Quick Update: Not entriely related to Model Railroading but nevertheless essential for my planned layout. The roof project began today. Half of the old nasty roof was tore off today from our 110 year old house (all six layers!). Some structual reinforment will be done inside the attic area, new roof and new insulated windows for the attic (new gutters, sofit and facia too but that has nothing to do with the railroad). I am almost done repairing the wood flooring up in the attic as well which will serve as the subfloor for carpet tiles later. Still much to do to prepare the future railroad addiction cave: 1. Build knee walls 2. Run and install electrical circuits 3. Install track lighting 4. Install Insulation 5. Drywall (Yuck!!) 6. Paint 7. Install carpet sqiares 8. Install baseboard electric heaters 8. Install portable AC unit (not window kind) 9. Start construction of layout benchwork I am still hoping to be able to start on my benchwork by Winter 2010. So far so good. This entire project just for preperation (including roof, gutters, sofit and facia, and windows) will have soaked me for over $22K Yikes!!
Holy Batman... have you ever spent your time planning this layout!! I guess planning planning and more planning and when you think you're done... even some more planning, is the key to a great layout. I look forward to seeing it progress... I myself plan to model in HO so I'll be following the build closely. All the best!! Cheers.
Yes boy wonder....and yet the planning continues Most of my focus as late is geard towards the office layout which office remodeling should start in September and hopefully not take very long to complete....it won't be the perfect remodel but should be light years better than it is now (framed walls right now and nothing else). That being said, the Attic Railroad (Northstar Division) is still planned for the future. But.....after having completed the track plan for the Office layout with much appreciated assistance, I was looking at the last plan for the Northstar division......and it is just not sitting well with me. I mean it is about 18 feet longer and a at least a foot wider (7 feet wider in the middle area) but yet it does not look as well planned and logical to me as the officw layout plan. Plus, I am not getting the feeling of urban railroading. I am not sure what the problem is. All I do know is that right now, my latest version of the track plan for the Northstar Division isn't doing it for me. As time permits, I think I am going to start a new plan for the attic layout and see if I can come up with something better.
Well I chewed on this idea a little tonight and poked around in AnyRail and yes, I do believe I am going to draft a new layout plan for the attic. The big challenge in the attic is the sloped ceiling and the fact that I still want two levels with the upper level being TCW. I will work on this plan as time permits as my primary focus for the remainder of this year and likely most of 2011 will be the office layout. If the budget over the next two years proceeds as currently projected (yeah when does that ever happen ) It looks as if the attic remodeling may be completed sometime in 2012 (many other house projects are in line first). Layout benchwork construction would then likely beging either in late 2012 or early 2013. The goal would be to have the layout fully operational in 2014. Of course, this is the conservative plan.....if things go well, maybe I could have the attic layout operational by late 2012 or early 2013. This was the motivation to build the much smaller office layout as I expect to have it fully operational (less a few dazzling effects) sometime during the first quarter of 2011.
