Train Room update

 

An update on the train room

 

Last week, I am pleased to announce that the last major piece of my Train room was installed, 40 metres away from the room.

 

Returning back to the depot.  I had just paid for the gravel and sand used during the septic installation, when I was stopped at the level crossing near the Junee Chocolate factory.  Well, that was an opportunity to do some picture taking

Before I  bought my house in 2014, I noticed that there were holes in the concrete slab at the back of the large brick garage.  I assumed that these were to serve a small bathroom, as there was also a partially built brick wall to enclose the facility.

The future ensuite location, in the process of removing the brick wall.  Note the pipework in the slab.  Note too, that I had a problem with storage - here are some of the plywood sheets that I acquired in 2017, which are destined to become baseboards. 

In 2017, the holes were investigated, and we found that the holes were indeed plumbing, which unfortunately didn’t extend past the end of the concrete slab.  So, before landscaping and new paths were installed in the backyard, pipework was extended from the slab, down the slope, and terminated in my horse paddock.  

Stormwater, and septic pipes share the same trench down the slope from my garage.

And there is remained until last week.   Cameron, my plumber for the train room, wrote up the request paperwork for a septic installation to go to Council, and approval came shortly later, with a few changes

Septic installation in pictures

 

The septic tank is 3200 litres, which was a change insisted by the council.  It is actually bigger than the tank we have for the main house!  It arrived on the back of a reece delivery truck, with the other material, pipes etc needed.

Finding the end of the septic pipes required some deft work of Dave, with his digger.  Fortunately located exactly where we left it

Dave digging out the hole

The hole had to be 2 metres deep, 2 metres wide, and at least 2 metres long.  Fortunately, no rocks encountered, just clay.  

Some idea of the depth with a ladder

The pipework from the end of the earlier installed pipes, did a right angle bend to reach the septic.  Due to poor timing, I missed the actual moving the tank into the hole, as I was donating blood at Red Cross donation van in Junee that day

The rubble pit beyond being dug.

End of the pipe in the rubblepit comes up to a small access point.  The pipe was then covered with a cloth, and then buried in sand

Some pipes being used as future anchors to stop a tank from popping up if the soil gets waterlogged

Dave pulling back the dirt, to cover the rubble pit

Once the grass grows back, just the access points will be visible

Sink, and Hot water installation

 

Cameron installed the sink, and cut the awkward angles to connect the outlet pipe to the pipework previously installed.  Truely skilled

More careful cutting of pipes, this time the copper lines to the hot water system.

The hot water system took 50 minutes to heat, and I tested that the hot water was correctly orientated in the sink mixing tap.

Having a comfortable room

An ensuite and kitchenette may seem like a luxury, that is not needed for a train room.  I don’t think so.  A comfortable environment for construction of the layout, and later, for the enjoyment of an operating crew will pay dividends.  And, not having a parade of modellers tramping through the house will maintain harmony with others (and pets) that are not interested in the train operation sessions.  I have been blessed in experiencing some excellent “Crew Lounges” over the years, and whilst a full lounge is not my plan, I may later be able to expand into the rest of the garage….just don’t tell the Boss

I visited Bill's layout down in Victoria last year.  His crew lounge is well appointed, with a kitchenette, TV, loungechairs, table, plus trains, and pictures to view.

 

Planning 1:1 scale.

As the rest of the train room is still awaiting final completion, I am continuing with my brown paper, and chalk drawing full scale on the floor.  Making use of my existing structures gives some life to the plan, and also aids in the determination of clearances.  And chalk can be erased, and reapplied.

 Placing the Bomen station, and Station Master Residence allows a good interpretion of how the scene will look.  Note The gap behind the brown paper. This is for the ramp from the staging yards to Shepherds Siding.  That will be hidden behind the Bomen backscene. 

There is plenty of space behind the buildings - possibly too much, so this is an area which can be squashed.

After removal of the structures, the brown paper can be rolled up. 

 

My original idea was that Bomen would be mirror imaged, and the station master residence be sited close to the station   However, having both the buildings close to each other gave problems.  It impacted the size of the Bomen yard tracks, and the Station Master residence (SMR)  looked visually much bigger than it should.  I haven’t measured the SMR, but I now think the Walker Kit is overscale.  Placing the SMR the other side of the level crossing breaks up the visual comparison, and gives more length to the yard loop track.  I also note that 600mm wide paper is a lot wider than it needs to be, and this will be made thinner once the staging yard baseboards are chalked out. 

 

 

Final thoughts

The Septic installation was the last major expense for the train room.  Whilst the ensuite is still a way off finishing,  layout construction can start as soon as the skirting, & trim is nailed to the wall,  and nail holes filled & painted  Hopefully soon.

 

Until next time, build a model or two.