New Year, New House, New Ideas

Hard to believe, but its been an entire year ( almost ) since the last post.  In case there's anyone out there reading this, here's what has happened in a nutshell:

Kids, life, work, and all the projects that come with it took over for many months.  Mid-summer, the decision was made to move across town, resulting in the layout being demolished.   We are moved in to the new house, and as the unpacking continues, so does the inspiration for the new layout.

My wife was poking fun at me New Year's Eve, telling friends that in every place we've lived together, there's been some attempt at a model train layout.  Whether a shelf mounted to the wall with some primitive, toy-like scenery in our first apartment together ( which was coincidentally 50 feet from the D&H main in Plattsburgh, NY! ) or the most recent, in our first house together, they all help me to learn  and grow in the hobby.  Of course, none of these layouts have ever been finished.  But I attribute this to the fact that they weren't really well-designed, even the STRR in its most recent form.  Bad benchwork, wiring, and track planning are one thing, however the space itself can be another issue that gets overlooked until that day when you're trying to operate with friends and you discover that the lighting is poor, there's no space, the floor is un-level, and you can't really run around your train.

This time around, its going to be different.  No really, it is.  When we bought our house, we knew we had whats affectionally become known as "the room to nowhere" - a space between the garage and the house where the prior owners had a hot tub.  The room isn't that big, only 7' - 6" x 16', with insulated sliding glass doors at both ends.  My wife suggested the space for a train room drink the first walk-through of the house, but I dismissed it thinking it would be too cold, too damp, etc.  As we've settled into though, its become evident that it is nearly perfect.  Here's why:

- Narrow dimension forces the layout to be shelf-style, lowering cost and simplifying construction
- The room, while not directly heated, stays plenty warm even during the cold winter.  A small space heater will be all thats needed to boost the temp by a few degrees while occupied, not much different than a basement layout.
- The sliding glass doors provide abundant natural light, and screens for plenty of fresh air.
- As a ground-level space, outdoor access for any quick painting or dullcote work is just steps away.
- There's plenty of power, through an isolated circuit from the hot tub.
- There's a ceiling fan in place already - I can keep it, or install a better ceiling light fixture if needed.
- The garage is a few steps around the corner, keeping carpentry work close by.
- The space is separated from the house such that guests won't be disturbing anyone inside.
- There's a refrigerator in the garage for refreshments during operating sessions.

A little sprucing up and its go-time.

So this is where it all begins.  Again.  And hopefully I can manage time, energy, and resources such that this will be a forward-moving and enjoyable process.  I'll do my best to keep things posted.  Until then, Happy New Year!