...some miscellaneous thoughts.
Hello Everyone --
Just want to say welcome to the new members -- Small Layout Design is
up to 93 members now. I think we gained something like 10 people in
the last week or so. Thanks to everyone who's signed on -- please be
patient as we all work to get this list moving.
Some Miscellaneous Thoughts and Stuff:
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Alternative Hobby Mailing List
Sorry there has not been a lot of new Small Layout content from me
lately -- I've been busy with work and, I have to admit it, I've also
been busy with blowing off hobby steam in another list I "own": Model
Railroading Makes Me Grumpy
Be warned: Grumpy is not for everyone -- there's politics and
language and religion and sacred hobby cow bashing, so be warned if
you head over there. There's also stuff that is, I hope, good for a
laugh.
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1/2" Plywood Report
This may not be a big deal to anyone, but it's something that I found
interesting. I bought some wood last summer for a project that I
have not yet gotten around to. Like a good hobbyist who's deadly
serious about building the ultimate lifetime layout, I left the wood
in the basement to "season" (OK, that's my "serious hobbyist"
explanation -- the truth is that the stuff has sat down
there "seasoning" while other real-world projects, like work, took
precedence).
At about the same time, I also bought the more "proper" (and more
expensive) 3/4" material that's often recommended in the hobby press
for things like domino construction.
Anyway -- I was surprised to find last night that the 1/2" good-one-
side plywood sheets -- two 2-foot by 4-foot panels -- have all taken
on a distinct bow in their long dimension.
The 3/4" material is still straight and does not appear to have
changed any over the same time.
I would describe our basement conditions as better than average: dry,
well heated, with humidity well regulated by an air conditioner in
summer and a humidifier in winter.
I'm really quite surprised by this -- the 1/2" material seemed quite
sturdy to me. I figure I can still straighten it out with some
bracing and such, but I don't think I would consider it for domino-
type or flat table construction.
Just thought I would share this with you all.
Has anyone else had problems with 1/2" plywood material warping and
bowing over time?
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Interesting Layout Room Solution
Picked up the June 2001 Model Railroader the other day. The Small
Layout Contest 3rd Place article appears in this issue.
What I find most interesting about this article and layout is
the "room" the modeller built for his layout. He's assembled an 8-
foot by 12-foot "room" in his two-car (or possibly larger) garage
using 3/8" plywood sheets and 2-by lumber. The room has its own
lighting and air conditioning. The rest of the garage is used as a
garage and wood shop.
I don't believe the article mentions how the room is "roofed", but my
guess is that some sort of drop-ceiling is used.
This approach sounds rather interesting. I'd be curious to compare
the costs of this approach with that of, say, finishing a garage
space with drywall.
Like the MR author, the layout I'm planning will be sharing space
with a small woodworking shop/sawdust factory. Dust on the layout
will obviously be a problem, so I'm going to have to design some sort
of dust protection into the layout. I'm thinking of plastic (lexan
or acrylic) sheets that are magnetically secured to the layout
(completely plugging the space between fascia and valence) to close
off the layout when the shop is in use.
And to be really high tech about it, I'm also thinking of using a
small fan (say, a 12 V computer ventilation fan or two) to pump air
into the "closed" layout to maintain a positive pressure in the
layout space to keep out dust. Of course, the fan will have to have
its intake filtered and located in another room so that it does not
draw dust into the layout.
Anyone else solved the problem of a layout sharing space with another
dusty hobby?
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Have a Small Layout?
To help support this discussion group, I'd like to put together a
website that serves as a resource for small layout owners and
designers. We have the space and some really limited stuff up now
at --
-- but I'd like to get more there.
Do you have your small layout described on a website? Send me your
URL and I'll build a Links page on the SLD site.
Do you have a small layout but no way to get pictures and text up on
the web? Contact me at --
small-layout-design-owner@...
-- and we'll discuss ways to get your material on the SLD website.
Hope to hear from you!
Thanks --
Jon Piasecki
jonp@...
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Visit the Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo Railway
Historical Society Website at
Visit the Small Layout Design discussion group at
Vent some steam at Model Railroading Makes Me Grumpy
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