Over the years, my trainroom/layout has moved many times. (Pull-out under the bed; Drop-down from a wall; Table set-up in the former dining room; Vacated spare bedroom) All of these have been in apartments. Curious: Where is yours? AND, if in a house, did you buy the house with the idea of using a specific area for the trainroom/layout? As always, many thanks.
My layout is in our basement. Fortunately, since we have plenty of room in the rest of the house, there was no need to plead have a discussion regarding the use of the space.
Regards,
John
The Trains are set-up in the office. We have a basementless house, that we are quickly outgrowing, and the Office was the only space left to put anything in. Layout is 7x4.
Kurt
One of about twenty things that we were looking for in a house (we actually had a check list) was a dry basement where I could have a train layout(museum) and my wife could have a sewing room. Both houses we have owned have had these. As we look to the future and retirement when we are in our 90's (or so it seems) I keep thinking of a two car garage with an apartment above that could be the Train Empire I really want.
Greg
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
I have mine in a spare bedroom that my FIL used to occupy before his death in 2002. It's an "L" shaped 4X8 with a 2X4 leg. There is an over stuffed chair, TV and bathroom plus a desk.
I am the monster in your head...And I thought you'd learn by now, It seems you haven't yet.I am the venom in your skin --- Breaking Benjamin
I had mine on a Ping-pong table in my basement. But then my house had a problem with ants, so I disassembled the whole thing and put it away for storage until the problem is resolved.
I have a HUGE garage, and there is a loft for storage above where the 2 cars are parked. It is standing room at the peak but it would be big enough for me to setup the ping pong table. But I was hesitant due to all of the dust that accumalites in the garage and the extreme temp. that it goes though during the summer/winter. I would love to put it out there but I did not know if those temp. changes would hurt the trains, tracks or electronics.
Does anyone have any opinions on this?
My current train room is in a room (14x20) that we had specifically added on the back of our house. We too are basement-less. Previously it has been located in a upstairs bedroom. The new room is ideal, with a pass through to the kitchen via the kitchen window. Being in So. Cal. the room is actually an enclosed patio room. Constructed of foam walls that are about 4" thick. Structurally sound can walk on the roof etc.. Temperature in the past year has been a low of 57 and a high of 84. Not bad at all. I love it !! And cost to build was low, and took 1 day to put up.
In prior houses, (been in this one for 23 years), I have had the layout in the garage. Actually it was suspended above the car, and I would raise and lower it via pulleys. Boy was that a hassle !
Don
My layout is in the basement. It occupies a room 18 feet x 10 feet. It now goes thru the finished wall into another room, which is 10 x 10 feet. The longest straight run of track is a 22 foot leg, which goes thru the wall. I can run 3 full trains at the same time plus the town trolley. I have 3 other trains sitting on sidings.
Chuck
My layout is in a one car garage of my father's house. It's two 4 by 8ft boards put together in an L shape. The garage is not heated or air/conditioned so its cold in winter and hot in summer weather. But I'm very lucky I have that space.
Give me steam locomotives or give me DEATH!
Berkshire Junction, bringing fourth the cry of the Iron Horse since 1900.
Our layout is in a finished room in our basement. It's a 16' x 10' room that my wife had intended as her summertime refuse because it's so cool down there. But she offered it to us and I slapped up a layout before she could change her mind.
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.
My last permanent layout was a miniscule but effective 4'x8' with an adjunct small extension for the ZW and switches in my unfinished basement. One 8 foot side was mounted and hinged into the cement wall, with three folding exterior legs on the opposite 8' length, and with everything screwed or glued down. Two concentric loops and an interior siding, all connected by switches. Boring to some, but I could run two rigs simultaneously with a third on the siding. Or I could run one and keep switching from inner to outer loop, etc. Lacking more space, I spent my time enhancing the landscape, etc., to max what I had.
I enjoyed the other thread in this forum about strategies for cleaning exposed layouts. Mine was always relatively clean from dust because when not in use it dropped relatively flush with the wall, mountain tunnel, water towers, and buildings notwithstanding. After run time, I would drape a sheet over it for good measure. Some of the trees and people would fall to their demise on the floor from time to time, but it was a minor nuisance.
So for those of you with the smaller layouts, be greatful for any operating layout while you concoct plans for that unused and unfinished attic space.
Jack
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
marxalot wrote:The present 8'-6" by 13' - 6" layout is in one end of the family room in the basement. My wife was always good about seeking houses with a basement so a train table could be had. Maybe she was worried it would end up in the living room if we didn't have a basement?
marxalot. You must be proud to have married a woman with such great vision. Jack.
Basements and attics are not very common here in New Zealand. My layout is in a detached building 18ft by 11.5 ft. Gives a run per lap on the middle track of fifty feet. Clockwork and live steam are run as well as electric. I run trains made in the USA, England, Germany, Australia, & New Zealand. plus some I made myself. Occasionally I set up Standard Gauge on the lounge floor. Sometimes temporary track is set up for c/w & battery power on the lawn, giving a run of 100 feet. Some clockworks can manage more than two laps of this per winding.
Colin Duthie (NZ)
THANKS TO ALL. I'm delighted with your responses and will continue to read the replies.
PS: This topic came up last night while we were, once again, going over a variety of 'wish list' options to be considered should we finally decide to purchase a home. (I really like the idea of a basement but they tell us that it "ain't a good idea" in Florida- if that's where we are headed - since basements don't exist. Of course, then, there is the Lanai or around the pool).
My layout is in the upstairs extra bedroom, 8ft wide by 12ft long and the second level is 6ft wide by 3&half ft long with a track coming off that circles most of the bottom level. Had to move the computer stuff and stereo speakers to get a larger train layout. The upstairs has a bathroom too and am I glad at times.
Lee F.
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Our layout is in what was our oldest daughter's bedroom. Layout is 6.5' x 9.5'. Room is about 12.5' x 12.5' with a big closet. The only concession is I had to have an available bed in the room. In the picture you can see the bed under the layout. The single bed is on rollers and the table height was determined by the height of the bed. My test track actually lays on the bed under the layout. When someone needs to use the bed, I roll it out and take the teat track off and set it aside. In the pic you can see the bed and bedspread.
My layout is in my moms old house trailer 80' x 14' that is on my land when she past away the wife & me did not want to rent it out so the wife said to make it my play room and I did.
Gary
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
When we built our house 9 years ago, the main stipulation was that I had to have a train room. We have a raised ranch and there is a 24' x 15' finished room on the lower level that is the train room. It is also set up as a nostalgia room where I have some old Davy Crockett toys, Elvis and Marilyn memorabilia and in the future I plan on adding a 50's style diner booth. My train room even has its own bathroom. All I need is a refrigerator and microwave and I will never have to go upstairs.
Home of the K.I.S.S. Railroad
At the moment my layout is in our living room. It measures overall 8' x 6', but is shaped like two large curved lobes connected by a strip of table top 18" wide. A friend who teaches industrial arts designed and built it. The longest run of 8' is supported by a bookcase which faces into the open area of the table. The two lobes each have a pair of tapered legs. The top is covered in green felt.
My friend who built my table has recently added a 24' x 24' room onto his house for his trains. He is in the process of building two large mountains which contain coal mines. The first mountain is finished. The second mountain is going to be over 6' high (which will look great because the room has a cathedral ceiling). I hope to build a similiar room myself in the not too distant future.
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