My BIG Model Railway Move...!!!

[Peter Stiles]

JJ the other option for the door is what I've done (*) and that's re-hang the door so that it opens outwards from the room rather than inwards. That way you keep your ability to, well, close the door, and you have a few more feet of usable room space.

First step is, of course, take the door off and see how you like that...

(*) well, a Man From The Internet I Paid did for me.

[37lover]

JJ,

Have you been drilling into a wall without checking what is behind?

There is yet another option for your door but I hesitate to mention it given your apparent lack of DIY safety! Check out a bi-fold door.

BTW, do you intend fixing any bracing under your layout "shelves"? They don't look very rigid.

[Rana Temporia]

JJ you can get a cheap scanner for walls from most DIY shops which will show up cable runs, pipes and even stud walls. You really don’t want to be drilling into anything electrical or that carries water or gas. Why not go for legs down to the floor or even a row of cheap kitchen units to store stuff in to support the shelving. No wall drilling required. You could use any of the modern high strength adhesives to attach some hardboard or similar to attach the backscenes to.

[96RAF]

Those walls look to be dry lined with plasterboard, probably using the dot and daub fixing method. Behind it given the age of your house could be solid stone a couple of feet thick if its an outside wall.

If its an inside wall it is probably metal framed ready-wall twin-plasterboard and you are hitting the metal frame, but with the size of the holes you have already made a good torch should allow you to see what is behind there. Avoid copper coloured or other metal pipes, wires, plastic pipes, etc.

Use of old cut-down kitchen cupboards or drawers is a good idea. IKEA had some suitable drawers (MALM) that came in various heights and widths.

[JJ73]

Thank you all...

@ Peter Trains :- A nice idea- but I can't do that - due to the way how the door frame is - there is no other side to it, & I've never closed the door b/c I don't like the idea of being in small room with the door closed - I've always left it open!!! So I might just take the door off & have a door way without a door!!! 🙂

@37lover :- Well I know that if there is either a plug socket or light switch then the wires go straight up from it - so I was careful about that!!! As I said above - I don't really need a door - never really used the door which is there now!!! Well the shelf bracket are quite sturdy - as long as I don't either sit or stand on then - they should be ok - the heaviest thing to go on them is track, stations, F. S., Mallard & other Locos!!! They have been stand alone for 3 or 4 days now & haven't fallen down yet!!! 😉

@ Rana :- Don't worry - I learnt my lesson over 20 yrs ago when I was Living in my Flat in Hemel Hempstead - I was drilling a hole in the wall to put up a speaker bracket & I had the TV on in the background - & I was drilling above a electric socket & I didn't know about the wire going above it then & I drilled straight into the wire causing a short circuit, BANG 😮went my electric & my TV went off - had to call in an Electrician to fix it!!! Well I have also used to old Tables already for some of the layout & most of the wood I've used are PARTS of the 2 old table which I used - I've repurpose wood!!! It's a stud wall between my new Railway room & my Office next wall I discovered - cos it was easy to drill into!!! 🙂

@ Raf :- Yeah the wall where my 2 Bridges are that is a Stone wall I think, I think your right - it did look like it was "dry lined with plasterboard, probably using the dot and daub fixing method" (It was quite hard to drill some parts of it!!!) My cottage is about 200 years old!!! There were 4 holes where I found difficult to drill into - even using a special Reisser Diamond Drill!!! Yeah I did what you said - I did use a torch to look into the holes - couldn't really see much thou (sound silly - but I didn't want to look for too long - just in case I saw something looking back at me from inside the wall!!!😄😀 Then that would of been scary!!!😱) As I said above I did use 2 old Ikea Table & parts of it to use for my Layout!!! 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[Brew Man]

"Well I know that if there is either a plug socket or light switch then the wires go straight up from it - so I was careful about that!!!"

Well I admire your faith in others to follow electrical installation rules no_mouth. BTW horizontal, right or left from an accessory is also allowed.

[96RAF]

@JJ

Those stone walls can be hard and your drill may wander as it follows the softer bits.

Your drilling through a wire and putting the power off reminds me a time at work.

My office was one of several in an old building and made up of metal frames with glass top sections and metal lower panels. I wanted to hang a white board and facilities were dragging their heels about doing it, so I took my drill in and proceeded to screw this board to the framework. 5 minute job, etc.

Yes you guessed it there were cables running inside the frame sections that I was drilling into and I put all the power to the building out when I hit them. All the PCs went down and folk were not happy.

I got a free interview from the boss for that, a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again.

[JJ73]

@ Brew Man :- Well I just hope that who ever in the past wired up my Cottage - wired it up properly & that is all I can do is hope!!! 😉 Thank you, I didn't know about the "horizontal, right or left from an accessory is also allowed" bit!!!

@ Raf :- Oh dear 😀 look like we both learnt our lesson there - a ' free interview from the boss' - opps - that doesn't sound good 😐 well a 5 min job is never a 5 min job - some thing always get in the way as we both learnt!!! 😀

[96RAF]

@JJ

No worries - I got used to being carpeted.

My boss used to say if you are not in here getting your **** kicked once a month then you are not trying hard enough. Push the limits of your job spec and upset those people who deserve it. If they moan to me I will guard your back. He didn’t like ‘free-wheelers’ as he called them. I.e. folk who just did enough to get by day to day. A good boss and a rare breed.

Good luck with the layout rework - seems to be a good plan.

The door bridge. A 2x1” frame under the board should brace it enough if the top is decent ply. Maybe extend the side shelf as far as the door frame to keep the bridge as short as possible.

Will it be hinged or lift-out and have you thought about killing the track power when it is open/out.

[JJ73]

Hmmmm - I hadn't really thought about a 'door bridge' b4 - I was just simple going to put a piece of wood across the door way & then just slip under it all the time - you got me thinking now. I'm not sure how the track is going to be - I think that I'll have to take another look at this!!! Thank you 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[JJ73]

I think what I may do is...

1) Take my door off - I've never really used it - always left it open - it's in the way really!!!

2) Place the piece of wood across the door way & fix it on to the wall with the shelf brackets...

3) Place the track on the wood so that I got 2 complete circuits / loops...

4) See how the track is & see how I can make a 'door bridge'

🙂🚂🚂🚂

[JJ73]

A little update...

I've now taken my door off it's hingers 😉 it was heavier than I expected

& this is what is will roughly look like in the door way & the 9 nails that came out of the hingers - 2 of the nails were slightly bigger than the other 7 for some reason??? 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[Jimbo1707820979]

Funny series Jimy. Keep going !

[JJ73]

Thank you Jimbo - wasn't meant to be funny but I see what you mean!!! 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[JJ73]

Up-date time...

As you can see (in the photos above & below...) I have now finished of that corner - still haven't decided how I'm going to do a 'door bridge' - thought it would be ok to just go under the shelf - but it is starting to get a bit annoying to go under all the time!!! Any way - as you can see - in that corner there is a bit of a slope & I am going to call it something like 'James's Slope' or JJ's slope' or something like that!!!

In the above photo - under the desk you can see a piece of sloping wood - I am going to fix that up straight with small corner brackets & put my 2 H & M controllers on it!!! Now I'm about to film 1 of my Locos doing a test around each circuit!!! 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[96RAF]

@JJ

Having first hand experience of being too old and inflexible for ducking under, my access section is slide in but that wouldn’t work in your case.

I would suggest an L-shaped lift up flap, hinged on the short edge (right hand end as seen in your middle picture).

I say L-shaped because it is easier and more reliable to cut your track straight across rather than on a curved bit of track.

Once the track route has been set in concrete then you can trim the lifting section boards down a bit to make it lighter to handle and then add your bracing framework. A simple catch on the wall at the top will secure it in the up position.

[Yelrow]

JJ i have 2 lift up/ out sections. 1 is as Rob said, hinged, tother, just lifts out. You will need some copper clad sleepers, where you solder track to them, to make contact when you lift out or hinge. You can buy sheets on ebay. Simply cut strips and remove a sleeper from each rail. Than solser rail to strip, and screw down. Remember to cut a slot across the middle of each copper strip, or you will have a short.

[Yelrow]

Its a tad fiddly to solder, but works a treat.

 

 

[96RAF]

Picture of what John said about copper sleepers.

6” x 4” sheets, cut into 1/2” strips, then grooved for isolation between individual tracks and twixt roads.

[CORKY.]

I am guessing your door opens INTO the train room. Could you change the hinges so that it opens away from the train room, and then you could duck under the layout.

[Yelrow]

Corky, thats fine, when you are young and mobile, bur a pain, when you get old. At 77, ducking is not for me, or many of us. Hence my solution, which Rob, kindly illustrated

[JJ73]

@ Rob & John :- Thank you for the idea & photos - I think I get it, the long white piece of wood & the short white piece of wood are not connected together - they just sit next to each other & the long piece is on a slight slope. For me at both ends, as b/c it is a corner piece - no I don't quite get it - do I need to add 2 hinges at the far end so it lefts up against the wall & how do I get it to connect when it is down b/c it is a corner piece, I'm not 100% sure how to do it🤔🚂🚂🚂

@corky :- I've already taken the door off it hinger b/c I don't use it or need it - that is not the problem - like what John (Yelrow) said "that's fine, when you are young and mobile, but a pain, when you get old." hence why I decided to take my layout off the floor & have a "layout shelves" as 37Lover called it!!! Also have my office chair in the middle so that if I have a derailment I can quick & easy get to any part of the layout!!! When I got my siding done that is when my H&M 2000 will come in Play!!! See Photo below!!!😐🚂🚂🚂

[96RAF]

Fix those two bits into an L shape and hinge it so it lifts up like this rough sketch. You would be advised to place the hinges out from the wall on a batten to allow clearance as it lifts...

[Yelrow]

JJ, you connect with copper sleepers fitted as Rob showed, and i explained, but you will need supports under your existing piece, so that when you lower it down, it stays lined up. What i do, is when it is in place, eg, sitting on support batten at track level, i have sliding fishplates, already installed on rails, and just slide them across to ensure smooth passage. These joiners are old ones from old rails, so bigger than peco ones, By sliding them across track stays lined up, as your hinged bit, will be liable to move about a tad.

[JJ73]

Thank you both - I think I can some how fix both pieces together & hinge it to a batten then the wall using the old hinges from the door - I like your 3D Drawing Rob b. t. w. 🙂 Interesting - it took me a few seconds to see if from the inside of the room & not the outside of the room!!!

This may take me a while to do b/c I'm now back @ work full time & only have my 2days off & any evenings when I return from work, which could be from 5 pm to about 8:30 clock830pm depending what time we finish!!! Shhh - but don't tell the boss if we finish early!!! 😉

I'll think I'll get the 'door bridge' bit tackled 1st - that sounds pretty easy to do I think (famous last words!!! 😀) then I'll do the railway bit, for which for me, I'm a bit confused, if it was not on a corner & on a straight, I kinda get it, 1 end would have wires to connect with...

but for me, I have a corner & will the track @ both ends will have to connect some how 🤔

I've got some old copper (I think) fish plates for which I could 'slide across'...

I think that the end of the track would have to stick out a bit to make a good connection on to them copper sleepers!!! 🤔🚂🚂🚂