A Comfortable Space

There is a lot to be said about a space being 'visually comfortable.'  We have touched on this on the Onondaga Cutoff before, but it bears repeating now and again because it's an ongoing effort. If we want people to be part of what we do, it is our responsibility to do what we can to make what we do enjoyable and comfortable.  

As we proceed with the new storage, while the bridge is finalized we continued with operations.  I wanted the area to be seamless and so I decided to finish the existing project first.  The cap on the support girders proved a perfect spot for something we can all use more of: drink holders on the layout!

The switch ladder and storage tracks have yet to be finalized, but adding this little plywood cap is a great way to get use out of the new construction at every session.  The cap is removeable and into its place the removable bridge will sit.  

This was also a chance to re-hang the skirting along the bottom of the layout, and to do it in a way that looked seamless.  Tom's suggestion to use staples and a strip of cardboard was a good one and created a nice straight edge.  

The overview shows it all: a visually pleasing finishing job for new construction.  

We can see the bridge to the left, which is waiting for girders, an official keeper stand, and track.  The girders are next, this week; track and wiring will follow.  Our hobby is based on trains but trains are built, moved, and maintained by people.  Making our layout spaces a bit more comfortable for them and for us will benefit each of our experiences along the way!

Long Skirt, Short Skirt!

On the layout, that is.  What did you expect?

As we continue with the 'atmosphere improvement' process on the Onondaga Cutoff, I am happy to say that all the custom skirting for the layout has been completed and delivered to the layout space.  When I have a few minutes, I am hanging the pipe system to support the skirting as we saw recently and then installing the fabric itself. 

Before....

...and after. 

 As expected, it's a major change in appearance!   With scenery more or less complete now over the M&E and over the main line from CP282 all the way to the 278 automatic signals near the dairy farm scene, my goal for this part of the effort is to have all the curtains hung over that area before the end of August.

In other news, several newly-weathered freight cars were delivered by Lenny last week, in exchange for a decoder and sound installation on one of his diesels. 

Also, I am making some upgrades to several switch control assemblies in the Island Yard, the locomotive facility that serves to turn power at the east and west end of the run.  This panel requires quite a bit of re-wiring as part of the move but will be a major upgrade in appearance and functionality.

It's hard to believe it is mid-July already.  I have been spending lots of time with the family:

Summer always seems to fly by.  There are plenty of jobs to keep me busy outdoors but the railroad is always calling in the evening, after kid bedtime!  Progress will continue and you'll see it here.

~RGDave

Dressing Up the Railroad: A Long Gray Skirt

With much of the messier scenery work on parts of the layout now complete, I have been focusing more on some of the overall layout atmosphere on the Onondaga Cutoff.  This has included repainting and redecorating the entrance stairway to the layout, finishing the scenery on the M&E as it comes through the entrance stairway, and adding daylight LED lighting to areas to balance out the light temperature.

Layout skirting is something that does a wonderful job hiding the storage beneath a layout.  Rows of boxes and tools create an organized but chaotic and distracting appearance.  While flooring will be addressed someday as well, here's where we are headed:

There are a variety of options available, most of them stock order fabric for trade shows and display tables.   I considered these but have several issues.

First, they are only available in rectangles, and with a sloping floor in a 178-year old basement, that would lead to an obviously uneven appearance along the un-level floor.

Further, these will appear tall due to the high layout heights, and I did not like the look of creased and fluted fabric at 48" high.  For the Onondaga Cutoff I prefer a look of flatter fabric.

Finally, these are generally fastened to their tables with Velcro.  Velcro is an issue for me here since I need to regularly access the storage below the layout, and tearing velcro off each time would eventually damage the fascia.  I needed more of a 'shower curtain' setup, with fabric that can hang from a support rod or pipe mounted behind the lower fascia, and easily be slid sideways to allow access.

Therefore, I considered another option: custom-created skirting.   A friend of the family loves to sew, and I approached her about the idea.  She advised that buying fabric in bulk would keep the cost down, and taking some careful measurements would allow her to quickly create custom-sewn curtains for each location around the layout, matching the changing elevations and special needs for some locations.

I remembered an article in Model Railroader some years back about layout skirting, where the author used Pex plumbing pipe and brackets mounted up behind the fascia as a support.  Clasp-hooks can hang from the pipe, and the fabric from that.  I made the decision that this was the best way to proceed.

You can see here how the Pex curves along with the fascia.  I used clamps to attach the pipe to the joists.   The elevation matters as you want the pipe high enough behind the fascia to hide the clasps once installed.  The clasps I used are about 2" total from top to bottom, so I hung the pipe approximately 2-1/2" up.   Some adjustments are needed here and there due to how the fascia is mounted, but with some creativity and patience it came together well so far.

Here is a quick before, during, and after series for you: 

What a change this is, and will especially be once the other side is completed.  Now that this part is installed, the rest will go more quickly, and I expect to have the rest of the layout skirting completed later this summer!