what is the minimum recommended area for a garden layout?

[brench]

I was wondering how much space I need to allocate for a "starter" layout.

[bennysrr]

brench i only had an a 4ft wide by 22ft long area for a small rail road . thats all the room i had along the house, i live in a 55 and older place. at one end i have a small siding that holds 3to4 extra cars . i can't post pictures but e-mail me i'll send you a picture of it ben [e-mail]

[kstrong]

Depends on what you want to accomplish. Generally speaking, "starter sets" come with a 4' diameter (2' radius) circle of track, so allowing for a few extra inches on either side of that for the garden, you're looking at a minimum of 5' wide if you want your trains to be able to run continuously. Length would be however long you had space for, but for a simple circle, you could get away with a 5' x 5' area.

However, that kind of minimum space works only for trains that can operate on such tight curves. Many of the newer models require an 8' minimum diameter (4' radius). If your interests are more modern trains (6-axle diesels, or most of the 1:20 narrow gauge stuff from Bachmann or Accucraft) then you're going to need a fair amount more space for reliable operation, probably at least 9' x 9' for a simple circle. My "temporary" railroad that I built prior to building my "real" railroad occupied a 9' x 20' space next to my patio. Pretty "small" as railroads go, but enough for a loop of track, passing siding with a station, and two small industrial spurs. (The track plan was published in my June 2011 "Garden Railways Basics" column.)

GR is currently running a series on small-space railroads, which I'd recommend taking a good look at. They're all very well done, and--I think--illustrate quite well that you don't need acres of space to build a great railroad. Pay particular attention to how the trains are well-suited to the railroad. Some of them run some decent-sized equipment, but it's well balanced with the theme of the railroad.

Later,

K

[vsmith]

My last outdoor layout started at only 5 feet by 9 feet. I will try to post a pic this weekend.

5 x 9 layout

[Greg Elmassian]

It really depends on what types of trains you want to run, how long they are, and what you expect.

How much area depends on what you want to do.

But, one thing is for sure, it's rare that someone does not wish for more room, or tighter curves!

Regards, Greg

[captain perry]

Baically it takes all the room you got...within reason.  small layouts are fun in tight spaces but might look funny in the middle of several acres of lawn.  you will probably find that you will want to expand what ever you do to fill the space available.

Start small but keep in mind that you may want to expand at some point..