Improving My Train Room Environment

 Greetings All,

Improving My Train Room Environment 

In November 2022 I had the opportunity to visit six model railroads in NE Georgia as part of the NMRA-SER-Piedmont Division sponsored Piedmont Pilgrimage. I reported on these visits in a three part series starting here.

One of the things I was impressed with was how the layouts were in very nice train room environments. The modeling is spectacular on this N&W layout and looks even better with the painted fascia and nice floor.

The Johnstown & Gerryville RR was another beautiful layout in a neat, clean and comfortable environment.

The St Louis & Southwestern RR is still in the build stage and features a painted fascia, nice flooring and an inviting space.

As I was putting together the Piedmont Pilgrimage blog entries and enjoying the layout photos I thought about my own train room environment which unfortunately I found to be totally lacking. 

A November 2011 photo posted on the blog showing Intermodal Testing in an area which has since become Empire City's west side. The fascia shown in this photo remained this way for eleven years while I always found a reason not to paint it.

The Bedford NY and Bedford Park sections in 2011 with the plain hardboard fascia and recently painted floor that is already showing signs of wear.

I waffled for over a decade on the color for the fascia. Black or green? In the end economics was the deciding factor. I had about a 1/3rd of a gallon of flat black paint called asphalt sitting under the layout for about ten years that I had purchased for the layout and fascia.

I read somewhere about a model railroader painting his layout fascia flat black and applying a satin clear coat over it to protect it from scuffing. I had a quart of this clear coat that was also available for the project.

Two coats of flat black and two coats of clear satin have been applied to the facia at Hudson Coal. 
Bedford and Empire City fascia are now painted. The skirting is a landscape fabric that I added a few years ago. The diagram has a neat blue painters tape border until a replacement can be added or I'll just leave it as is.

Bedford Park looking much better.

Empire City is now nicely framed by the painted fascia. 

This is the view when entering the train room for the main entrance. Much better!!

Over on the westside everything is nicely presented.

Now to the floor!! I found these interlocking 3/8" padded mats on Amazon for less than one dollar per square foot. I ordered twenty seven packages that arrived in three very large boxes.

Here is a before shot of the main thoroughfare and main entrance to the layout. The slightly ajar door is a closet and the entrance to the Terminal Yard room is just past that to the left. No denying this floor is tired. The work desk is not long for that location in the distance.

The first strip is in and I've started on the second. It's looking good and is easy to work with.

This area is complete. What a difference!! The closet door was removed and needed 1/2" trimmed from the bottom which has been done.

The aisle between Bedford to the left and Empire City to the right.

The floor is looking much better and is much more comfortable!

This area is done!

Next stop Terminal Yard which is going to be a challenge.

The Terminal Yard or Train Store room as my wife calls it is now done.

A few of the shelving units were relocated to maximize the under layout storage. I plan to add some skirting to camouflage the train boxes but right now with some things in new locations I need to keep things visible so I can find them again after the reorganization. 

My work desk has been moved inside the train store which is kind of cozy and could act as a dispatchers desk if that need ever arises.

The desk was formerly located in this corner of the main train room but with everything looking clean and neat with no obstructions I felt it was time to move it inside the train store room.

I put this shelving unit on a dolly and used some hardwood to keep the wheels from sinking into the floor. This unit gets moved to access the outlet behind it and the Christmas tree and decorations under Terminal Yard behind the black skirting.

I should probably get that skirting up before my grandson's next visit and hopefully minimize his now famous question "Grandpa what's in this box?" He's fast!!! Before the container is completely open he's got three trains in his hands!!!

During his week long visit my grandson, now nicknamed Notch 8, ran everything he could at top speed and thoroughly enjoyed running almost all of Grandpa's trains. To his credit he took great care with the HO and G scale trains didn't break a single item. 

Here he is enjoying the trains with the controllers at full throttle and thinking about what other trains he can add on. The newly painted fascia and new floor make this a much better photo and an inviting environment I can be proud of to present to visitors and when running the trains.

 

Thanks for reading!!!

See you soon!!!