HO in a confined area?

[Anonymous]

I have a bedroom that I am limited to for my train stuff. I can only have about a 30 inch by 14 foot space at the very most. I have been running N scale but I want to get back to HO, like I had when I was a kid. Plus HO stuff is easier to find and cheaper too!

What I'm trying to say is that can I run a continuous loop HO layout on something this narrow? Or do I have to do a point to point layout (with a turntable)?

Looking forward to any input!

[CP5415]

You could do a continuous run, but the curves will be extremely tight. That would be a 15" radius curve & you'd still be falling off your benchwork.
The only way you could go wider is to widen the benchwork at each end to about 36" & then narrow the benchwork in the middle.

Just a thought

Gordon

[Anonymous]

Maybe claim more space by rearranging your furnature. You need to get wider for continous run. Are you against a wall to another room? can you build shelf to carry your loop back in that adjoining room? That probably means going thru the wall twice.

[Anonymous]

I can't really put holes in the wall (rental) and I have to leave the bed where it is (girlfriend...dressers and such) I cant go over about 30 inches. What can I do with the point to point idea?

[Anonymous]

I agree with CP5415. This would be the way I'd go. I once had a layout such as this years ago because of lack of space. I had very good results. My curve radius was 18 inches. I ran an SW 1500 switch engine and short cars.

[Anonymous]

Look in the latest MRP, they did and S scale 4 by 8 then chopped it in half and made a point to point (switching layout). In my opinion, the chopped version is far more interesting and would be fun to run, the 4 by 8 would be your typical boring "the train goes round and round" layout.

In your space, the layout will be much more interesting if you have an industrial switching layout, point to point. You don't need a turntable, you could have a barge, a small wye for your engines or both. Or at one end you could have a small fiddle yard like the layouts in Europe. See if you can find any European track planning books at your LHS as they have space much like yours and are very creative with it.

Forget the 4 by 8, you'll be much happier with what you can run on what you have.

[AntonioFP45]

Plywood,

Re: Your rental. I'm assuming you're in an apartment. Double check the "holes in the wall clause". Some places actually don't mind as long as when you move out, that the holes are patched well and the wall repainted.

Even in your space it may be possible to build a narrow shelf layout ALL THE WAY AROUND the wall of your room. The section to get in and out the door would be "modular" and removable for when trains are not running. I'm starting a layout with this design.

For scenery you can use the narrow building kits offered by Walthers or DPM that are designed to be put against a backdrop.

[Anonymous]

30" deep around the room shelf is good, as long as you put the track to the back as you come into the curves, you can get the larger curves in (up to a 28" radius).

and 30" deep is wider than the recommended 24" deep, so you can still put lot's of terrain, siding, details in.

Jay

[IRONROOSTER]

[#welcome]

Welcome to the forum.

One possibility is to have a drop down leaf at each end that you raise up for operating sessions. This will allow turn back curves for continous running. If you are willing to limit yourself to 40' cars and 4 driver locos or diesel switchers then 15" curves will work. (note: you'll need to exceed that 30" depth by a couple of inches at the wide part of the curve). One possibility is to do an old time layout using 36' cars and 4-4-0 locos. MDC has a line of old time cars. Make sure you test the locos on curves before buying.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

thanks for the replies and the info, I'll look into the point to point thing.

[Hudsonmike]

Dump the girl friend and have a lot more room

[Jetrock]

14 feet by 30 inches is plenty of space for quite a bit of shelf layout--my current layout is 6 feet by 2 feet, in HO. Continuous running is probably out unless you can get the layout all the way around the room, and your girlfriend might not go for that. But there is plenty to do on a point-to-point layout--switching, train assembly, etcetera. Take a look at www.carendt.com for some layout ideas that will make 14'x30" look gigantic!

[Anonymous]

[2c]
Here's a thought. How about modeling a trolley line? You can have sharp radius curves to save space. Some lines moved freight. If you build it sectional or modular, it can be added to a larger layout when you finally have the space.
See BEC-KITS and TRAMALAN
If that doesn't fill your gondola, Atlas has a shelf layout plan for a switching railroad that fits into a corner. See HO-10019. That could also be added to a larger layout.

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hudsonmike

Dump the girl friend and have a lot more room

Yeah, and then there's always the REAL possiblity it will get get worse, if not sooner then later, after you're married!

(Don't shoot...I'm just the messenger.)

[DSchmitt]

Check out this site to see how small layouts can be. Many of them are in scales larger than HO. There are many good ideas here:

http://carendt.us/

[cwclark]

I don't want to tell you what to do, but you got to quit renting and buy a house with lots of room...i had a rented apartment room once that was 9' X 12 ' (I had the entire room too) and it turned out to be a horrible railroad layout...i did the double figure eight that is in the atlas layout plans book because it was the most railroad i could get into the space alloted and after i was done there was no room to get to derailments, scenery, and the like...I even had two 1' X 1' access ports within the curves and it was a devil of a time getting inside of one to fix something...it's either a dogbone layout for me or nothing from now on... I'd get my vision on owning a home someday then build a layout...all renting does is throw your money away while someone else is gets rich on your money you are paying them for rent.... Chuck

[steemtrayn]

Other options:

1. Join a club, or

2. Model a town or scene in the 14 ft. space and connect the ends with a temporary "aroumd the room " loop that can be disassembled when not in use.

[Anonymous]

Jeeez! Relax! Guy's I'm only 19 years old! Yes I'll buy a house in a couple of years.[:D]

Thanks for all the ideas, What kind of rolling stock and motive power can I run in a tight radius situation? (I have a bunch of GP-38, 40's)

[CP5415]

Geeps work in that type of environment & 50' boxcars.

Gordon

[Jetrock]

Geeps will work splendidly on tight curves--I own two Athearn GP-7's and they do just fine around the 12-13" radius curves (in HO) pulling 50-foot cars...of course, I drive 'em slow, and all cars have Intermountain metal wheelsets. I wouldn't use those kind of curves for an "open country" layout or a loop--my line is all set in town, serving industries off a city street, and ridiculously sharp curves are the rule there.

It should be said, though, that my smaller diesels (44-ton GE switchers, a SW-7, and my current dream machine, a Proto 2000 Alco S-1) handle such curves much better than a Geep--but the Geep does fine as long as you go easy on the throttle.

Look into a shelf layout. One big advantage is that you can very easily integrate a shelf layout into a bigger layout later--just have a "northbound" and "southbound" track on either end that will allow you to add more track or loops or whatever when you do find your dream room.

about a house: Don't buy a house until you're ready. A small layout can still be big fun. So can a girlfriend, but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that...

[Anonymous]

101 Trackplans for Model Railroads by Linn Westcott has one heck of a 1 x 16 switching layout you could adapt. It could take you all evening to run from one end to the other. Google it-you'll find sellers. There is a section on small track plans. John Allen's famous Gorre and Daphetid started with a 15" radius curve tabletop layout later incorporated into the celebrated monster.