Modelling Room Progress

All,

Well the Queen's Birthday long weekend is upon us and around 30 to 40 years ago this particular weekend rivalled Christmas for any kid (or budding pyromaniac) due to the Saturday night meaning Cracker Night.  Bonfires were constructed and any spare change was spirited away to augment the large bag of fireworks that were supplied by my ever suffering parents.  But of course...like most things that that have any sniff of fun attached to them, the bureaucrats snuffed that  "kid's right of passage" many years ago.

Of course these days,  fun to me is a couple of days devoted to the hobby and as the "planets aligned" with no other commitments for the long weekend, it was purely a decision of which aspect I would engage in.  In the end, the long dormant progress on the modelling room won out.  To those unfamiliar with the earlier postings surrounding the layout of the shed that houses "the hobby", a brief description is in order so as the casual reader will be able to follow this post.

The shed in question is 12 metres long x around 7 metres wide. A lined layout room takes up a 12 metre x 4 metre section of the shed and this area is in itself divided into 2 rooms due to an earlier wall that existed before the shed hosted a layout...the main layout room is 9 metres x 4 metres and on the end of that is another room 3 metres x 4 metres and access between the two rooms is via a doorway.  The original plan was that to have a 9x4 metre layout room with the 3x4 metre portion being a staging area...but of course regular readers would be aware that this plan has been modified.

I decided some time ago to add a modelling room and set about lining another area of the main shed adjacent to the layout room.  This area works out at 3 metres x 3 metres and has two good size windows for natural light and faces north so it is an ideal location.  The method of lining has been carried over from the original construction with timber frame, walls and roof insulated and MDF utilised as internal cladding.  This will be the 4th winter that the layout room has been in existence and the lining methodology has proved itself by maintaining a relatively even temperature right throughout the year.  For those unfamiliar of the climate here...summers can yield 40 degree C days and winter can regularly offer minus temperatures with sleet and snow a possibility.  Indeed this morning's minimum was minus 4.5.  I have left provision for a "pot belly" type combustion heater...but would doubt it will ever be fitted due to the required heat up time and the irregular use of the room.  One other aspect is that the ceiling of the layout room also has a yellow tongue type flooring fitted above the rafters to offer mezzanine type storage and also sandwich the ceiling adding another layer of insulation.

The modelling room, when complete, will offer a place away from the layout to carry out maintenance work, infrastructure and kit building and just a place to "chill out".  Storage of tools, equipment and all things "layout" will also find a home.  I have stated before that it is likely that a "repair" road will be laid in to the room so that wagons can be transferred for work required...or a branchline terminus may also eventuate...who knows?

Anyway as can be seen in the attached shots...all lining has been completed with window framing almost complete. One bench has been built and provision for another in place.  Timber trims will be installed around the windows and at all lining joints and I also have a fair amount of brand new floating floor packs that were destined for a long ago house job that are no longer required after those renovations and This will be added to take the edge off the concrete floor.  To complete things is provision for a ceiling trapdoor to give an additional access the ceiling storage.

It will be nice to get this job finished over the next few weeks as it will then allow for the remainder of the main shed to be sorted, cleaned out and tidied up.




The layout room wall is to the right of shot...with the access door for the layout room...behind and to the right of the photographer...