Goofy through-the-wall idea?

[brickgrrl]

Hi!

(Long time lurker, first time poster.)

I'm mostly a modulars fan, although I have a couple of trains I'd really like to get on display, too. (Love that Emerald Night!) I'd really like to get my modulars on display, with a train running around them. But I don't have room for a big train table.

I've got a big stretch of uninterrupted wall that I'm thinking about running a loop of train track through. So there'd be a long shelf on both sides of the wall, with a hole in the wall on both ends so that the train could loop through the two rooms. (Have I mentioned that my husband is very tolerant of this Lego stuff? He is.)

Since it's 3 baseplates to turn a train, I'd be looking at a total depth of three baseplates, although about half of one of them would be through the walls. So I could do one baseplate (32 studs) deep on one side and 1 1/2 baseplates (48 studs) on the other side, or it could be about 40 studs on each side. The question is: is that deep enough to actually do anything, keeping in mind that I want to do modular buildings as part of it?

The modular buildings are of course a 32 studs as built, but that includes about 8-10 studs in the back that I could lose (with some rebuilding), so maybe 24 studs needed for the modulars. But it seems like I'd need to put in a road for it to look right, and THEN the track. Seems like I'm short on studs, even if I make one side deeper than the other and only put the modular buildings on the deep side.

Suggestions? Has anyone done something like this? I've looked at lots of gorgeous train layouts, but haven't quite seen anyone do anything quite like this.

Thanks!

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I've seen a few track layouts that pass through walls. Makes a great tunnel. Heck, I'd do it myself, for sh*ts and giggles, if I had an available wall! I am having trouble finding links at the moment (slow internet), but I'll keep looking. As for running a train behind your modulars, granted they aren't custom 8W trains, you could really just leave the 8 studs needed for the rail ties to fit. Putting the modular backs right against the tracks for maximum space available, you should have plenty of space for a road and other details in the leftover 48 or so studs. Moc-up half a circle of rail and stick in a modular, or just build a foot print of a modular, on the floor, for a test fit, and see what space you have left over

[brickgrrl]

I would actually have to put the train in the front, in order to make the turn...

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Are you making an oval track layout or is the train going to turn around at each end, keeping all the track in front of the modulars? I hope you can visualize what I mean, it's a little difficult for me to explain without a picture

[brickgrrl]

Oval. I've only got about 40-48 studs depth on each side, so not room to turn.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Any chance that you could post some pics of what you have, where it's going, and available space?

[brickgrrl]

So, sort of. Please accept my apologies for the awful sketch - I clearly need better train-drawing technology!

[eurotrash]

Maybe there's another alternative to consider. Have you thought about doing two levels? One for the train track and one for the Modulars. It could look like a subway system/underground tracks together with a street level view. Or a street level view together with an elevated section. That would certainly reduce the width of the shelves requirements.... and it would give you enough space for Marshalling yards/Points/etc.

Edited April 30, 2013 by eurotrash

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Ah, I see now, I thought the wall you would go through would divide the shelves west/east as opposed to what you have. That is going to be tricky. You would have to heavily modify the modulars to fit in between wall and track, especially if adding a road. Is replacing the shelf for a wider one out of the question?

[brickgrrl]

The shelf's not built yet, so there's some flexibility there, but it's going to go over a desk (with computers, etc on it), so it can't be 3 feet deep or anything. :)

I'm sure 10 inches deep would be fine, since that's what my current shelves are. I'm pretty sure 15 inches deep would also be fine, which would allow me to turn a train (with that on both sides), but doesn't leave room for much but the train.

I guess what I need to do is mock up a 20 inch deep shelf over the computers and see if we hate it. Because if I had a full 64 studs deep, that might be doable... 4 stud margin + 8 stud track + 4 stud margin + 16 stud road (not really wide enough) + 32 stud modular building with sidewalk = 64 studs.

Or I could remove the backyards (and mess with the corner buildings quite a bit) and have a proper road width.

Edited April 30, 2013 by brickgrrl

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I don't know how you'd feel about this, but I would have even considered cutting part of the wall out, more or less making a window for the modulars to sit on. While still keeping parts of the the wall up, turning them into a tunnel. It may be a bit extreme and would be a little bit of work, completely reversible if you ever move, but really neat IMHO

[brickgrrl]

It's a load-bearing wall. Can't make a big pass-through without putting in a header above the removed studs, so nope, can't do that. :)

[LEGO Guy Bri]

It's a load-bearing wall.

Meh, you don't need those anyway...

But more seriously, it sounds like your best and easiest option would be to install the largest shelves, that still look good. A quick measurement, I took a 32x32 + 16x16 + a train car (8W) = 58 studs is equal to 17.5" so theres that

[Spitfire2865]

I have seen something like this done before, I just cant remember where. You could cut the modulars in half or so and turn them into a facade to lay flat against the wall, with the train going in front.

[Dan-147]

That is such a cool idea! I wish that I had thought of it myself.

I have a suggestion for you on how to work out the geometry of the setup. Personnally, I use IKEA RIBBA Picture Ledges for display purposes (for now) of my LEGO trains. The track is an almost perfect fit. Eventually, I hope to use these picture ledges for a wall-monted, operating layout. My original idea was to make an inner-room layout (all the way around the room) with custom shelves for the curves. With your idea of going through the wall, you could use these ledges for one side of the wall. The center of the track is about 50mm from the wall. Assuming the wall is about 115mm thick, that leaves 475mm to the center of the track on the other side of the wall or 443mm clear of the track (more or less 55 studs). Subtracting the 32 studs for a complete unmodified modular, that leaves about 23 studs for a road and a transition to the track.

Hoping this helps. Anyway, I can't wait to see how your project turns out! Best of luck on it.

Dan-147

Edited April 30, 2013 by Dan-147

[Locomotive Annie]

Holes in the wall to let the trains run through! Don't give me ideas

My house is my own and I don't have to ask permission of anybody so I constantly have to keep myself in check when it comes to layout planning.

[brickgrrl]

Eurotrash, I thought about that and have seen subterranean trains done really well, but (1) I'm so far from having the bricks that it isn't funny and (2) I'm having a hard time imagining the EN running in a subway tunnel. :)

[Spitfire2865]

Eurotrash, I thought about that and have seen subterranean trains done really well, but (1) I'm so far from having the bricks that it isn't funny and (2) I'm having a hard time imagining the EN running in a subway tunnel. :)

Old subways used steam. The London Underground for one! Though they werent engines like the EN.

[splatman]

It's happened in Canada: http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=57310

[Bamos]

Brickgrrl

You could place the modular sideways with the train running beside them. It would cut the space to one and a half base plates per side and

you would also be able to see both the front and back of the modular.

Bill

[Hey Joe]

Eurotrash, I thought about that and have seen subterranean trains done really well, but (1) I'm so far from having the bricks that it isn't funny and (2) I'm having a hard time imagining the EN running in a subway tunnel. :)

Yeah it sounds kinda weird 'on the surface' of it, so to speak , having a big steam engine running in a tunnel but was pretty common in large cities. Grand Central Station and Penn Station in NYC both have/had long underground approaches if memory serves. The steam, heat and smoke caused quite a lot of problems - as you can imagine - what with the limited air circulation and whatnot.

I'm hoping to have a big basement to set up a layout in soon, so I can't really relate to your project. It sounds like a fun challenge though.

Have fun, Joe

Edited May 1, 2013 by bjtpro

[brickgrrl]

Bamos, I'm not following you? What exactly are you suggesting?

[Spitfire2865]

Bjtpro. I actually completely forgot about Penn and Grand Central! How odd..I live close to NYC and am a huge fan of the NYC. Something about steam underground just didnt click for some reason. Haha. I guess Ive just never seen steam there for it to seem possible. :(

[Murdoch17]

@bjtpro & Spitfire2865: There was an New York City law that prohibited Steam Engines coming into the city from around the early 1890's (not sure when exactly?) to the end of steam. (There was a couple really bad tunnel accidents that killed lots of people - not from the crashes, but from lack of oxygen. This was where the law came from.) Electric engines were used for both the PRR & NYC stations, (such as the PRR's 1930's GG1) and that's why you wouldn't see a streamlined steam engine pulling the 20th Century Limited into Grand Central. Early Diesels were not used for a while either, as the law stated something about any air pollution and diesels expel fumes.

(Sorry brickgrll, I just wanted to set that straight, sorry for hijacking your topic.)

We now return your to your regular discussion.

Edited May 1, 2013 by Murdoch17

[Spitfire2865]

@bjtpro & Spitfire2865: There was an New York City law that prohibited Steam Engines coming into the city from around the early 1890's (not sure when exactly?) to the end of steam. (There was a couple really bad tunnel accidents that killed lots of people - not from the crashes, but from lack of oxygen. This was where the law came from.) Electric engines were used for both the PRR & NYC stations, (such as the PRR's 1930's GG1) and that's why you wouldn't see a streamlined steam engine pulling the 20th Century Limited into Grand Central. Early Diesels were not used for a while either, as the law stated something about any air pollution and diesels expel fumes.

(Sorry brickgrll, I just wanted to set that straight, sorry for hijacking your topic.)

We now return your to your regular discussion.

Haha didnt know that! Though it does make sense. Still, no harm in doing a Lego steamer underground.