I have read on numerous threads about people moving a layout. But I have seen little discussion about how to do it with minimal damage. While I did not specifically design my 14 x 14 around the wall with a peninsula layout to be moved the benchwork is such that it can be divided into five section for removal. However, the track and scenery were built across each section without thought of separation at some point in the future. I used stacked styrene foam scenery with sculptamold for my landforms. What is the best way to cut through all of this at each seam. I assume I would cut the track at each joint with a Dremel tool. Any other ideas folks can suggest would be appreciated. I may be moving within the year.
My only suggestion on the track would be to cut the track back at least an inch from the edge to avoid it getting snagged on a shirt and ripping off more track.
remove as much as you can from the layout: buildings, trees, maybe bridges, expensive switches.
think of a way to store the sections in the new home. Stacked, leaning against the wall, etc.
Or just remove everything and start from scratch in the new area.
Steve
I am going through this process right now. The earlier sections of my layout will be the most difficult, but later on I began thinking ahead. I will have to cut through scenery, but most sections of the layout are made with a subroadbed of pink foam with the edges aligned with the benchwork sections. I've also tried to cut sections of track so the breaks were also close to where the benchwork will separate.
I'm going to have issues with the wiring. A lot of that crosses every which way. If I have time, I will add terminal blocks at the benchwork breaks so it will come apart neatly. If not, I'll have some work to do at the other end. Once I get the sectional wiring all separated, I am going to the appliance store and picking up a bunch of cardboard boxes. I will staple them under the benchwork to protect the wiring.
I'm getting a divorce and moving in a few months, so I don't yet know when an where my layout will go. On the other hand, it will be interesting to see what kind of reconfiguration will be necessary, and how much can just go up as is. There are things I want to change, though, so even if I had the same space it would not go together exactly the same way.
A drywall saw will make a mess, but it can cut through pink foam and other scenic material pretty easily. I fully expect to be patching gaps when (and if) I put this all together again.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I used the David Barrow "domino" benchwork on my layout, so everything is in four foot lengths held together with bolts and wingnuts, so separating the benchwork per se is and would be easy. But the track, the wiring, the scenery and the fascia would still be issues. I did not for example deliverately avoid placing a turnout or other complex track work directly over a "gap." Barrow's main goal was to be able to reuse the benchwork for a new layout, not move a layout per se.
For those guys I know (and/or helped) who have moved, or tried to move, a large existing layout, I think it can be fairly said that it seemed their desire to minimize "harm" to track and scenery ended up causing more harm to both, and they would have been better off accepting considerable loss of scenery, and more pulling up of track particularly near the edges, at the git-go, rather than try as much as possible to make the layout pieces "look" intact only to have it all be damaged even worse during the move or during the re-assembly.
Saving turnouts is more important than saving ordinary flex track. Turnouts are fragile, and easily ruined if bumped. May be better to pry them up if possible rather than cut around them. Some scenery is special and hard to replicate but "routine" scenery is more easily re-done
Pick and choose what to try to move intact. Complex yard throats are more important than the yard tracks themselves. I am not saying to deliberately damage things, but I am saying that the effort to save scenery and track often causes moved layouts to be cut into sections that are too large or unwieldy to handle as a practical matter.
Dave Nelson
Frankly, I have only had poor success. If I were scrupulously honest, by the time I have gotten to the point of dismantling a layout, regardless of the care I took, and the attempted foresight, to make it movable to a new location, I was in a hurry and just couldn't take the time to care after the first "Aw....sh.......!" I could have saved my time and disappointment by just taking a sledge hammer to the whole thing.
It can be done....most of us understand that. The tracks can't be saved at any places they cross over from one section of framing to another unless you placed gaps there to begin with in anticipation. If so, then a recip saw taken to the scenery will work best. It can be repaired later with sculptamold, plaster compounds, caulking, etc.
This situation is where using a bus and generous lengths of feeders really helps. You cut the feeders where they join the bus...you can always lay another bus for $10 worth of 14 gauge copper and re-solder the slightly shorter feeders to the new bus wire.
With feeders all severed, scenery cut through over the joints between frame sections/box frames, and gaps in the rails long-since placed between sections of the frames, it's just a matter of backing out some screws or lag bolts and begin sliding the most accessible section toward you, keeping in mind the legs and braces still are not all that strong.
I don't think it's realistic to move a good sized layout for a number of reasons and damaging the scenery is one of the least.
Here is my real life experience with the idea of moving layouts built in sections:
I built a 16x19' foot layout in my garage in Indiana and it was built in sections to allow it to be moved. The house I was moving to after leaving Indiana would not hold that layout - I knew the space there it wouldn't fit. So I did manage to sell that layout to someone who could fit it - it was hauled away in a U-haul and ready to be scenic'd by the buyer.
So I guess you could say it was good to build the layout in sections, although I wasn't able to use it in a future house, I was able to sell it to someone who could and use the cash for a future layout. Ultimately building a sectional layout didn't allow me to move to a future home.
In the house I moved too, I built the next layout which was semi-sectional because part of it was built over the top of permanent storage shelves that remained after I left. I did have to tear that layout down but didn't save anything since I wasn't moving to a place that I could use it.
My current layout, which is coming down for a move, was built sectional of course, but I my goal in the next location isn't to have the same layout (I don't want a duck under next time with hopefully larger layout) and I fully expect the space to be different, so even if I kept the same layout and moved it, I'd change things radically anyway so moving the same layout and using it is not going to happen.
IMO, it would be a very rare cirumstance for anyone to simply break a layout down, move it, and set it up in a new homeand be satisfied with that. David Barrow of the Cat Mountain & Santa Fe fame explored something like your idea with his domino series in MR magazine back in the 1990's but it's not for everyone. So your off the hook for regrets really.
Here is what I am doing with my current layout thats being dismantled: I'm removing all the track and boxing it up for re-use. As for the layout itself, all scenery and subroad bed is going to trash, but the basic open grid benchwork frames are being saved, as well as the legs and braces. I'm also saving some of the risers into a box of wood as I should be able to re-use some of that. I expect in some way shape or form, I'll be able to reused most of them. What I'm talking about are basic open grid frames constructed of 1x4 lumber with 1x3 cross members. They don't take up that much space and are lightweight and easy to move. I have a couple of bigger 2x8' frames with OSB attached and Homasote I hope to re-use as well for parts of a future layout. They are long but fairly narrow, so movable.
I'm trying to be the ultimate recycler for materials and hardware. I've saved most of the drywall screws, carriage bolts, unbent track nails and spikes, rail joiners and any other re-usable hardware. Most of that stuff can be re-used and will cost money to replace - thats money in my pocket. I could have taken a sledge hammer and destroyed it all but it's not taking that much longer to save re-useable hardware. Out of 7 layout sections, I took the three with scenery down completely, saving everything possible in one day. It will probably take a couple more days to do the same with the last 4 sections, which are basically double-decked.
Really thats about as good as I think you can get in most cases.
A week ago I broke down 3 of the 7 sections to basic open grid benchwork and over the last weekend I did the same with 2 more. What's left now is two 2x8 double decked sections which I plan to finish off next weekend. Fun fun!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
The largest layout I have actually moved were 2 different 4x8s. One of the 4x8s ended up getting cut down to 4x6 to fit in the new house. That 4x6 made two more moves (I'm a former member of Uncle Sam's Frequent Relocation Club).
The other 3 layouts were trashed instead of trying to move them. I've said this before but it probably should be repeated. Unless you are really, really happy with what you have already done, don't bother. Even if you are really, really happy with what you have done, if you are moving to a different state or a very different part of the same state, don't bother. Moving is the most expensive way imaginable to get rid of stuff.
And getting rid of stuff is what happens. You don't get rid of near enough in the months leading up to the move, when you could get a decent price for it. When you are at crunch time, and you realize the cost in time and dollars (that you don't have) of shipping and boxing layout sections, the fire sale starts. When you get to the other end, and see the damage despite your efforts, another fire sale ensues. And then you realize of the remainder that what you had isn't what you really want in your new place - after all, you are not quite the same person in the new location, new friends, new job, etc. And you know you can do better work this time around. So good stuff gets trashed or donated.
The wife and I - especially once we had to start paying for our moves and storage - quickly became members of the "2 boxes each and the clothes on our back" club.
We have found with furniture, as well as trains, that starting over with what we really want in the new place was actually cheaper in the long run and much more satisfying than moving and setting up the old stuff in the new place.
just my experiences
Fred W
I was very fortunate. My Dad build two 6' X 4' sections to fit in my bedroom and leave room for a closet door. They were for Lionel and laid on the floor. They were put down between Thanksgiving and Christmas and stayed up until I got bored. Later another small section was added when my Mother found a place for my clothes.
The sections were bolted togther and the wiring was attached to strip connectors. With no scenery to speak of it was very easy to take them apart and store in the attic.
Thirty years later I was married and had a son of train age. We brought them to my house, put legs on them, added a 4th. section and reinstalled the Lionel stuff.
We had a great time togther running the trains and going to the Great Greensburg train shows and buying new stuff.
When my son got his driver's liscense the layout was disasembled and stored in the furnace room.
After another 20 plus years I semi retired and put up the sections again only this time for HO. I had never seen or held an HO and thought with those small trains I'd have a railroad empire. After all, those Lionels could turn in 27 inches and the HO in 18. I soon learned that Lionel referred to radius and the HO to radii.
Bob
EDIT: This is the end for this layout. My son has no room for them in his house and as been said with the scenery and wiring involved they will be trashed.
Don't Ever Give Up
Personally, I salvage what I can - track, structures, benchwork (I screw everything together), some wire. The rest is scraped off. The new layout is never the same size. Plus, I always want to do it differently any way.
Good luck
Paul
Some good suggestions and some reasonable pessimism. I guess I have never been the kind to trash something I worked so hard and long on.
Thats the hard part or the bitter part of the bitter-sweet. I've spend the better part of the last 3 years building my layout, and getting further along on the scenery than I have on past layouts. Someone even suggested I keep my river - it turned out pretty decent.
But as I have felt sad and disappointed to destroy hard and careful work, I also recognize there are things about that layout I was not satified with and lessons I learned I could apply to a new and improved layout.
Look, I'm realistic too, and while it has been hard undoing all my hard work, I'm also looking forward to doing a better job and building a layout I am more satisfied with. So buck-up and salvage things that can be realistically re-used and take all your lessons to the next level on the next layout.
When i started building my layout 2-3 years ago, i started off with the idea of being able to move it to my next house when the time comes (renting). So separate tables connected with bolts/nuts, as few turnouts as possible over gaps, modular and removable scenery (foam/plaster) etc.
A few months down the road, i realized what Paul mentioned earlier. That this layout is tailored for this house and that I can build a better one, tailored for the new house when the time comes. So i will just keep the turnouts, buildings and other useable scenic items. I wish i realized this earlier on, and then i would have saved a lot of time not to worry/plan for the current layout being moveable.
Just my 2 cents.
Finally got a replacement photo host.
Before:
After:
Saving materials for a future layout:
After a year of deliberation I have come up with another option for moving. After packing up all my trains, buildings and vehicles I looked at my layout and realized there are things I would like to change and could do better. However, I spent a lot of time on the scenery of the Helena, MT area especially the Sleeping Giant Mountain north of Helena and the Gates of the Mountains, also north of Helena. Amazingly, I built both of these sections to be removable for access to the trains that run through the mountain.
Much like saving some features of an historic building to be incorporated into the new building to replace it; I will save these two scenery features and incorporate them into my new layout at my new home. I have one other mountain with a gold mine in it which is also removable. While staring at the layout without these three features I realized the rest of the layout was pretty generic and easy to duplicate. The work of dismantling, packing and moving the whole thing no longer seemed worth it. Yes, I will have some additional expenses starting over but the improvements I can now make will make it worth it. Thanking the good Lord for the time to think it over and make a better informed decision. Thank you also to all the forum members for the ideas they gave me to move ahead.
eaglescout . . . . I have one other mountain with a gold mine in it which is also removable. . . .
. . . . I have one other mountain with a gold mine in it which is also removable. . . .
All I do is hookup my layout to a truck and drive off. Already been moved one time just before I started laying track. Track all in place and working well. Just starting on landscape.
Outside....
Inside....
Paul D
N scale Washita and Santa Fe RailroadSouthern Oklahoma circa late 70's
I moved my 7‘ x 7 layout downstairs earlier this year After removing the structures and any thing that I thought might break we tipped the layout on it’s side removing the legs and brought it downstairs. I left the layout on its side for awhile Gave me a chance to upgrade the wiring. Now the legs are reattached the stuctures are back and I am slowly re-scenicing anything that need repair.
Joe Staten Island West
best way to cut track is with rail nippers, cut back about an inch on both sides.
It is fairly easy to cut up a layout for moving purposes. Tricky part is to put it back together in the new location.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
Well, the time has finally come. After two years of deliberation and all the suggestions on the forum, we move in a week. I decided to leave the layout behind and the new owner may get some enjoyment from it. I did, however, take two of my mountain tops that were designed as removable for possible derailments under the mountain. One is my "Sleeping Giant" from north of Helena, MT and the other contains my gold mine. These two remnants of my old layout will be incorporated into my new layout. It will connect the old with the new without the mess and hassle of moving the entire layout. I have some sadness about leaving behind much work over the years but excitement for designing a new layout, making improvements and including two of my prized landmarks. Just a few thoughts for others facing the same dilema.
Wow, you found a buyer who is willing to take home with the layout left in place. If so that's unusual but saves you the teardown.
Good for you! You'll enjoy your new build with some remnants of previous layout(s) on it. I have done this twice now. Whether a turnout or a harvested trestle or bridge, these things have value if only in time for construction of them, so it's good to be able to re-use them.