Space

[Anonymous]

Can someone tell me if a 4 foot x 8 foot is big enough to build a decent size
layout? I don't have much more room than that. I want to build in HO.

Thanks,

Tom

[SteelMonsters]

It works. It's a good start for someone who doesn't have much experince with model railraods. Small, easy, and the most redoable are pretty good advanteges. Once basics are met most people try to get more and more layout. Little things like color coded wire, terminal strips, and other little electical tools help a lot with expansions or troubleshooting. Well marked with visual aided control panels for turnouts and other devices make your layout easier to learn and remember. Many little things add up in the end.

You can usually save track, removeable scenery and other stuff so when you want to go bigger, you can expand on existing equipment. You could also design to easily add more layout going off one end of your table. Such as a couple dead ends nearing the edge of the table, then if you want to add more in that direction, you can just set up more tables an lay more track.

The best part about this hobby is it's up to you. Have fun.

[Anonymous]

Plenty of space in a 4X8 area, My first two layouts were less than 4X8. My second RR - a logging empire - is 1 1/2 X 6. I built it to attach to a future road. Built the future road but didn't attach it. Still have it though.

[IRONROOSTER]

The biggest advantage to the 4x8 layout is that it matches the common plywood size making it easy to get a table set up quickly. The chief draw back is that both sides of the layout should have access since it is difficult to work on the layout from one side only.

One alternative is to cut the 4x8 sheet into 4 2x4 pieces and then arrange them in a 6x6 pattern with a 2x2 access hole in the middle. This can be put in a corner and may take up no more room than the 4x8 with access aisles. This is a little trickier to construct, but can lead to a more interesting layout. This was in fact the basis for my second layout and re-used the pylwood from my first layout (the 4x8 of course). I actually did it a little more complicated to wind up with a 6 1/2 x 6 (my pieces were 2 x 6 1/2, 2 x4, and 2x4. I pieced together a 1 x 2 1/2 for the fourth side). It allowed for a mainline, a switching area and an elevated branchline.

Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Tom:

There are many good trackplans for 4X8 feet dimensions. Also its a good size to act as a leg of a future larger layout. You might also think of building it to modular standards to interoperate it with other modular modelers in your area.

Randy