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Bman's U-Shaped Layout

20K views 81 replies 28 participants last post by  tjcruiser 
#1 · (Edited)
Ok, I have started in on my new layout. Over the last week I have been busy cutting up the old table, from an 6'x16' to two ~7.5'x5' tables. I also added a 4'x8' and put the three together to make the U (picture below). Before I put the table in place I installed a new 20 amp breaker in the electrical box and ran 8 outlets under the middle table. I'm hoping this will give me enough juice to power all the train goodies:).

I just got done leveling and joining all the tables together, I have painted the foam board a brown color and tomorrow I am gonna glue it down.

I'm trying to go slowly as I am a real impatient person. So I think I will lay down the track first without the roadbed and then get some trains running. That way if I don't like the design I can change it before I get to far in!!

Oh, almost forgot, I installed the new lighting as well, 4 new lights, I think the lighting situation is a little better now.




My workbench is a mess right now :eek:
 

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#5 ·
Ok a couple of pics of the new layout. It's going slow but it's going. I'm just testing it out right now. I gonna lay down all the track and "play" trains for a long while first. At least the boy is happy now that he can watch the trains!!

Check out my video as well



 

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#7 ·
Looking good Bman. I know you're anxious to get some progress going, but it's nice to have the trains running while you do the scenery. It's a good break, once in a while, to just sit and watch the trains running.
I like your quad outlet boxes too. I hope you have them wired and fused at more than 15amps, or you have more than one circuit running to them.
 
#8 ·
Turntable Placement

I just got my new turntable and I wanted to get some opinions on where to put it. I had a couple of Ideas so I did a some mockups and took some pictures. Please let me know what one you like the best.
Thanks

In the first two pictures the turntable and engine house are near the end of the table, the engine house placement is different in the second photo




Here I have moved the turntable closer to the back of the layout nearer to where the rest of the yard action is.


Different location of the engine house


Alternate view of the last photo.
 

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#12 ·
It's just the inexpensive Atlas turntable but I think it'll do the job. It sits flat on the table you don't need to cut a recess into the top. You do need to have roadbed down under the track so the track and the turntable sits at the same height.

Right now I won't be able to use the turntable because I purposely do not have any roadbed down. I want to "test drive" the layout first to make sure I have good flow.
 
#16 ·
Thanks everyone for your input, I really appreciate it!!




Yes I do have a sanding station and a fuel depot. I'm not really sure right now were the placement of those items will go. I think I will probably have to add another turnout and put them somewhere closer to the yard.

I have moved the turntable as close to the wall/back of the layout as possible, this will free up some space in front of it to add another spur or just leave it alone for some landscaping/other structures. See Picture below.

 

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#17 ·
Well I ran out of track, so I had to stop with the layout building. But I got pretty far, in fact I am upwards of about 90% complete.

No pictures on purpose, I am planning a video which I think might be pretty cool. I tried to make it tonight but after about the sixth take of getting it wrong I called it quits. Man it would stink to be a director!!!
 
#19 ·
The lights I got from craigs list, I think the guy said they were out of a drug store that he remodeled, so I bought a few of them to put over the layout.
I kinda ended up with the look of layout #4, I think I posted a pic of the layout design in my design thread.

I have built all of the layout with the exception of the engine storage track and engine maintenance building area, which will have to be modified as there is not enough room. I think it will be just one long track with a runaround for the engine shed.

I am really liking the method of putting down some track, running the trains, then modifying what needs to be changed before I get too far in with roadbed and landscaping. I don't know how many times I have changed my mind, whether it be after I ran the trains or as I was laying down the track.

Now I am going to buy some more track and have some more fun with the trains before I take the plunge and start laying down the roadbed!!
 
#22 ·
Wow, it's been a real long time since I've posted on the forum.

Still working ever so slowly on my layout, a building here or there now and then. I've also installed all of my tortoise switch machines for the turnouts and I've wired all except one up to stationary decoders (Digitrax DS64). So at least I have 20 of my 21 turnout's operational.

I haven't begun to do any landscaping yet and that's really killing me. I just wanted to get all my buildings in place fist and then layout where I am going to put the roads next. I'm almost done with the buildings, at least the ones that are going on the interior of the layout, I plan to eventually put buildings of some type all along the back of the layout by the wall.

I'm gonna make a few changes to the yard, nothing major but I think it will make it a little easier from an operational point of view.

Took a few shots of the layout the way it stands right now.
Feels good to be a part of the forum again!!!:thumbsup:

I really need to look at the camera settings, I apologize but these pictures are horrible, the lighting is dreadful, maybe it was because the batteries were dying:confused:

Overall pic



And some closer shots







 

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#33 ·
Yeah I forgot where I ordered that Kraft Mill from, but I'm guessing from your post it's hard to find now. I just picked it up about two months ago.

Now I would really like that Superior Paper Mill, but I'm not quite sure it will fit, it's over 20" long!!

I missed when you posted this Bman :eek: what did you do with the old layout? If I remember right the construction crew was adding a new spur onto a complete layout! Now that crew build a whole new city :laugh:
The new track design is just awesome, you'll have to keep us update :)
I decided to change things up a bit. It's going pretty good. I'm still trying to figure out the final placement of some of these structure before I start to go crazy on the landscaping.

Thanks guys for the compliments!! :)
 
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