Left Coast Railroad, A remodel and expansion of my 12' x 14' attic layout.

[Rail_Light]

Here is the story and build process of my freelance attic layout.

The down side of having a attic layout in california is the summer HEAT.
No matter how well insulated or air conditioned my attic is, During the summer it is always in the 80's in my attic.
(Occasionally in the low 90's during a 100+ fahrenheit heatwave outside.)

Every year around late spring when the temperature gets too hot layout progress stops, Trains and Projects go into hibernation for the modeling season.
Around the fall season when the temperature is usually acceptable again my modeling season continues until the next late spring.
Due to the summer heat I call my modeling part time, As my layout room is left dormant for about 6 months of the year.

Initially I had a 12' x 14' layout in my attic that I experimented with and learned a lot from.

Here are some of the only pictures if have of this (Now destroyed) layout.




I was getting bored with this old layout, So I got the idea to start over with something different. I stripped the layout down to the bare homasote and benchwork.
My plan was on modeling Union Pacific 1980 to present time in a semi fictional southern california desert location with inspiration from Tehachapi, Mojave, Barstow, Etc.
I just about had a plan worked out and was getting close to starting construction on a new layout, Then the unexpected happened.

My uncle an HO-Scale modeler unexpectedly passed away. Then that same month my long time family friend,
An old wealthy hippie and N-Scale collector since the 1960s was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and then passed away only a few months later.

Shortly after I inherited boxes, boxes and boxes of N-Scale and HO-Scale trains from both of their collections.
(basically in the amount equivalent to or more than a large hobby shop.)

But at that time no amount of trains mattered to me anymore, I abandoned the hobby and left the attic full of trains and incomplete projects.

[Rail_Light]

A few years later I started getting interested in Model Railroading again. At that same time my wife also had some ideas of her own for my attic.
(it's been a long time since you worked on your train set, I want a bigger closet, Etc)
With our bedroom adjacent to the layout room, Her idea was to basically cut my old layout in half and turn that space into a walk in closet mostly just for her.
So we negotiated on the attic space, A decision was made, She gets a closet and I get a bigger than before layout.

Then my old layout plan went out the window and back to a redesign again, This time almost 24' x 12'
I also started an inventory of my trains in Excel and got an insurance rider to cover my collection.

I start thinking what am I going to do with this HO-Scale ? My first thought was perhaps sell/trade for more N-Scale, Then I thought no I have a lot N-Scale already.
Ultimately I decided to keep the HO-Scale for the sentimental value instead of money or more N-Scale. So I decided to build an HO loop underneath my main N-Scale layout.

As with many attics mine presented some obstacles when building my initial layout. First a sloped ceiling across the length of the room and the other is two separate floor heights.
The low side (eventually the green side) is 12' x 12' and has a pull down attic ladder on one side. The high side (eventually the desert side) has a floor 21" higher than the low side and
was initially 12' x 14' now its 12' x 8' 6" due to the new closet. To maximize the available space my old layout was build 12" from the floor in high side of the room.

Here is a newly built closet to the right and the destruction of my old layout to left.



Here is the low side of my attic. The whole room I painted light blue and put wood flooring in the low side. (was carpet earlier)
Blue masking tape marks where the new layout expansion would be built.


With the amount of N-Scale locomotives I own I wanted to have a large engine facility. ( 32 inches x 8 feet )
Also there is closet (Now hidden under benchwork) in low side of my attic approximately 4 feet deep by 12 feet wide, Unfortunately I have to crawl on my hands and knees to reach it.

[Rail_Light]

Location: Freelance, With scenery inspiration from various california locations.
Northern california greenland fading into southern california desert.

Prototype: Mostly west coast railroads with occasional foreign power.

Era: No specific modeling era, will vary on any given day. One day I could be running intermodal trains with Tier 4 Gevo's.
The next day it could be Cab Forward's and 40' ice reefers.
All trains operating on the main lines will have rolling stock close to the appropriate time period as possible for the chosen era of that day.
So no Cab Forward's pulling intermodal trains, Etc.

Control: DCC and Analog block control.

Track: Atlas Code 80 Flex and Peco Turnouts.

Here is the draft track plan showing approximate main line and yard locations, So track is unlikely to be perfectly straight or in exactly the same location.


There will be four separate lines.

Red: continuous loop of approximately 35 feet.
Green: continuous loop of approximately 42 feet.
Blue: continuous loop of approximately 64 feet.
Yellow: point to point yard line.

Red and Green lines will be able to be linked together to create one continuous loop of approximately 60 feet .

Red, Green and Blue lines will be able to be linked together to create one large continuous loop of approximately 124 feet.

Red and Green lines will also have polarity reversible blocks to create massive reversing loops that can hold trains of approximately 80 cars. (50' cars)

All four separate lines will have thier own dedicated analog power pack. Each line will be able to switch over and use any of the other 3 analog power packs or DCC control.

[Rail_Light]

Latest progress completed before this summer. (Aka the end of last years modeling season)
Most of the benchwork was completed and painted. All HO track was laid, wired and thoroughly tested. with the exception of a control panel for HO.

Here is what will eventually be the desert side of the layout. The door is a emergency exit into the walk in closet. (I call it Plan B)
The temporary kato unitrack loop will eventually be the location of the Red line.
The large gap in the benchwork left of the door will be the future location of two steel viaduct bridges almost 3 feet long.
I plan on building a large oil refinery on the back wall.



The center section of the layout where the two digitrax throttles are will eventually be the location of a small town.
Almost in the center of the picture where the bunch of HO engines are will be the location of my N-Scale yard, There I anticipate a storage capacity of about 130 freight cars.



Here is where the green side of the layout will start, This will also be the location of a large engine facility.
The top OSB board and homasote was temporally removed to work on the HO track underneath and the Control Panels on the front.



On the back wall the N-Scale benchwork drops down 3 inches, But the track will be at the same height.
Where the home depot box is will be the location of four brass bridges. (2x single track, 2x double track)



Here the benchwork continues over the top of my attic entrance, then narrows down to 1 foot wide behind my work table.
Also with the HO main line and staging yard underneath the N-Scale level.



Then here the layout starts the transition from green back into the desert.
Also this is where I have to step up and on the layout, then over to reach the inside of the desert side.

[el Gato Gordo]

But at that time no amount of trains mattered to me anymore, I abandoned the hobby and left the attic full of trains and incomplete projects

And now?

Sorry to hear about your uncle and friend.

[Rail_Light]

My layout will have night lighting when I start working on the scenery and structures.
So this past weekend a computer power supply was modified and installed onto the layout for the accessory and lighting power.




Today I finished installing rolling stock detectors for HO-Scale.

[WP&P]

Since you've got to step ON part of the layout to get to the desert side, might I make a small suggestion?

You should designate a specific location where a foot can be placed, where it is over a joist for instance, so that body weight won't flex the layout and thereby cause adjacent scenery to crack. And as I am thinking about desert scenery with a designated foot placement location, in my mind I see a big old footprint being embedded into the sand. Maybe you paint it on, but I could see it being made to look like an out-of-scale footprint impression in the actual scenery.

Then, you could post a portion of Neil Armstrong's famous quote on the fascia: "That's one small step for man..."

[Rail_Light]

Since you've got to step ON part of the layout to get to the desert side, might I make a small suggestion?

You should designate a specific location where a foot can be placed, where it is over a joist for instance, so that body weight won't flex the layout and thereby cause adjacent scenery to crack. And as I am thinking about desert scenery with a designated foot placement location, in my mind I see a big old footprint being embedded into the sand. Maybe you paint it on, but I could see it being made to look like an out-of-scale footprint impression in the actual scenery.

Then, you could post a portion of Neil Armstrong's famous quote on the fascia: "That's one small step for man..."

This particular area I thought a lot about when I was building the benchwork, My first Idea was to build a box out of plywood with removable top sections.
Basically a giant desert plateau that I can walk on, The trains would go into and out of tunnels underneath.



Ultimately I didn't like the plywood box idea. I am going to make one or two designated plywood stepping stones then hide them in scenery as best as I can.
Also the part of the layout I walk on is a heavily reinforced 2x4 box frame with 2x4 joists at 10" spacing, So it does not move when I walk on it.

[Rail_Light]

I have begun the construction of my control panels.

New aluminum panels painted flat white with colored pinstriping tape.



Next is the long process of wiring toggle switches and terminal blocks.

[Rail_Light]

March Update, Still working on my control panels. (December through February I did not have any spare time to work on the layout)

The HO part of my control panel is complete. I am now wiring the many switches required for N-Scale.


A view of my control panels from behind, from the access holes underneath my benchwork.
Eventually the top will be covered and will be the future location of a large locomotive yard.


For N-Scale DCC short protection a Digitrax PM42 was also installed recently.

[Scotian_Huntress]

Very neat wiring. Are you labelling the connection points?

[ssoysal]

This is so exciting to see. Neat wiring like this is just beautiful IMO. It's like looking at a well-modeled diorama. Great job!

[Rail_Light]

Very neat wiring. Are you labelling the connection points?

There are a few different ways I label the connections. I use different color wires for each main line, Some wires have colored pinstripe tape on them and the screws on some terminal blocks are marked with sharpie pens in different colors.

I also created a very detailed wiring schematic of my control panels with information about each wire and their connection points.

[Rail_Light]

Major progress update, My control panels are now finally complete.



Three separate main lines each with their own block control, Point to point yard line, Four power packs , DCC control, Two wye tracks,
Reverse loops on two main lines and Crossovers. Equals wiring insanity.



This took way longer than I anticipated; I only had a few spare hours each week to work on my layout.

Unfortunately it is starting to get hot here in my California attic, So it won't be long before I stop progress and close my attic down for the summer, Then continue again in the cooler fall season.

[Rail_Light]

Now that the average temperature is cooler again in my attic, I am back and working on my layout again.

A few weeks ago all OSB board and Homasote was permanently nailed down. Now I am finally ready to work on N-Scale.


Here I am determining the final locations of the four brass bridges. (Still undetermined when this picture was taken)
Both of the unpainted bridges will be eventually painted silver before their final installation onto the layout.

[WP&P]

I am in love with those bridges!
Sorry, let me clean up the drool...

[Maurice]

I am really impressed with your benchwork, especially how it is all painted already. Please do not take this as criticism but do you think that you left enough room for scenery and the water below where the bridges will go? The real railroads only put big bridges over big waterways. Since there is a lower level of the layout beneath where the bridges go, you will have to cut into the benchwork that supports it. It has potential to be a truly impressive scene. Cheers and stay safe. Maurice

[Allen H.]

The real railroads only put big bridges over big waterways.

Hmmm?
Big bridges, no water. Well, at least most of the time...

[ssoysal]

It looks like the terrain on the right where the control panels are mounted is about 3-4" higher than the spot with the bridges. I assumed that he would have the bridges mounted higher, maybe about the same height as the rest of the level, which would provide plenty of depth to create the necessary scenery.

[Rail_Light]

Please do not take this as criticism but do you think that you left enough room for scenery and the water below where the bridges will go?

One thing I forgot to mention in that close up picture of my bridges, That won't be their actual install height on the layout.

I intentionally built the benchwork around the bridges 3 inches lower than the rest of the layout to accommodate scenery under them.
I will raise the track up 3 inches with woodlands scenics foam risers to be at the same level as the rest of the layout.

I also can gain an extra half of an inch if I remove some of the homasote under the bridges.