Sulligent Layout

Discussion in 'Divisions' started by trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017), Jun 25, 2016.

  1. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    There's a factory east of Sulligent that I plan to represent with a photo-flat on my layout. Access is restricted so taking measurements is not an option. Compared to vehicles in the photo, I estimate the building to be 25 to 30 feet tall, which would make it anywhere from 500 to 600 feet long. At only 25 ft tall and 500 ft long, in HO scale, it would be about 3.45" tall and 69" long. That's about 45 inches longer than I initially wanted (24"). Since I only want a representation and not a full scale flat, I cheated on the height and cropped about 22.5% off of each end, making the height 3" and the length about 32". That's still 8" more than I initially wanted, but if I crop off any more, it just won't look right. If I make it any shorter in height to make it shorter in width, it won't look right. 3" x 32" is about as small as I can get away with and have it still look OK. It will extend about 4" further in each horizontal direction than I initially wanted it to, but that's OK. I could print it myself in two pieces on tabloid (11" x 17") paper, but I'm going to check on getting it printed at a local printing business, in one piece, so that I don't have a seam. Whether I can get it printed in one piece or not, I plan on trimming it, gluing it onto some foam board for a little depth, and setting in place on the layout.
    There's also a string of store fronts that I want to represent with another photo-flat. I can easily measure each store front's width to get it to scale. I need to retake the pictures of the store front on an overcast day and get them level, but after that, I plan to create the flat in the same way I create the factory flat (print, trim, foam board, etc.).
    I would appreciate any advise on using photos of buildings to make flats on a backdrop.
    Hyster1.JPG Frisco St. Store Front.JPG
    20160728_125212.jpg
     
  2. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    I'm planning on either purchasing or building a 12' x 24' building within the next 12-18 months to use as a space for my next (and hopefully final) layout, storage above and below the layout, and a workbench area in the center. The plan below doesn't include everything I want to do. The things most important to me are showcasing the Sulligent railroad scene and having a few passing sidings to store trains. This is just a first draft, but it's a start.
    Layout Dog Bone 1.gif
     
    gjslsffan likes this.
  3. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

  4. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Brandon, it looks like Sulligent will be on the right side of the horseshoe? Assuming it is, I think I like this plan the best. I think this configuration lets you put the focus on Sulligent and uses the "wings" and loops to serve as a staging/continuous run option. I think this has a lot of potential - keep working it.

    Best Regards,
     
  5. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    James and Chris:
    Thanks for the positive feedback. I worked on several drafts of a plan that went all the way around the perimeter of a 10'x20' building, with a duck-under or lift out section across the entrance. However, the more I thought about having another layout with a duck-under, or having to line up rails for a lift out section and stop traffic every time anyone wanted to enter and exit the building, the more I wanted to ditch that idea entirely and go back to the drawing board. Since the ends of a dog bone with 22" minimum curves need their own 4x4 benches, and since I wanted a wide entry way, I realized that I need a building at least 12' wide. Then, I thought I may as well add 4 more feet to the length to make it a 12' x 24' building. Mostly, what I want to do is have the ability to run different types of trains in both directions through "Sulligent," for hours at a time, while I tinker with other projects that I will work on inside the building. As I said, I worked on several drafts of a plan that went all the way around the perimeter and crossed the entrance, but the dog bone made it so much easier to get the things I want in a plan. I'll probably build the building myself and make it look as much like the first Sulligent depot as possible (see the image below)... not a model necessarily, but definitely depot-ish. I'll build a lean-to shed on the side for my 1/4 scale, locomotive-themed smoker. I already have 8 ft of "track" that I built for the smoker to sit on before I extended it to 12 feet and added casters. (I have the track stored under a shed.) I could build more track, box it in with landscape timbers, and ballast it. Since I can't afford to have my layout in a real caboose or freight car, I suppose a storage building that resembles a depot is the next best thing.
    First Sulligent Depot (Wooden).jpg
     
  6. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Boy your really expanding Brandon. Good for you, I am just curious. Is this gonna be one of those prefab bldgs they deliver on a truck? I got one of those too, a good mobile building provided you get some additional options. I see from your proposed track plan a reversing loop can be added easily, also that could serve as a storage/siding as well.
     
    Jim James likes this.
  7. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    As someone who enjoys projects, I would like to build a building myself. However, after pricing materials and exploring my options of buying one or having one built, I'm not convinced it's worth what I would save on labor to take on the project all by myself. I've been leaning toward a 12x24 just for the sake of making a preliminary track plan fit, but I may be on to a plan that would allow for a smaller building (less space to heat and cool... not to mention a smaller building would cost less) and still give me what I want, only in a more compact space. I wanted a mainline dog bone with 4 passing sidings for storage. After realizing that a 22" radius circle is 11.5' long (longer than the length of my current layout), I've been playing with software and using the dog bone ends themselves as areas for passing sidings. Even though this plan shows 24" 22" and 18" radius curves, I'd actually like my mainline to have a 22" radius, with 2 passing sidings: a 20" radius curve, and an 18" radius curve so that the dog bones fit on 4x4 benches. Any larger and "arm reach" to the back could be an issue. The left side would be a mirror image of the right side, with the Sulligent scene centered at the top. If the plan below would work, the minimum footprint would be only 12x9. It could be larger depending on what size building I wind up with. I would need 8 of Peco's curved turnouts (4 on each side). Besides saving space, since I like manual turnouts, I like the way the turnouts in this plan are closer together. By the way, a reverse loop just isn't worth the hassle to me. In other news, I'd like to have my dad come over and enjoy the layout with me, but his health no longer allows him to stand for long periods of time. Has any ever seen benchwork built at desktop height? I'm not sure I would do that, but it crossed my mind. That way, not only could he enjoy it from a chair, but I could sit down and roll around in an office chair to work on the layout.
    Layout 01.GIF
     
    Joe Lovett likes this.
  8. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Brandon, if you staggered the dog bones to where they are not opposite each other it would reduce the overall width of the layout. Just make sure to leave a 30 to 36 inch aisles between the dog bones and the main part of the layout. Another way to save space is to make the main part of the layout 18 inches instead of 24 inches. In this way you would have 18 inches (for the main layout) plus 30 inches (for an aisle) plus 48 inches (for a dog bone). All of that equals 96 inches total. This of course is the minimum size you would want your building to be.

    At one time I was in a motorized wheelchair and built my layout to where it was just about six inches below eye level. It was really nice, I could follow the train in my wheelchair, it was like I was in a helicopter flying above the train. On that layout I used PVC pipe for the legs.

    Joe
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2016
  9. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    Thanks for the reply Joe. If I had my current layout to do over again, I would use offset dog bones rather than an oval so my trains could run through the same areas in both directions. In my space of roughly 11 feet by 65 inches, I could have made it work... without a duck under. I'm really leaning now toward the whole idea of a building my next layout (hopefully, my final layout) at desk height or about 29" off of the floor. We have a move in the works, hopefully within the next 18 months. Since we would need a storage building, I'm planning on building my next layout in a storage building with storage space above and below. Using a storage room has worked pretty well for me so far. You mentioned using 18" radius curves, but I have some equipment that really needs a minimum of 22" radius curves. The curves for my passing sidings could be tighter. Here's what I wish I had done with my current space. I could have used the dog bones for passing siding areas. I couldn't make it work with 22" radius curves so I gave up. Looking back, I wish I had done this with 18" curves. Oh well, live and learn.
    Layout10.gif
     
  10. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Brandon, the 18 inches I was referring to is the width of the main layout, not the curve radius. Sorry if that was misleading!

    Joe
     
  11. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    Yes, I misunderstood. I see what you mean. 24" has been good for the aisle in my current layout (standing), but if I do indeed build the next layout 28-30" off the floor and use an office chair on casters, a minimum of 30"-wide aisles might not be a bad idea. Thanks for the advice. I'm sure I will be tweaking the plan several more times. Stay tuned and please, continue to give feedback. Thanks again.
     
  12. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

  13. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    Did you use flanges? I used flanges to mount PVC to a piece of plywood once for a portable table. I was disappointed in the stability but my pipe was only 3/4 inch. I don't think I'll do that again, but if I did, I would probably use 2" pipe.
     
  14. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    I didn't use flanges with the PVC pipe legs, just gravity.

    Joe
     
  15. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    My "Double Track Layout", link above in prior post, was built on a base that consisted of 3/4 inch Birch plywood, 1/2 inch blue insulation foam and 1 inch pink foam. I can't find 1 inch pink foam now, it's all 3/4 inch grayish pink, a real ugly color. The layout rested on the 3/4 inch PVC pipe system using gravity to hold it down. The way I built the PVC legs it was fairly stable and never had a problem and the base had enough weight to help with the stability.

    Be sure to include foam when you build your layout. This will allow you to carve below track level elevation such as a drainage system and maybe even a small stream. The 1/2 and 3/4 inch foam will equal about 9 feet in height in HO scale and about 17 feet in N scale.

    Joe
     
  16. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    Last night, I tweaked my dog bones and sidings again and managed to fit everything in a 12x12 space. Any building larger than that would just be "gravy." I'm not sure what got me thinking about wrapping sidings around the insides of the dog bones, but it definitely saves/utilizes space. I do not propose to use 18" and 15" radius curves in the sidings. I was limited by the software. I'm afraid 2" spacing in the curves won't be enough, so I intend on using 3 inch spacing: 22"r for the main, 19"r for the larger siding, and 16"r for the smaller siding. I haven't done the math exactly, but I believe the small siding is at least 12' long. If the building I wind up with is wider than 12' feet, I would expand the width across the top (back of the building) from corner to corner. However, even if I wind up with a building longer than 12 feet, I think I'll keep the dog bones at only 12' long. That way, I could walk around the end of the dog bones, making it easier be reach things on the back side. That would also reserve some wall space for a few free standing cabinets I already have on hand. I would like to put them in the building. This plan still has the wide opening that I wanted, plus it still has a work area, only smaller (8x6). That's still a lot larger than the narrow aisle I have now. I don't have a work area in my layout room now but I certainly need one. The room is just too small. Obviously I'm looking forward to a larger space. By the way, I prefer to use flex track exclusively, except for turnouts of course.

    Layout 01.GIF
     
  17. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    Since one of my classes is gone on a field trip, I had a little extra time and decided to play with MS paint. What an "era mess" I have planned. The Kentucky Lumber existed in Sulligent from 1909 until about 1929-31. The pecan farm wasn't started until about 2013... and my plan has both of them, and everything in between (time wise), represented on the same layout, at the same time. Oh well. I suppose it'll be OK. After all, it is my railroad as they say.
    Layout 12x12.gif
     
  18. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

    Good ol' rule #1! I've limited my layout to an early 10 year time span so I miss out on most RTR rolling stock, kits and model locomotives.
     
  19. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Brandon, Rule #1 is the best thing in the world. The most important thing is to have fun with your layout, otherwise it will just collect dust and other junk.

    Good luck on your layout!!!

    Joe
     
  20. trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017)

    trainchaser007 (Brandon Adams RIP 9/22/2017) Passed away September 22, 2017

    Other than the brick sheets, I could really use some help finding suppliers for parts to build these store front flats in HO scale. I will assume the prototype doors are 6' 8" tall (until I actually measure them) and use that as a reference. The tall storefront models need to be about 2 & 5/16" tall, while the short one needs to be about 1 & 7/8" tall. I still have to go and measure the width of each store front as well as the dimensions of the windows and doors. I will not include the sloped metal roof on the far right building since it had a flat roof until recently. You can also see the prototypes here:
    https://www.google.com/maps/@33.902...4!1sia-AcMSHOhCvWH0zcYDw1w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
    The awnings over the windows have been removed since the Google Maps image that was taken in Jan. 2014. I don't plan to include them on my models.
    Frisco St. Store Front.JPG
     

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