I sort of posted this over in the general discussion forum on one of the "what did you get for Christmas" threads and no one reponded. I think everyone thought I was joking. For Christmas I got virtually unlimited space for a model railroad, we purchased an old school house.
The last couple weekends we have spent there cleaning it up. Last night my wife began serious planning for use of the space and I got asked the question - What part(s) of the building do you want for the pike? The original plan was to have a railroad museum with layout included. But the more I think about it I would like to get a personal pike going first, that does not necessarily have to be adjacent to or include in the musuem part.....
My original plan was to use the gym, or at least 1/2 the gym. But the gym is so nice I sort of hate to convert it. I mean how many people can say they have a full size basket ball court in their house? Anyway my next plan was to use the room on the top far right (approximately 24x48). After becoming more familiar with the building I find that the center closet is much more built in than one would think. It even has its own electrical panel there - sigh. Likewise the room across the hall (lower right) is the old science room. It has some built in equipment (like a vapor hood) that I would hate to move - so it by default becomes my laboratory. The next choice seems to be the large square room right next to the gym in the center. It is about 30x30. Or should I just build another dedicated building outside? I've got 5 acres to play with here. The large double size room along the top is off limits as it is the library & media center it will become the primary living space. Likewise the small area right next to the center south entry with all the walls will stay that way as my office.
Does anyone have any ideas? What would you do???
Also my current plan is to model the Pueblo & Arkasas River Railroad prototype but brought forward into more modern times having either won the gorge, or that the Santa Fe never lost control of the D&RG. HO /. HOn3 scale.
<slobber><slobber><slobber><pick jaw up from floor> Dude! I'm jealous. Been dreaming of buying an old, empty Winn-Dixie store down the road for a railroad. But will probably never have the wherewithall to do so. Congratulations on the school house. :)
I think I would use the 30x30 room. The 24x48 room would probably work, but it might be easier planning for a square space than planning for a rectangular one. Either way, I don't think you will need to build an additional building and either room will house more railroad than one person can keep up with...
I'm trying to model 1956, not live in it.
Texas Zepher Last night my wife began serious planning for use of the space and I got asked the question - What part(s) of the building do you want for the pike?
Last night my wife began serious planning for use of the space and I got asked the question - What part(s) of the building do you want for the pike?
My response would have been: What do you mean what part of the building do I want for the layout??
The 24'x48' room would be great for long main line runs if you so desire...
"You show me a man with both feet on the ground and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants on." -anonymous
Assuming that you can open a door from the 30 x 30 room to the gym proper, you could have your cake (the big fixed railroad) and eat it, too - in the form of several smaller railroads on casters that can be rolled out onto the basketball court when the museum is open, or rolled to where the bleachers probably are now if you want to shoot hoops.
I remember visiting a facility in the New Hampshire tourist belt that was about the size of a school gym. There were a number of different model railroads, each about 8 x 12 or so, built in various scales and running different kinds of trains. Depositing a coin in the slot would provide about five minutes of action on each layout.
Emotionally, I envy you your chance to build your dream in the kind of space I used to dream about. Logically, I realize that my time for getting started on that sort of thing ran out some time before the turn of the century...
Whatever decision you make, good luck and happy building.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
holy crap!
To think I was dreaming of building a two car garage (24x24) with a 2nd floor (24x24) for trains.
WaxonWaxov To think I was dreaming of building a two car garage (24x24) with a 2nd floor (24x24) for trains.
If you've got the time and the money DO IT!
It's only a 17 foot wide one car but it's 30 feet deep. (The town wouldn't let me go wider.) I've never regretted it. Drove almost every nail myself. I have all the layout I can reasonably handle in a comfortable space all its own.
Karl
The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open. www.stremy.net
tomikawaTTAssuming that you can open a door from the 30 x 30 room to the gym proper, you could have your cake (the big fixed railroad) and eat it, too - in the form of several smaller railroads on casters that can be rolled out onto the basketball court when the museum is open, or rolled to where the bleachers probably are now if you want to shoot hoops.
ScarpiaPresuming that you don't play basketball, than I would recommend the Gym. It's an appropriate space for what you do do, which is model railroading. Maybe it's the Yankee in me, but why have a huge room that won't get used?
I'd use the gym, I'm horrible at basketball, plus not that many people can actually say they have a Gymnasium-size layout! Do any of the other rooms connect, with a movable wall or anything, like the build into most schools these days (and retrofit in old ones)? Or if the dividing walls aren;t load-bearing, would it be possible to modify the structure somewhat and make one big room out of a couple smaller ones?
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
wjstixMy response would have been: What do you mean what part of the building do I want for the layout??
Much more ambitious than I could have ever pulled off. Especially after witnessing the Greeley Station (Colorado) railroad construction the past few years.
rrinker I'd use the gym, I'm horrible at basketball, plus not that many people can actually say they have a Gymnasium-size layout! Do any of the other rooms connect, with a movable wall or anything, like the build into most schools these days (and retrofit in old ones)? Or if the dividing walls aren;t load-bearing, would it be possible to modify the structure somewhat and make one big room out of a couple smaller ones?
So I could entertain any ideas you have along that line. Even if some of them are load bearing nothing says there could not be tunnels for the trains between a couple of the rooms.
Use the 30x30 room. You'll want the gym for the train shows your museum is going to host! Possibility of renting it out for income too.You'll probably find that the gym is too costly to heat and cool so it will probably get closed off most of the time. (unless your funds are truly limitless) Do you actually have to deal with a boiler?? That could turn into a pain in the butt. Did it come with a cool kitchen?I had a chance to buy an old church when I was married. ( a REAL church, not one of these strip center things) I wasn't fond of having a cemetery for a back yard.I envy you! That sounds like a fun project.
PS-You really need to post some pictures of this!
Texas Zepher rrinker I'd use the gym, I'm horrible at basketball, plus not that many people can actually say they have a Gymnasium-size layout! Do any of the other rooms connect, with a movable wall or anything, like the build into most schools these days (and retrofit in old ones)? Or if the dividing walls aren;t load-bearing, would it be possible to modify the structure somewhat and make one big room out of a couple smaller ones?No. As near as I can tell (for having only owned the building a couple weeks) all of the walls shown are brick or brick lined cinder block. I do not have an engineering report yet that tells which are load bearing. I do know that some of the ones lining the hall cannot be load bearing as there are high windows (very long ones) that let the light from the classrooms out into the hall. So I could entertain any ideas you have along that line. Even if some of them are load bearing nothing says there could not be tunnels for the trains between a couple of the rooms.
The problem with just tunnels (which indded would work and not compromise a load-bearing wall) is that operation would be a bear. You'd start your train into one of the through-wall tunnels, then have to walk out the door of the room and down the hall to the next room to go pick up your train again. Depening on the size and how much layout fits in a given room you might be able to adopt a scheme where the train would naturally be stopped at the tunnel point, say by making it a division point of some sort where there is a crew change, but I think it would get old real quick plus you'd have to work hard to not make it look like it was contrived even though it clearly would be.
You could probably also add doorways between the rooms but this would surely not be an inexpensive proposition with a load bearing wall to pierce.
ALso, you mention things about a museum - if there are big windows between the rooms and the hallway, take a look at what John Armstrong proposed for a club layout in Creative Layout Design. Especially if the ceilings are high. Basically a sliding divider at the window so there can be a display when they layout is not operating as something for visitors to see, but it slides to two other positions, one which supports seerious oeprations and the other which supports visitor shows. Kinda neat idea and a way to make your personal layout serve dual function as part of a museum display. With windows you might not even need a sliding panel since everything would be safely behind the glass.
Yes, please post some pictures...
a friggen school? i'd be happy with just a dam house! but i can't give advice, rip out the floor of the gym (i hate basketball) and turn it into a shop/garage. course then known me i'd fill it up with so many project cars i wouldn't have room for all the tools to do a project car. buuuuuut, i'd keep the half with the stage as my layout room, built in viewing platform already built in. and if you didn't want people to just walk down and mess around with your stuff a simple electrified 20 ft. wire fence will do the trick. i like the idea of the musuem too though, and keeping at least part of the old gym as is so it can be used by the community. you'll make more friends that way. and then you can accept donnations for the MRRF.
Got to ask, what did you have to pay for it. Also if you need any space planning ?, thats what I used to do and could give advice.
You have that 30x30 space for the trains. Make the rest of the building earn it's keep via rentals for town meets, church functions etc.
These forums are getting WAY too slow to make any meaningful posts or edits in a timely manner.
You will have X dollars for trains, X dollars for the building Make the building earn some kind of income so to make your task easier on a money point of view.
jkroft The 24'x48' room would be great for long main line runs if you so desire...
rrebellGot to ask, what did you have to pay for it.
DrilineYes, please post some pictures...
rear:
Yes those are central air units. This is the ONLY school of all we have looked at in the past three years that has had central air.
Wow it is amazing how little a building cost there, I live in a 3 bedroom house thats valued at $1,500,000.00 (of course I didn't pay anything like that 20+ years ago).
How much money you got? You gonna live here too? What's the rest of the setup?
If you've got lots of moola, build an enclosed section along the back wall (between the gym on the left and whatever it is on the right). Then you will have an enormous space to allocate nearly anyway you want. Nearly unlimited mainline run and whatever you want to model in-between. Otherwise, why not take the big room on the far right, top? That looks like a really good room. You could also knock out as many walls as you like (or make broad doorways) between rooms to get whatever space you want also. Its not hard to knock out walls as long as you make sure they're not structural-- or if they are, take the necessary steps to replace the support elements in the process. Take out the walls between the first couple of rooms on the top-right. That would give you a killer train room and let you keep your gym.
Chances are the ceilings are tall also meaning if you really wanted to you could have a double, triple, quadruple or even a quintuple decker layout in there. Granted after two or three the rest are harder to use, but maybe for staging. No helixes for YOU mister! :) You could probably model the entire eastern seaboard in there... maybe more with selective compression! :)
You know you're not limited to scale either. You could model 2:1 if you wanted... :)
BTW, who's gonna CLEAN the place and MOW the yard???
Seems like a big job right there. Maybe you need to hire a Maintenance of Way crew...
jwhitten BTW, who's gonna CLEAN the place and MOW the yard??? Seems like a big job right there. Maybe you need to hire a Maintenance of Way crew...
Who's going to help you build the layout? A 30'x30' or a 24'x48' layout is big layout to build and maintain by oneself.
Gary
Can't be too bad, the one I'm building is 19' x 35' and I'm doing that one by myself...
Found a University with College level courses in Model Railroading. Perhaps to serve aspiring students who intend to go into the hobby. Maybe even industry for the future here at home when China no longer makes American toy trains.
One day China will quit making model train stuff at any price. That day is coming I fear.
Such a building as this can be a nucleus of a bright domestic future.
Cool, I haven't matriculated anything in ages.