So about a year ago i was having a great time opperating my first model railroad. It had started its construction in 2012 when i was very young, the trackwork was terrible having no skills or experience in the field. After heavy sessions i decided it would be a great idea to remodel, with the space i had i could make a more efficient better looking railroad. And thats what i did, i spend weeks tearing apart my once great accomplishment to make room for an even greater one. Once i figured a design i liked i put it into action asap, however i was so excited at the time that i didn't put alot of thought into the design, and its flaws. Right now i have an L shaped layout sitting against the wall. the longer part of the L is 4' wide by 14' long. Against the wall. This makes it hard for me to reach the track closest to the wall. Im a pretty tall guy so i thought i could get around it but, its really not that great. I could cut access holes in certain spots to fix that issue but i also have another issue that i need to face. Moving. Right now i am 17 years old, i plan to goto college and get a trade in some sort of mechanic field. Luckly there is a school near me that i am planning to attend. You might ask what this has to do with anyhting, well i have atleast another 4 years or more in my current home before i will decide to move out, but when i do id like to take my layout with me. I have a terrible set of staires leading down to my basement where my layout is and theres no way in hell that i will be able to fit 2 4x8 table tops used as benchwork up them, with the framing, foamboard, track and hills and such that i would plan to add, the only way im getting this thing out is if i cut it in half, which leads me to my subject title..... 1 year later from a major re-model i am planning on re-modeling it again. However this time it wont be as major. I would like to cut the wide 4' part in half and expand the layout to surround my space. The only reason i didn't do this last year when i initally re-modeled is because there is a closet on the one side of the space that im not alloud to cover over. So i thought i could make the whole layout in sections. making a liftout section where the closet is for ease of access, then having other sections just bolt together so i am able to make a clear pathway to the closet. Now i have all this beatiful benchwork that i spent time and money making so i would like to save and reuse as much as possible. The short part of the L will stay where it is, because it fits perfectly and is no hassel to move. Anyone have any thoughts about me possible cutting my bechwork in half? I have linked my flicker with the 2 designs, the first being the one from last year, and the second being my new idea. The track on the first is not all layed, and the second one i havent worked out a good idea i like for track, but any feedback/ideas is greatly appreciated. If you stuck through that whole thing please give me some ideas if i should change or keep it.
Thanks,
Andrew
Welcome to the forum. Your first few posts are delayed.
Folks will find it easier to read your posts with a few carriage returns mixed in. I’m probably just dense, but I’m finding it hard to understand exactly what your situation is from reading the text. The photos would probably help.
There is a forum sticky on how to post photos; it’s a little convoluted with this forum software.http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/249194.aspx
The first couple of posts in that thread are the most useful, then it gets a little confusing. Good luck with posting and with your layout.
Byron
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Andrew there are times in your life where model railroading has to take a back seat. College may be one of them, not just for the academics but for the social exerience of college.
Some of us who plan to move are using modules. Mine are 2x7 and 2x5. 2x4 makes building yards difficult because there are seams in the middle of your turnouts. 8' long, for me is a problem to turn corners to get it up the stairs. I am using 2" foam to minimize weight.
As you progress in the hobby, your knowledge and desires change, so rebuilding is common. It's better to minimize your mistakes rather than stumble around in the dark. A 4' wide layout is one that could have been avoided, except the "beginner layout on 4x8" is a common magazine theme. Building it is one thing, moving it is another.
I recommend John Armstrong's Track Planning for Realistic Operation to that end.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
My advise to everyone about moving is that when you move you get to start over and fix all of your old mistakes. You will have better skills and your scenery will look better and your track work will improve so the trains will operate better. Also when you move your new home won’t have the same dimensions and layouts work best when they are designed to fit the room they are in. To many modelers, building the layout is half of the fun. Don’t worry about planning your layout to move. Many people including myself have had the idea of moving their layout only to never use the parts they moved and simply just start over.
I'm going to echo what others have said.Leave your current layout as-is, don't worry about it for now. Go to school, get good grades, get a degree.The layout you start five or six years from now will be a thousand times better than whatever you currently imagine, I promise.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
Bayfield Transfer RailwayThe layout you start five or six years from now will be a thousand times better than whatever you currently imagine, I promise.
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Ditto that!
I really thought my first layout I built in 1982 would be incorporated into all my future layouts. That was never going to happen. I have switched eras twice, scales once, and modeled location four times.
Every layout gets closer to what you really want.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Welocme,
Schooling, starting a new job, family (?) all take a lot of time and adjustment. I'd go with the idea of leaving your layout as it is and enjoy its capabilities until you have some more stable plans.
If getting it out of its current location is going to be a hassle, salvage the elements that you can, track, roadbed, buildings, trees and anything that can be removed. Once that's done take the benchowrk apart and haul it out. If parts of it, like framing can be salvaged easily, good, if not, it's usually easier to replace than to spend a lot of time trying to salvage.
While you are in limbo, use some of your time to do some planning for your new layout. Think of your preferences and work on a track plaan that will put your desires on the layout. If you don't know what kind of space you will have, just work on a basic plan that can be easily modified and added to.
When you go to buildiing your new layout, remember, you may want to move it, so use this as a lesson and build it in sections that can be seperated fairly easily and ones that will pass through your available doors and stairways with relative ease.
I'm currently trying to keep my small layout intact as I build a new one. Problem is the best space for the old one is, it is where the new one is to go. I should bite the bullet, ditch the old one and get benchwork and track done so I can run trains on the new one. It's always something.
Good luck,
Richard