base boards

[Rabbitaway]

What is the issue with electrics

If you are competent at electrical installation and understand the IET standard it can be done yourself. You do need to get it tested and signed off by a qualified electrician to comply with the law. That is it, although finding an electrician willing to do this is a challenge as they want charge their usual excessive rates for the full job and are generally not interested in testing and signing off other's work even at a premium fee for this task.

Basic 240v electrical installation in a shed is easier than wiring your layout. I wired my new garage and wife's studio myself with perfect compliance and test results and with neater finish than your average electrican

[stevewalker]

I'm the last person to advise you on electrics, Les, believe me!
I'm in agreement with Mike (Daffy) in that it really is a job which needs doing correctly to protect both you and your surroundings. My next door neighbour has a cable running from his leccy fusebox on the wall outside up the wall and then carried on some wire across to his garage. I'm sure 'elf 'n' safety would have a conniption fit. A couple of years ago I was quoted over £600 to run armoured cabling out to my shed so gave it a swerve completely.

As long is it is the right kind of cable and not in a position likely to suffer damage, there is nothing wrong with running cables on the surface of walls or across gaps on a catenary wire.

In all likelihood, you neighbour won't have done it properly though - most people who were doing so would go for burying SWA cable instead, which is what I have done to feed both the shed and garage.

[The Q]

Baseboards, I prefer to have mine removeable to work on, therefore light weight EXTRUDED polystryrene framed in thin ply. They are mounted on cupboards and shelving units so I can use all the space beneath the layout. All the point motors etc will be on the front or back of the layout I've had enough of working with my hands in the air underneath.

Sheds, What ever type you need to improve security,

Metal sheds ( I've got 3)  are built from the outside screwed onto a galvanised frame, which means you can get in from the outside with any phillips screwdriver ...But of course a tin shed needs lots of insulation AND a dampproofing. A sheet of plastic beneath the floor to keep it dry, then insulation / floorboarding inside that. Walls and ceiling need serious lining to prevent condensation. Shelves units layout have to be free standing the walls cannot take any extra weight. Tins sheds need to be bolted down until you get a lot of weight in there, they do blow away.

Plastic sheds, even though they have a plastic floor the floors are from panels so I'd still put a plastic sheet underneath, Insulation is nice, but may not be 100 % necessary as many are made from multi layer plastic, units have to be free standing But can be attached to the wall for stability. Security not good they are foten supplied with plastic hinges and brackets for the locks..

Wooden sheds, they range from thin panels you could put your shoe through, to thick  walls a couple of inches thick, you gets what you pays for... insulating between the battons covering that with ply or more wood makes for a substatial improvement in wall security. Definately put a plastic membrane beneath the floor to stop rising damp.
You can use the battons as part of the supports for the railway, get good substantial hinges and locks for the door with concealed mountings, the cheap ones supplied are often crap...

In all three types of shed remember to insulate the windows, a second layer of glass or plastic make a substantial difference, remember to leave a couple of small holes at the bottem to allow the condensation to drain out. An internal shutter helps with security and keeping the heat in. I have both shutters and an extra layer of plastic.

Electrickery,
If your  Shed is close to the house, and you have a RCD at the house end of the cable I see nothing wrong with using a extension cable. Make sure it is rated at 13 AMPs (some are 10A) and that you unwind it all, each time you use it. Using and extension cable through a duct is not recommended the cables are rated at their FREE AIR value.  NOT in a duct or wound up.
Remember if you are in the Shed mid winter and you've got a 3kW Fan heater running, you've already used all of your 13 amps (13=3000W/230V). You have no spare capacity, for lighting, railway or soldering iron.

It is better to have a properly fitted mains supply as I have done, I have two 13 amp ring mains, 3 lighting circuits ina 63ft shed. ( SWMBO wants heat in her end of the shed and to boil a kettle!! ) But with 40 years in or around the electronics industry it is not a problem for me.

Currently Measuring a 100A shunt to an accuracy of 1 part in a million,( I'm waiting for it to finish warming up) hence I can type for a bit.

[first timer]

Thanks the Q what sort of charge to have mains fitted into a 8 x 6 shed ? 2 double sockets and a strip light and switch ( just roughly )

[The Q]

Sorry I have no idea as I did it myself and then got a mate to sign it off. He's on holiday at the moment and I go on holiday next week so I won't see him for a while to find out.
I can do all the work and have done the work commercially in the past but never got round to getting the bits of paper.
I'm actually in electronics not electrics, but have been the unqualified assitant who does much of the work,  while between electronics jobs.

Rates do vary dramatically around the country, your best bet would be to phone a small electrical technician thats local. The big firms would not be interested or would charge a fortune.

Oh it's not just the cost of the wiring in the shed, it's getting the cable from the fuse box / Consumer unit out of the  house across the garden to the shed.
If there is a trench to be dug for the cable then you could save a lot by doing the digging yourself ( you'd need to chat to the Electrician about depths etc)

[first timer]

Hi q, the distance from the main board in the house is just a footpath away (about 5 to 6 ft ) But I know a couple of local guys that work for themselves so I will get a no obligation  quote from them. Thank you everyone for all your help. I will keep you posted.

HAPPY MODELING TO YOU ALL. (KEEP IT N GAUGE )

[cohort]

Los and lots of interesting comments here that have grown out of the one from the  original instigator of the thread. Many of them have given me a good deal of satisfaction in making me realise, by accident or design, that I am very much on the right path with my own project. It started with a wooden shed that was in a state of semi-ruin but which had the advantage of electricity installed years ago by a qualified electrician who I knew from my workplace. I have, over the years, replaced both the floor and one long wall, erected a pitched roof over a pent roof so that I have a double ceiling, extended the shed so that I could remove double doors from one end, partly insulate the walls and have replaced the window(recently)with a scrounged double glazed unit. This is very much an "organic" rescue of a space in the garden which will now, I hope, be put to good use. I have even made allowance for a bumble bee nest in one rotted section of the original back wall . My approach to how to equip the interior has had a falllback position of creating a generic workshop which anyone could use for any purpose. That has been done with treated loft boards.However, I was delighted to read here all about the virtues of ply sheets as I quickly and coincidentally decided that I had to superimpose that solution over what I had already done. I am currently in the middle of putting that solution together, in the hope that I can somehow create a removable layout which can be stripped out at a later date

[Bealman]

Cool 

[The Q]

There is a great satisfaction in building /rebuilding a shed to what you want rather than accepting a commercial solution. Especially if you can use salvaged Items.
My shed has 14 (if i've counted correctly) old sash units from the house. Two doors which came from our previous house, one of which was a sliding double glazed patio door and now is a swing open door on farm gate pivots! Then there is another door I've made for the purpose.
The layout will repose on top of many old chests of drawers, as well as shelving I've built.
I don't go for wasting the large amount of space under a layout, even in a big shed like mine there is never enough storage.

[first timer]

I think w,ve fell off the road somewhere, we were talking about electrics into a shed (other alternatives ) and most important the cost, if theres any budding electricions out there please get in touch.

Regards
   Les H

[first timer]

Just an add on I cleaned all my track and loco and carridge wheels with IPA and WOW what a difference, all runs great.

[The Q]

IPA is great, just don't breath too much in as it's a health and fire hazard.

If you don't have slopes (or only small ones) on you layout then a soft graphite pencil rubbed along the track also helps. Don't do it with the power on, you'll short out the track..

It acts like as an electrical lubricant,

This is what I use.

[Bealman]

 

The name of the thread is baseboards, folks. 

[first timer]

O K back to base boards, being fitted into my shed do I need to add a wooden frame to sit the boards on or can I just fit them onto a piece of 2 x 2 fixed against the shed wall and then add the legs  I,m using 9mm ply.

    Les H

[Newportnobby]

9mm ply will still require lots of bracing, Les, so sorry but you need to create the necessary boards before fitment to battens and adding legs. There is no short cut and disaster could loom otherwise