I Have A New Basement!

jetrock

Member
got the keys yesterday...now the planning begins!
60095309.jpg

Here's a shot of my future layout space, a "ground floor basement" in my new house. Unlike most basements, the floor here is only about a foot below grade: where I live, houses of its era (1910) were often built well above grade to avoid the effects of flooding, commonly known as a "high water bungalow." This is actually about half the total basement space, but this portion has a concrete floor and is enclosed with drywall to create a space of about 12'x24'. Supports for the house form a row along one wall which limits the layout space to around 11' wide. The ceiling is at about 7 feet, with lovely ductwork as you can see, but I'm about 5'8" and shrinking so that's not much of an issue, I'll just have to get some chairs with casters so my tall friends can scoot around the room.

My current layout space is a crowded garage, 8'x18', of which I am currently using about 16 feet of shelf space, so this will mostly be an expansion of my current layout. I'm pretty glad I chose a sectional/modular design, intended to facilitate moving. I already have the buildings taken off the layout, next I'll pack my motive power in swaddling to move them over. The future plan for this space is basically an around-the-walls layout, mostly 1 foot deep but with occasional peninsulas into the room. The eventual goal will be an around-the-room loop with a swing-out gate at the door. About half of the space will model the Sacramento Northern's industrial belt line around the original city limits of Sacramento, the other half will be the surrounding rural communities and farm land.

Scale is HO, time period is currently 1954-1966 (once I get trolley poles installed, the layout will backdate to 1947-1953) and minimum radius will be 12". Focus is on switching and interchange: through trains from north to south were broken up at division-point yards at either end of Sacramento and carried through town on city streets. Signals will be minimal, as all track in Sacramento was considered yard limits. Extensive interchange track with Western Pacific and Southern Pacific, plus local industries (primarily agricultural processing, lumber and warehouses.) There will be a major division-point yard (Haggin Yard) at one end, with a smaller yard (Westside Yard) on the other. Once the full "loop" is installed, a circular track pattern will be used: northbound departing trains loop through the "countryside" and come back as a train entering the south end of town.

Oh yeah, the basement comes with a house on top, too:
60095309-1.jpg
 

MilesWestern

Active Member
I agree. I've seen some of your scraTCHBUILDS, JETROCK, and I think this woul make another good house to model for your layout for that residential stree scene! :thumb:
Are you still up in the delta?
 

steamhead

Active Member
Hi,

It's always a thrill when you come up to an empty space and you start figuring what would go where...Kepp us updated on tghe progress of your new fantasy.

Oh, good thing you got something to cover that basement...

Gus (LC&P).
 

jetrock

Member
It's level, I think it is just the angle of the camera that looks a little off-kilter.

I'm a bit north of the delta proper, about two miles from the levee itself. I have a couple of models that approximate this sort of house, one with a garage in the basement and one with a grocery store built onto the front, but the hipped roof and two bay windows would make this kind of different.
Here's the side of the house from the alley:
60095309-2.jpg

And from the backyard:
60095309-3.jpg

I'm sure those plywood doors aren't original, but so far as I can tell the original owner built a carriage-house onto the back of the house, and while he was at it he built a third bedroom onto the back of the house (accessible from the back porch) and a second bathroom (also accessible only from the back porch.) Kind of adds some interesting character.

One of the nice features is that the layout room is accessible from the garage, which means that when the layout is ready for prime-time I can have an "open house" by just swinging open the garage doors and letting people in through the alley, rather than having them trapise through the house. You Gaugers will be invited, although it will probably be another five years before I reach that phase...and anyone over 5'9" tall had better be advised to watch your head!
 

interurban

Active Member
Hi Jetrock.

So glad you have the keys:D :D :D
Greatly looking forward to the Sacramento Northern's industrial belt line taking shape in the basement ,,,,with a house on top:thumb:


Nice property:wave:
 

emt49

Member
jetrock said:
It's level, I think it is just the angle of the camera that looks a little off-kilter.

I'm a bit north of the delta proper, about two miles from the levee itself. I have a couple of models that approximate this sort of house, one with a garage in the basement and one with a grocery store built onto the front, but the hipped roof and two bay windows would make this kind of different.
Here's the side of the house from the alley:
60095309-2.jpg

And from the backyard:
60095309-3.jpg

I'm sure those plywood doors aren't original, but so far as I can tell the original owner built a carriage-house onto the back of the house, and while he was at it he built a third bedroom onto the back of the house (accessible from the back porch) and a second bathroom (also accessible only from the back porch.) Kind of adds some interesting character.

One of the nice features is that the layout room is accessible from the garage, which means that when the layout is ready for prime-time I can have an "open house" by just swinging open the garage doors and letting people in through the alley, rather than having them trapise through the house. You Gaugers will be invited, although it will probably be another five years before I reach that phase...and anyone over 5'9" tall had better be advised to watch your head!


WELL IT LOOKS LIKE A NICE LONG RUN
:thumb:
 
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