I have been away from the hobby for close to 40 years. Purchased a Kato Super Chief starter set and it was enough to launch me back into model railroading. I don't have much space so my layout is going to have to reside on the bed in the spare bedroom. When visitors come, 2-3 times a year, the layout will have to be stored in the laundry room. The bed can be pulled away from the wall, so reach should not be an issue. I posted a couple threads when I was just beginning but now that I feel I am ready to start construction, this thread con document my progress. I want a mix of running trains and switching opportunities. I need a passenger station for the Chief. I plan to start with the double track ovals, then add the yard and interchange track at the top. Next will be the reversing oval which can double as staging tracks. Last will be the interior and elevated industry spurs. I am thinking about a coal mine above and maybe a power plant below. I can adjust the final design of the spurs as I build the rest of the layout. I know that the both mainlines go through the diverging legs of the turnouts at the bottom left but needed that for space. I can have lower speed limits near the yard entrance as well.
Raise the bed so you can store the layout underneath when company comes. You could probably slap together some framing that would straddle the bed and keep the layout at a good height the rest of the time. If you work it just right, you could lay on the comfy bed while wiring things up underneath!
Why not go the other way. Build the layout to the height you like above the bed and pull the bed out when it needs to be used and move the layout near the wall. This way here your not up rooting the layout and storing it vertically.
Both great ideas but the room is not twice as wide as the bed -- not enough room to tip it underneath and I think guests would object to sleeping in a cave. But it brings up the interesting possibility of hanging it from the ceiling and raising it or lowering it as needed!
Many years ago when my son was 6 years old, I built a layout over his bed that he could raise up and down with pulleys. It worked great, he could lower it down to his bed when he wanted to play with it and raise it up when he went to bed. I currently have such a contraption in my garage that I use to store my Christmas train layout, only I have an electric wench with steel cables to raise and lower it. My son had a ‘block & tackle’ with soft rope that was easy on his little hands
The bed is an antique and not a standard size. It is 54" (same as a double) by 72" (2" shorter than a double.) That is the size of the plan. I have the foam base ready for track but am adding some cut outs for tortoises. I have a bunch of pictures to post but have to resize them for posting. I will do that this weekend. By the end of the weekend I should be ready to lay some roadbed.
Could you use bed risers? They could give you additional clearance under the bed to store the layout: Bed Riser Bed Blocks Personally, I'd consider a layout on shelf brackets on the walls but it looks like you're well along with your plan already.
I like the riser blocks but the issue is not vertical clearance but no room to put the layout next to the bed to slide under or even rotate down. There is the distinct possibility of a move in the near future which is another reason portability is a factor.
OK. Finally the pictures I promised. Progress has been slower than I anticipated but I wanted to take my time since it is all pretty new. I wanted to keep it light weight so I built the frame from foam-core boards. They are two 3/16" boards laminated for the frame and the deck. I used spray adhesive to laminate the boards and a glue gun to assemble the parts.
There is a construction site next door and I was able to salvage some foam board insulation which I glued to the deck. I spray painted it brown to help keep the unnatural blue from showing through any scenery. Originally I just painted what was expected to be the lower level but ended up painting all of the foam.
XTrack I printed my XTrackCAD layout to full size and used glue sticks to tack down the plan to the foam. I then transferred the layout plan to the foam. The ovals are to be built first so that is all I was really concerned about now.
Prep for Tortoise I like Bob Schrempp's method for installing tortoises into the foam. Intalling a Tortoise Switch Machine Photo Gallery by Bob Schrempp at pbase.com After making six tortoise holes, I am ready for roadbed and incline installation next weekend.
