It's the usual story; we bought our house in 1988 based on the basement! My wife is a very understanding and supportive woman as it pertains to the hobby, so this afforded me the luxury of claiming the entire basement for myself. The basement was just that... a basement! No efforts had been made by the previous owners to finish this space, so I was left with clean open space to work with. The first couple of years were spent planning, moving pipes, electrical circuits, installing a french drain, etc. Then I proceeded to finish the basement off by framing out the rooms, running electrical work, sheetrocking, etc. Work on the railroad itself began in 1994.
The overall basement size is approximately 24' X 28', but from that I walled off a small utility area to seal off the furnace and water heater, as well as some storage. This area of the basement, which is the view your are first greeted with when entering the basement, was completely finished off with drywall walls and ceiling, and wall to wall carpeting. This area serves as my work area and crew lounge. The railroad also begins it's run here at Northumberland Yard. The result is a very nice and comfortable area for me to spend my hobby hours.
Turning slightly to the right brings my workbench into view. I built this workbench out of kitchen cabinetry when I finished the basement and makes for an ideal work area. The right side of this workbench will eventually contain the CTC panel when that is built. Until then, it serves as an extra work station. And no, it's not normally this neat! It's been well worth the investment as it makes for a nice area for me to work on projects while watching TV, or if I just want to relax.
The remainder of the space, which is dedicated to the layout, is finished off with drywall walls and a suspended ceiling. Outlets were installed every 6' around the room.
The layout itself occupies a space which is roughly 24' by 20'. It is designed as a walk-in, around the walls type. If viewed from above, the aisle-way would take on the appearance of a backward 'S', with layout on either side of the aisle.
The floor in the balance of the railroad portion of the room is painted concrete with carpet runners along the aisle-way. Carpeting is important for the comfort of the operators as it reduces fatigue from standing on your feet for extended periods of time.
There are two other walls that were erected, built out of 2" X 4" framing, that serve as 'scenic dividers' and create the room's backwards "S" configuration. Some had suggested to simply build the benchwork 5' wide and freestanding, and then erect the divider on top of that to the ceiling. I decided on the wall for a couple of reasons, but mainly because I wanted the wall to serve as an integral part of the layout support. The 1" X 4" grids for the benchwork pass through the wall and are screwed to the 2" X 4", providing support for the benchwork. This early view of the back aisle of the room clearly shows one of these walls on the left side of the picture. Note how the sheetrock only comes down to the level of the layout itself.
I decided to try installing coved corners in two corners of the room. Friends of mine had tried various techniques and materials, but due to the instability of the various materials used, cracks always appeared where the sheetrock on the wall met the material used for the curved cove. I decided to try using sheet Formica. I bought 2'X4' sheets of white Formica at the local Home Depot. These were glued, using Elmers white glue, directly to the sheetrock wall. I then feathered the edges into the sheetrock using standard spackle. So far, there hasn't been any cracks appearing on these edges, the material was very easy to work with and it is self-supporting.
For lighting, I used single tube florescent bulb fixtures hung continuously around the edge of the layout. I know there are various methods of lighting a layout, but one should consider, especially on a larger layout, the power consumption of incandescent lighting, not to mention the heat build up. Florescent lighting, while not ideal, provides good lighting which when placed correctly, is evenly distributed over the layout surface.
For a valance, I used a material that I purchased at a local sewing store. It is essentially a vinyl material which simulates leather. It is a dark brown, which matches the dark wood stained fascia on the front of the layout. To hang this material, I fabricated a system using the "L" channel from suspended ceilings. One side of the "L" channel is cut, allowing the "L" channel to curve and follow the edge of the layout. In turn, the "L" channel is screwed to the supporting framework of the suspended ceiling upside down so that one side of the "L" channel is facing the isle. The material for the valance is in turn cemented, using rubber cement, to the front side of the "L" channel which faces the isle. This creates a 'soft valance' so that tall people such as myself don't bump their heads on the valance. Because the material I used is not a hardwood or metal, no special framework was needed to support this material, and it easily follows the edge of the layout around the room, including around the curved portions of the benchwork.
To complete the 'diorama illusion' I was trying to achieve, I attached black felt material to the ceiling so as to completely cover the ceiling in black. The end result is that as you enter the layout itself, all areas are dark except for the layout itself, creating the diorama effect and focusing the viewer's attention on the layout.
I am very pleased with the results of the room itself. It provides for a pleasant work atmosphere, and is a very inviting atmosphere for visitors as well. My strong recommendation to anyone in the planning stages is to allow time and money for good room preparation, as this is NOT something you can easily go back and do later, and IS something that you will find well worth the investment later on.
Benchwork and Roadbed
The layout itself was built in two phases. The first phase which is the peninsula containing Northumberland and Sunbury, was started in 1994. The second phase was started in early 2000. Benchwork is all 1" X 4" standard open grid type, with 1/2" plywood sub-roadbed and 1/2" homasoate roadbed. Some have misgivings about using homasoate for sub-roadbed as it is a material which readily expands and contracts with moisture. To help reduce this, both sides of the roadbed are painted and sealed before being attached to the roadbed. I then thoroughly glue the homasoate by brushing on white glue over the entire surface, then screwing it down for a good bond.
I know of some who have experimented with using 'Blue Board' foam for their roadbed as this material is stable is will not expand and contract. While this is true, my dislike with this material is the sound quality. It seems to amplify the sounds of the trains running over it, even with cork laid as a buffer between the track and the foam. While I really like working with the foam for scenery, I personally don't recommend it for a roadbed material.
Others recommend a form of spline roadbed. I can't argue with the quality of this type of roadbed system since it is stable, strong and secure. Quite frankly, it is more work though than I thought it was worth. I admit I am not a carpenter, and of all aspects of building a layout, the benchwork is my least favorite. For this reason, I chose not to use the spline method of roadbed.
Trackwork
The track work consists of Code 83 on the mainline, Code 70 on branch lines and secondary trackage, and Codes 70 and 55 on yard and industrial tracks. The track is mostly all Micro-Engineering brand flex track, and the turnouts are Shinohora brand turnouts. Hidden trackage, such as the staging yards, is all Code 100, consisting of Atlas flex track and Peco turnouts. All of the mainline is laid on top of either cork or more recently, the Woodland Scenics brand of foam roadbed, to give the track work an elevated appearance, while sidings and yard trackage is laid directly atop the homasoate roadbed.
You may note that I started using the traditional cork roadbed, but as construction progressed, I experimented by using the Woodland Scenics brand of roadbed and found this to be much easier to work with. I then noticed that it also helps to deaden the sound of the trains as well. I highly recommend you try this relatively new brand of roadbed.
A lot of people of asked me why I prefer the Micro-Engineering brand of track over other brands such as Atlas. I consider the track work as much a part of the scenery as the vegetation. If you closely examine the Micro-Engineering track, the detail on the ties and spike heads is much finer and prototypical. Of course, this makes it more difficult to work with, as it does not flex as easily as the other brands. It is also more delicate and therefore more subject to the rails 'popping' out of the spike heads. It simply requires a little more patience to work with. However, this little bit of effort when laying the track will yield much better results appearance wise in the end.
Another topic that surfaces constantly is the rail size; why would I suffer through the smaller rail sizes that lead to constant derailments? This is my second layout using Code 70 track, and I've never experienced any problems. Certainly, using code 100 rail is more forgiving, however it is grossly over scale for most applications, unless you are modeling the PRR mainline from New York to Washington! Once again, taking your time (which should be the rule in anything that you do) is the way to go. Careful track laying, lining up the joints, etc., will minimize any problems. In addition, your rolling stock plays an important role here too. If your wheel sets are out of gauge or are not free rolling, this will cause tracking problems, and only made worse in the smaller rail sizes.
As it concerns the turnouts, here I recommend the Shinohara, or Walther's brand of turnout. I've tried the Micro-Engineering brand found that their turnouts can't handle the abuse. The frog and point construction is poor and leads to problems. The Shinohora brand on the other hand has always been reliable for me, and still maintains a nice appearance. I don't care for the Atlas brand again due to its appearance.
Tortoise switch motors control all mainline switches, while switches on branch lines and industrial spurs are manually operated with Caboose Industries ground throws. The Operator at Kase Tower controls all of the motorized machines, but local controls are also located on the underside of the benchwork so that I can throw them locally when operating by myself.
Electrical
I decided from the beginning that I wanted command control and decided on the Digitrax Chief system. The layout is separated into two distinct electrical districts with a booster for each district. This arrangement allows me to supply power to the mainline and associated hidden trackage and staging yards, while the branch lines operate on their own booster. Each district is subdivided into smaller 'sub districts' using "Power Shield" circuit protection from Tony's Train Exchange. All together there are five sub districts on the railroad.
There are several sets of 12 gauge buss lines running around the entire layout, plus the Digitrax LocoNet. The first of the sets are for track power for each sub district, the second set is switch machine power, the third set is for logic and signal power and the fourth set is for accessory power for building and accessory lights, etc. I have placed all of the electrical gear (boosters, power supplies, etc.) in one central location for easy maintenance. In turn, the power to the layout is grounded and protected by a surge protector.
While the fixed operating positions on the railroad have tethered throttles, I also have a radio receiver installed and utilize the Digitrax radio controlled throttles to allow more flexibility to the operators. There are UP3 panels located around the layout so that the operators can plug their throttles in at each operating location. I have found that many operators prefer to bring their own throttles, thus having the radio receiver and the UP panels allows me to accomodate both types of throttles.
The layout is equipped with Bruce Chubb's DCCOD detection units. These detectors work flawlessly and do not interfere with the track power. All equipment is equipped with resistance wheelsets so that even a single frieght car will be detected if left on a passing siding.
I am currently in the process of building a completely interlocked signal system. I am building the signal heads using the Oregon Rail Supply PRR heads. The system will be operated using the C/MRI interface. This system receives inputs from the various detectors on the layout, as well as switch machine positions, etc. Using the logic input, the C/MRI system drives the signals and displays appropriate aspects.
The railroad features a 12 track hidden staging yard that represents the mainline south to Harrisburg and north to Buffalo. Since this is an active yard and hidden from view, I was sure to incorporate as many safety features as possible into the yard. In addition to the DCCOD block occupancy detectors which indicate when a train is occupying a block, there are also infra-red optical detectors for each track at each end of the yard located approximately 6" before the fouling point of each track. On the control panel, there are LED's that normally show green when there is nothing blocking the infra-red beam, but when a train breaks the infra-red beam the LED changes to red. The idea is when a train enters one of the tracks, the LED changes to red and blinks from red to green each time a car passes by the beam. The operator continues running his train into the track, monitoring the blink rate, which gives him an idea of his speed (the slower the blink, the slower the speed). Once that LED glows a steady green again, he knows his train is completely inside that track. The LED on the other end of that track will glow red once his train reaches that point, at which point he knows to stop his train. Once the C/MRI system is in place, the system will use the optical detectors as an input to shut that block off completely once the train reaches the far end of the track.
In addition to the detectors, the staging yard is also equipped with two video cameras, one at each end. In turn, there is a monitor in the CTC panel which enables to dispatcher to view trains entering and leaving the staging yard, ensuring that the train is operating at an acceptable speed, and that there are no problems with the train.
Plans call for the construction of a CTC type panel for 'Kase' interlocking. As previously mentioned, Kase essentially also acts as the dispatcher and controls movements into and out of the staging yard. The C/MRI will also provide outputs to and recieve inputs from the CTC panel.
Scenery
The scenery construction is pretty basic and straight forward. I would strongly encourage anyone to buy and read Dave Frary's book on Building Model Railroad Scenery. It has helped me tremendously on developing my techniques.
I use the Blue Board foam throughout as my scenery support. There are many ways to build a scenery support structure; from screen wire to cardboard strips and newspaper. These are all good methods, and one should pick the method that works best for them. I like the foam because it's lightweight, easy to work with, and helps me to define the contour to a greater level.
In many areas, I apply a layer of Hydrocal cloth for a scenery base, otherwise I apply the texture directly on top of the foam. I first paint the area with a dark earth tone latex paint, applying the paint in a liberal fashion. While the paint is still wet, I then sprinkle on real dirt. On top of that, I apply various textures of Woodlands Scenics ground foam. I apply the textures and colors randomly. Once I've achieved a good 'basic' texturing, I spray the area with 'wet water' and then apply a dilute mixture of Matte Medium. This method allows the wet water/matte medium mixture to travel down to the wet paint and form a 'continuous bond'.
In most cases, I go back at a later time and apply more textures, again applying the wet water and matte medium to fix it in place.