# Railcar Repair Facility. aka Train Shed



## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

This is the train storage shed I started building last September. I had to put it away for the winter when I was evicted from the garage due to weather. I started in the basement then moved everything into the garage for assembly, unfortunately the weather over took me as it often does in this part of Alberta so I had to move outside and postpone assembly until this spring.
Well this spring eventually arrived (in June) so I took the covers off and move it back into the garage to complete the roof. With the roof completed I moved everything outside again and put the assembly back together.
Just this week I finally laid track access, albeit only two tracks, as I need to purchase a couple more switches.
I thought I'd done a good job here with the clearances, but wouldn't you know it the lawn mower is refusing to pass between the track and the side step. So now I have two alternatives, cut more clearance in the track support base or buy a new lawn mower dedicated to the front. I think I'll go for the base modification.
This is a photograph of the current situation prior to track access and I've posted more photographs in the Photo Gallery.









This photograph shows the current two track access.
I should note that the decals were supplied by Cedarleaf Custom Railroad Decals, thanks Stan.








The shingle cover (ballast) will eventually fold over and hopefully look a lot better.
Cheers.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

great looking structure Harvey, do you have anything inside to keep moisture away?

Greg 980


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Good question Greg. In this part of Alberta it's so dry (low humidity) I don't think it's a concern. The shed has already had a soaking, but there was no water penetration. Years ago now I used to build some furniture and to ensure the wood had dried sufficiently I used to store it in the basement for year before making any cuts. How's that for planning ahead.









Cheers.


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## Burl (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice work. Would love to see some construction photos.


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

In the Photo Gallery there are two pages of photographs that I took on this project. The main building was constructed in the basement but not finally assembled as I had to move it upstairs which would have been just about impossible once assembled. So the final assembly took place in the garage.









So does anyone have enough clamps??









And then in the garage. This is the front section.









This is the rear.









This is the base assembly (upside down). The block type facia is commercially available (overly expensive) Styrofoam. 









After the eviction notice was served this is where it spent the first winter.









Cheers.


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## Mike Flea (Apr 8, 2014)

Nice craftsmanship, Harvey, that should last for years outside.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Looks good mate


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## ewarhol (Mar 3, 2014)

Looks great, what are the dimensions of the shed?


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Hello Eric, the internal base is 2 feet by 16 feet. This accommodates 64 feet of track less the one inch of Styrofoam at the end of each track. The doors are 5,1/2" wide by 7,1/2" - 10,1/2" high. The two roof openings are 16" x 48" The track lead is 34 feet which will allow for a reasonable train assembly prior to entering the main. Sixteen feet can also be added to this if coupled to cars on any track already in the barn.
Hope this helps.
Cheers.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Holy s**t! I could see it was long, but 16 feet!

Well, that is storage for sure! I wish I had space for such a structure.

Greg 941


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Hi Greg, not so big. I've corrected the dimensions, 64 feet of track is what I should have noted. I've corrected this. I should be able to store 35 to 40 cars depending what cars they are. One thing for sure there will be a lot less trips in and out of the garage when I want to run trains.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yes, I am hoping to make an enclosure so I can run trains right out too. Makes it a lot more fun. I know people that still keep all cars in boxes and it takes forever to set up a train, takes a lot of fun right out of it.

Regards,

Greg 937


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

Harvey, how do you transport it, even a foot or two? Pick it up by the ends, you must have friends available to help. You can't possibly pick it up in the middle; it would break in two. No?

Balsa wood? No, that would break in the middle, too.

JackM


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Hello Jack, 
From the ground up I have two pieces of pressure treated plywood 2' x 8' end to end to give me 16 feet. Onto that is the base framing which is covered with the Styrofoam, this is in three sections, an eight foot long at the centre and two four foot sections on each end. The framing on these project upwards to locate into the barn base where the track is attached. The base is two sections 2' x 8' and keys into the supports which project upwards from the base framing. This was the heavy part as I bolted them together before lowering into place. I then installed the track, four lengths and as you can see in other pictures I've posted the rails project beyond the base. This is to help prevent water ingestion, a concern that Greg mentioned earlier. 
The building rear section was placed first and I used rollers over the rails to assist in moving these parts in place.









This shows the rear section in place.









The front section followed the same process, but they are not mechanically joined, just butted together.
I have no plans to move the building, as far as I'm concerned it's staying where it is. I will cover it over for the winter.
I hope this helps to explain how it went together.
Cheers.


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## OldNoob (Apr 30, 2016)

So well done!!.


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## Richard Weatherby (Jan 3, 2008)

Incredibly good job!! You can never have too many clamps. Very nice craftsmanship.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Wow now that really looks great
Dennis


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## Mike Gibson (Feb 8, 2013)

Nice work Harvey. Like the "Namao" lettering. Hear its a nice place...


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Hello Mike,
It would seem you're not too far away from where I'm located. You're right about Namao, but lacking a railcar repair facility I thought it should have one. 
You should also check out Johnny's Store on page 16, dated February 5, 2012, I think you will find that in Namao as well.
Cheers,
Harvey.


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## Mike Gibson (Feb 8, 2013)

I know Jonny Store well. Good friends with the previous store manager, and my dad did his accounting. I'm just a couple miles from it down in the valley. The Sturgeon river goes right through our family quarter. 

Good to see someone local on here.


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## willebrand (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice shed. I am thinking about such a trainstorage on mine layout. Nice work.


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## Clubber (Jan 4, 2020)

Beautiful work.


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## FlagstaffLGB (Jul 15, 2012)

Very nice, but I'm sure it isn't light weight. Probably took a couple of you to move it into its final resting spot.


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Well as you can see from the photographs, the main housing was in two sections as was the base and the foundation boards. My daughter helped me to get the two housing sections out of the basement and into the garage and a neighbor help me to get it all outside for final assembly when it was complete. It had to get parked for the first winter and then moved into place after the snow had all gone. Typically here in central Alberta we don't concern ourselves with summer rains, but last year was an exception with it raining just about every day. I was pleased to see that everything inside stayed dry throughout the summer. I cover it over for the winter and right now it has about a foot of snow covering it all.
As mentioned previously the running time outside certainly increases when there is easy access to make up a train.
Cheers.


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