May 12th, 2005

Still perusing the June issue of Model Railroader Lots of interesting articles, as always, though I still prefer reading the older magazine. They've gone back to the old single page index they used for DECADES and gotten rid of the glitzy waste of paper they were using. A good move. While it allegedly leaves more room for articles, it's a safe bet it also leaves more space for advertisements. No problem, it pays the freight and allows Kalmbach to continue publishing one of the best magazines in the hobby.

There's a whole section devoted to building the perfect layout. Having followed a few of these ideas in the past I can tell you that some of the ideas ain't cheap. Finishing the "train room" will add up to a tidy sum in no time at all. The only way to save a ton of money here will be doing all the work yourself. If you're fo0rtunate enough to be working in a new home, you might get a break. A lot of folks will be dealing with a basement in a decades old row home (town house for those not from Philly). The typical basement on the older ones has a concrete floor and sort of stucco covered stone walls. The newer homes have cinder block walls, but you still need to build out the walls with studs to mount drywall. It took quite a bit of lumber to frame out the walls of our basement, about 100 or so 2x4x8 studs. That's roughly $300 to $500 bucks at today's prices, especially if you buy quality lumber (recommended unless you like wavy walls). Then there is the wiring, which needs be done BEFORE you put up drywall. In my own situation I ran the wire my self and did all the electrical outlets, lights, breakers, etc so I only paid for raw materials. Most folks may not go this route and will need to pay for a good electrician. Another $500 to $1000, or more invested. This is especially true if you do the flourescent/incandescent lighting recommended for your typical around the wall layout. Mucho denero for this area of endeavor.

Next comes the really fun part. Drywall. It's heavy and clumsy. The best part is finishing the ceiling. Nothing like trying to lift 4x8 sheets of sheet rock over your head. Course you have to be able to hammer or screw the panels in place whilst holding them at the same time. You learn to balance huge weights on your head so you can keep your hands free. But that isn't the best part. After you hang about twenty or so of these five to ten dollar sheets (another $100 to $200), you get to tape all the seams and mud them with "drywall compound" a kind of thick gloppy substance like cake frosting that doesn't always go where you want it. Especially if the seams are over your head. It has to be laid on just right or the next step becomes a nightmare, because after the glop dries, you have to sand it smooth.

What fun! If you've done it right, you get away with a light sanding. If you're like everybody else, however, this may be your first shot at this form of recreation and you've gone overboard with the muck. You'll be sandin' and sandin' and sandin'. The air in your house will fill with a fine dust somewhat similar to volcanic ash. It will get into everything. It will cake in your mouth, your nose, your appliances, even your locomotives. You will need to clean up of course. Especially the locomotives. The dust will probably destroy the gearing if you don't.

When you finally finish this agonizing process (and your wife and kids can breath again) you need to prime and paint the walls. You'll want to use good paint, of course, so you'll put out another $100 for that.

To make the story short, it's very easy to spend a few thousand dollars and you're not even running trains yet. Meanwhile, real life is still happening. The car insurance comes due, Johnny joins the soccer team, Cindy needs new sneakers and the dog needs surgery to remove a chicken bone from her gut. If you're really lucky the car will start acting up and the water heater will go on the fritz. Most of us don't have a fairy god model railroader with an bottomless checking account. Priorities need to be set and the layout isn't one of them.

Look on the bright side...You've got a finished basement!

So now you know why I switched to Train simming...

Well that's about all for now...See ya' next time.