Crossbones Posted January 4, 2016 Posted January 4, 2016 As we prepare to take down the Christmas Winter Village layout we set up this year (link), I am determined to have a basement layout. This will be a family effort with my two teenaged children, and they will have a lot of say into how it eventually develops. A lot (ok, pretty much most) of the details are still unresolved, but I want to get started! I do have a list, that I will separate into "givens" and "druthers" - items that are not subject to change (such as available space, for example) from things that are just preferences, and can be modified or eliminated as needed. Step 1, for me at least, is to name the railroad. This makes it seem more "real", and will get me started thinking about it. Despite it's smallish beginnings, I have chosen a grandiose name - the Georgia Northwestern Railway (GNWR). Step 2 is to clear out a space where I can start the layout. Currently, my basement looks like a truck just backed into it from a scary yard sale and dumped a bunch of stuff in it. My name is Henry, and I am a pack-rat! Getting an area cleared and organized will take a bit of time and effort, but obviously it has to be done in order for the project to progress. A lot of the offending items are bound for ebay to finance development of the railroad. I have two potential areas in which I can build a layout. One would allow me a 130" x 80" layout, and the other is a bit larger. I think that in order to keep things manageable and keep my efforts focused, I am going to start in the smaller area (Phase 1 - seen in the photos above). Expansion into the larger area (Phase 2 - below photos) can proceed at a future time. I'll be posting comments and pics here detailing the progress, in order to help keep me motivated. I know from past experience that one of the biggest potential problems that can arise is a loss of motivation. So please chime in with comments, encouragement and yes, even criticism. It will all help keep me on track (pun intended). Quote
pirzyk Posted January 4, 2016 Posted January 4, 2016 Good luck! The only comment I can make so far is you may or may not want to limit your layout to be 80" wide. I found that is about the limit I can reach the center of my layout (120x80) reasonably. Looking forward to seeing future updates! Quote
Crossbones Posted January 5, 2016 Author Posted January 5, 2016 Good luck! The only comment I can make so far is you may or may not want to limit your layout to be 80" wide. I found that is about the limit I can reach the center of my layout (120x80) reasonably. Looking forward to seeing future updates! That's good advice. I'm used to narrower (N-scale) layouts, so that's something to think about. The space I have is in a corner, so I am playing on BlueBrick with various shapes for the layout - "L", an island with center hole, "U," and so forth. I'll try to get screen grabs and share what I have so far in terms of possibilities. One thing I wanted, but I think will not be feasible unless I use the island layout, is a double-tracked mainline. But we'll see... I have just begun to play with ideas. Quote
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