Peter April 10th, 2012
Finallly, I have started work on converting our garage into a proper insulated railroad room. This past Easter weekend I spent a couple of days putting down the damp proof membrane followed by the first layer of 25mm Celotex insulation board, then two layers of 18mm plywood. I’ve almost done half of the garage till rain stopped play (don’t really want to mix electric saws with rainwater!).
Here are the first photos:
Weather permitting, I should be able to finish off the floor this coming weekend. Then I can get started on the walls and the electrics.
Peter March 30th, 2012
A long overdue update! My wife and I are now settled in our new house and have finished all the renovations, which means I can now concentrate on fitting out the garage. I am planning on insulating it and installing lighting & a decent floor.
The garage is 19ft by 12ft, so a decent amount of space. Unfortunately not long enough to have the layout up in its full configuration, but I am working on a track plan which will add in two more corners and – hopefully – a yard, which will finally enable me to factor in proper operations. I’m also looking into the possibility of…wait for it…building a multilevel layout!
As I am no longer taking Rochelle Intermodal to exhibitions, I am going to look into a cantilever system to hang the layout from the wall, allowing for (removable) storage underneath, allowing for access if needed to the underneath of the boards. As the weather warms up I can get started on the garage, but in the meantime I’m trying to see what I can work out with the track plan.
So, keep an eye out for further updates in the coming months.
Peter March 2nd, 2011
Just a quick update. Rochelle Intermodal is currently up at my club, the Seaboard Southern in its full 23′ configuration. This is great as it allows me to do some work on it as well as enabling other members to run their locos.
However this is just a temporary home as my wife and I are moving to a new house in about a month with a…wait for it…garage! Great news!
So, more on this later.
Peter November 22nd, 2010
Rochelle Intermodal was at the White House Model Railway Group’s show in Hampton, Middlesex this past weekened, 20th November 2010. A successful showing and also the last time the layout will be attending a show for a while, probably at least a year. I’m not sure if I will be putting it back on the exhibition circuit again after that. I’ll decide on that at the end of 2011.
The reason for this is to get the scenery finished, as well as finishing off the automation and the signalling. I’m hoping to be in a new house next year with space to be able to put the layout up – at present I can only put 4 boards up, and only temporarily, which makes it quite hard to work on as I have to keep dismantling it each time.
In the meantime, enjoy the videos I took at the White House show – we were running 4 trains on the main, 2 in each direction – ah, the joy of DCC! We were also switching the Caron Street industrial area, making it a challenge to switch around the mainline trains! Many thanks to Alan Crooks for all his help setting up, operating and taking down the layout – your help is always appreciated, Alan!
Right, here are the videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LypcKMLg7z0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvlVk5E2gUc
Keep an eye on my website for more updates as I get to work on the scenery work. Rochelle will be based in the Seaboard Southern clubroom for a while, enabling me to have it set up all the time and also to allow the others a chance to run on it.
Peter September 27th, 2010
Showing that not even a devastating fire can ruin things, the Seaboard Southern put on a successful show this past weekend in Horsham. Rochelle Intermodal attended and received much attention – well done to all club members for doing such a great job! Can’t wait to get the new clubrooms painted and fixed up!
Rochelle has one more show attendance this year, at the White House Model Railway Group show in Hampton on 20th November. This will be the last show I will be exhibiting at for a while as I haven’t been able to do any work on the layout – not enough room to put it up permanently in my shed, so it has remained boxed up between shows. I will be trying to finish off the scenery, detailing and weathering and getting the automation finished off. I’m not sure when (or if) I will be putting it back on the exhibition circuit, but I will keep this site updated as I progress with the work.
Hopefully a new house next year will allow me to have the layout up permanently as my wife has told me I can have the garage for this use (still to get it in writing!)…so on the search for a suitable house!!
Till the next update…
