plug into a four-foot long multiple outlet strip. |
| Be advised I am neither a Carpenter or an Electrician. Likewise I am not a Professional Layout Builder. If you choose to follow any of the methods I am displaying on the pages of this site you do so at your own risk. |
| THE DUCK UNDER NO MORE PROJECT |
| Well once again although far from completion I find myself unhappy with the layouts basic set up. In plain terms I am sick and tired of banging my head ducking under the table when entering the center area of the layout. I have also decided it’s time to finish the outside of the layout and get the benchwork and substructure obscured from the view of people passing through the front entryway of the house. |
| THE PLAN Since I want to cover the outside of the layout with Bead Board Siding a drop in removable section to enter the layout will not work. I came up with a one-piece unit that will have tabletop, siding, two levels of track and scenery all on one section that rolls in and out. To locate and lock the section into place I made plates that mount on the sides of the roll-out and the stationary part of the benchwork. The drawing to the left (click to enlarge) shows the layout plan with the roll-out in black. You also might notice I have changed the track plan again. |
| We also decided this would be a good time to do away with the carpeting that ran from the wood floor in the hallway to a small tiled area at the front door. We expanded the tiled area to go from the front door to the wood floored hallway and outlining the layout up to the French Doors for the study. |
| One of the many foreseeable problems with this project was the fact that if the insert strictly rolled straight out the molding along the floor would drag across the tile. I got around this by spring loading the axel closest to the outside edge so that it would rise up 3/8 of an inch as soon as the guide tracks disengaged. . I used ½ inch diameter heavy die springs to lift the axel they gave me enough lift but still go back down easily when the guide tracks engage when putting the insert back in place. While this plan seemed brilliant in theory in reality the bead board added so much weight to the front that once disengaged from the guides the insert tipped forward lifting the inside wheels off the ground. Luckily when operating from the outside a slight lift on the handles and everything works as planned. When operating from the inside a little downward pressure on the inside edge also does the trick. (see photos below). |
| I decided I would build in a six-foot long display shelf. It will have a framed glass front and I will be using Glenn Snyder’s Aluminum Shelves .I don’t like the look of sliding glass doors so the framed glass will be removable. I will keep it in place using French Cleats. |
| One of the key objectives of this project is that the insert must come out and return to the same exact location every time. To check this I drew lines across the mating edges of the plywood top and so far it is working fantastic. I am concerned with the ends of the mating tracks catching on each other when removing and then replacing the pullout so I am considering filing a small radius on the ends of the rails and leaving about a .05 gap between the track sections. I will have to wait until I start laying the track to see if I encounter any problems. (see drawing on the left) |
| Well the Bead Board is all in place and the trim moldings are in place. The frame for the display case is finished and the French Cleats are installed for hanging it on the display case. I still need to stain the frame and the case and have the glass installed. I will be ordering my train shelves from Glenn Snyder Display Systems this week. |
| We have replaced the old contractor grade metal front door with a new energy efficient fiberglass door. It looks 100% better and as the front of the house faces west it makes a good bit of difference in the afternoon temperature in the train room. We replaced the old lighting fixtures at the front door both inside and out. The Landlord is very happy with the way it’s all looking. |
| All that’s left to do is fill nail holes, sand and paint. We are still as yet undecided on the color scheme. Since there is a lull in the action I decided to get my tack back in place and run some trains. |
| The 45-degree pie shape is what really makes the roll out function well. Just the slightest bit of outward movement gives you instant separation. I engineered a slight gap in the lower level tracks but found it to be unnecessary so when I did the upper level I mounted them end to end. |
| I used a 4-pin trailer plug to connect the power for the upper track on the roll out. When I get to the lower track I will use a 6-pin plug so I can run some 12-volt accessory power also. |
| I am extremely happy with the way this project has turned out. Next step is to get a small fortune in Pennsy Stone Wall and Tunnel Portals from Scenic Express and stat covering up the framework. The most important thing is I can run trains again! |