Trains.com

Welcome to the Carpet Central layout club

17909 views
56 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 554 posts
Posted by runtime on Sunday, January 30, 2011 4:42 PM

Quite a layout and train collection, and quite a story..and very well told. Thanks.

runtime

  • Member since
    September 2010
  • From: Parma Heights Ohio
  • 3,442 posts
Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, January 30, 2011 6:08 PM

richhotrain

the issue of female resistance - - my mother back then, my wife today.

Rich

I'd just like to chime in and mention that not all of us are like that!  Some of us, with the rare double R chromosome and double R type blood, have trains running all over the house!  Smile

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Bayville NJ
  • 1,029 posts
Posted by AF53 on Sunday, January 30, 2011 6:14 PM

Becky - When I read that I was wondering when you would respond!! Laugh

Ray

Ray

Bayville, NJ

 

Life is what happens to you
While you're busy making other plans - John Lennon

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: South Carolina
  • 9,713 posts
Posted by rtraincollector on Sunday, January 30, 2011 6:23 PM

Okay figured out how to post movies lol. now you have to click on the pic's to get to the movie part. Please excuss the quality as all i have is an old kodac 3.1 meg camera. But still gives you a fair view of the layout. the second one is a little dark should of had more light.

It does show it some at least.

Life's hard, even harder if your stupid  John Wayne

http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: US
  • 1,475 posts
Posted by overall on Sunday, January 30, 2011 7:53 PM

Marsene6,

That is a wonderful story my friend. I run my layout for some special needs kids once a year. They are a very appreciative audience.

George

  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: Oyster bay branch, LIRR
  • 341 posts
Posted by billbarman on Sunday, January 30, 2011 8:03 PM

I have had a carpet central since I started with trains back in 99. oh god how I hate it Sad I used to have an O36 fastrack loop which was pretty big... but now that ive been into mroe scale oriented stuff, the O72 track dosent really fir and I have had to find other sneaky methods of putting trains up in rooms wehre trains should not be Cool

"No childhood should be without a train!"

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: St. Louis, MO
  • 4,913 posts
Posted by Brutus on Sunday, January 30, 2011 10:49 PM

(LIKE)

Very nice, RT!

RIP Chewy - best dog I ever had.

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Monday, January 31, 2011 6:16 AM

Penny Trains

 richhotrain:

the issue of female resistance - - my mother back then, my wife today.

Rich

 

I'd just like to chime in and mention that not all of us are like that!  Some of us, with the rare double R chromosome and double R type blood, have trains running all over the house!  Smile

Becky

LOL

Becky, I can only draw two conclusions from that:  (1) your husband is more tolerant of your passion for trains than my wife is for mine or (2) you are not married in which case you are free to do what you want - - a right that I surrendered at the altar some time ago. Broken Heart

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: South Carolina
  • 9,713 posts
Posted by rtraincollector on Monday, January 31, 2011 8:32 AM

richhotrain

 Penny Trains:

 richhotrain:

the issue of female resistance - - my mother back then, my wife today.

Rich

 

I'd just like to chime in and mention that not all of us are like that!  Some of us, with the rare double R chromosome and double R type blood, have trains running all over the house!  Smile

Becky

 

LOL

Becky, I can only draw two conclusions from that:  (1) your husband is more tolerant of your passion for trains than my wife is for mine or (2) you are not married in which case you are free to do what you want - - a right that I surrendered at the altar some time ago. Broken Heart

Rich

Rich theres one more and thats hes just as much into them but doesn't post on the forum. Weather he actually does work on them or not also may be he just enjoys seeing them and her crafty art work in setting them up.

Life's hard, even harder if your stupid  John Wayne

http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/

  • Member since
    June 2010
  • From: Hawaii
  • 14 posts
Posted by Monsieur on Monday, January 31, 2011 9:32 AM

Hello All

I post very seldom, but I thought this thread is a lot of fun. We used to do the Carpet Central route, as we live in a two bedroom apartment in Hawaii. Ours is large by Hawaiian standards, but not that large by mainland standards.

We just finished laying the final piece of track (for now) on our 4' X 8' Lionel pre war and post war layout. There is even an attached section that makes use of a large shelf on the free standing shelves next to the layout. The extension is where the passenger terminal is being built.

The layout location and a lot of the design came from my wife. She also is the one that designs and builds most of the buildings, paints all the people and does the other fine scenic details.

The layout location, our living room! By the way you get a lot of storage space under a layout that size. Something that does not come with an apartment in Hawaii. So I guess my wife has the rare double R chromosome and double R type blood. Very lucky me!

PS: The reason I said "for now" on laying track, my wife has an extension planed for, once we can find a Hellgate bridge. The 042 turnout is already in place with one piece of track at the edge of the layout.

Patrick

Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: South Carolina
  • 9,713 posts
Posted by rtraincollector on Monday, January 31, 2011 7:09 PM

Patrick how about some photo's

would also love to see some standard and s gauge floor layouts. found more items to add to my layout thought I had some rubber road to add but can't find it ( figures lol) but will take more pics tomorrow.

Life's hard, even harder if your stupid  John Wayne

http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/

  • Member since
    September 2010
  • From: Parma Heights Ohio
  • 3,442 posts
Posted by Penny Trains on Monday, January 31, 2011 7:21 PM

richhotrain

 

LOL

Becky, I can only draw two conclusions from that:  (1) your husband is more tolerant of your passion for trains than my wife is for mine or (2) you are not married in which case you are free to do what you want - - a right that I surrendered at the altar some time ago. Broken Heart

Rich

Not married, never been.  It's just me and mom, and she does give me a bit of resistance, but she's mellowing!  Smile  About 20 years ago when she enjoyed dinner parties and such she wouldn't have allowed me to take over half the living room for trains at Christmas time!  Big Smile  Not to mention having a 4 by 6 layout in my bedroom and a 9 by 15 table in the basement!  Big Smile  Oh, and did I mention I have shelving units full of trains, books and magazines in the basement, a spare bedroom and just about everywhere else!  Big Smile

Now if I can just get her to let me redo the garden in concrete so I can have G scale outdoors...Confused...and maybe a 7 1/2 inch gauge line around the rest of the yard...Confused...and maybe a permanent Standard Gauge layout at the other end of the basement...Confused...then I could break out my HO and N....Confused

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Monday, January 31, 2011 9:48 PM

Penny Trains

 richhotrain:

 

LOL

Becky, I can only draw two conclusions from that:  (1) your husband is more tolerant of your passion for trains than my wife is for mine or (2) you are not married in which case you are free to do what you want - - a right that I surrendered at the altar some time ago. Broken Heart

Rich

 

Not married, never been.  It's just me and mom, and she does give me a bit of resistance, but she's mellowing!  Smile  About 20 years ago when she enjoyed dinner parties and such she wouldn't have allowed me to take over half the living room for trains at Christmas time!  Big Smile  Not to mention having a 4 by 6 layout in my bedroom and a 9 by 15 table in the basement!  Big Smile  Oh, and did I mention I have shelving units full of trains, books and magazines in the basement, a spare bedroom and just about everywhere else!  Big Smile

Now if I can just get her to let me redo the garden in concrete so I can have G scale outdoors...Confused...and maybe a 7 1/2 inch gauge line around the rest of the yard...Confused...and maybe a permanent Standard Gauge layout at the other end of the basement...Confused...then I could break out my HO and N....Confused

Becky

Aha, Becky, there you have it.  Female resistance once again, in this case your mother.  Bow

Women always get in the way of our having fun.  LOL

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
  • 682 posts
Posted by balidas on Monday, January 31, 2011 10:51 PM

Here is a carpet layout I toyed with for a bit.

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Bayville, New Jersey
  • 1,296 posts
Posted by Hudson#685 on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 5:44 AM

This really brings back great memories. I enjoy setting up the trains around the tree at Christmas. Until we get the combo craft/scrapbooking/train room above the garage ready, Carpet Central will be the way to go.

AF53, Ray, yes she is finally ready to move on the room.

Female Resistance: I must be lucky. I never had much of that when it came to the trains, or the boats, cars,trucks,tractors,fishing,etc.

John

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Wisconsin
  • 105 posts
Posted by Firesteel on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 8:22 PM

I never encountered any "female resistance" since I have never been married. I haven't had the best luck in regards to relationships, but I don't think my trains would be enough to annoy a girlfriend or wife. It is my other toys that might do that: a car, a truck, two snowmobiles, woodworking tools, and three antique farm tractors( I don't even live on a farm).

Karl

  • Member since
    September 2010
  • From: Parma Heights Ohio
  • 3,442 posts
Posted by Penny Trains on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 8:23 PM

It's not a question of gender.  Stick out tongue  It's about dissinterrested parties.  Huh?

Here's a little story if you'll pardon my going off topic for a moment!  Whistling  Mom, really couldn't care less about trains, toy, real or otherwise.  But I got her to tour a dusty old roundhouse last June.  She only went because I don't drive and I really, really wanted to go.  With her medical issues on top of mine, I had no idea whether she'd be grousing five minutes after we got there.  But before long she was happily climbing on and off cabooses and pullman cars and really getting fascinated with the story of railroading in Cleveland!  Big Smile  She was even asking questions after we left!

So you never know.  Opposites attract but open minds are willing to share your interrests.

Anyhoo, back to the topic at hand.  I just finished restoring a 3472 and installed the 3462P onto the board for my carpet central.  Unfortunately it required me to cut and install 1 1/4" straights on the S gauge (Flyer track) oval so it would clear the milk man's platform, which is on the inner O31 RealTrax oval.  That was an adventure too by the way, I had to cut the plastic roadbed away on the platform side, and cut a groove in the roadbed on the other to make the 3462P fit under the MTH RealTrax operating track section.  But, it works and the base of the 3462P is wedged neatly into the roadbed.

This layout is intended to operate under a 5 foot bamboo tree decorated with paper lanterns and good luck ornaments.  (One of these years I'll even get it up before Chinese New Year!  Big Smile  Which is what it was intended for!)  So I needed a sturdy tunnel structure so I can place the tree above the tracks.  I made that out of heavy gauge galvanized flashing material and hot-glued thick styrene portals to each end.  I'll mount the tree permanently on the top of the tunnel and build up around it with strofoam and mountain paper so it looks like the tree is growing right out of the top.  Inside the O31 oval I built a lightweight "mountain" out of cardboard boxes, newspapers and styrofoam and covered it first with masking tape and then the Life Like brand mountain paper.  I used Woodland Scenics Real Water to make a pond and decorated the landscape with pebbles, lychen, silk flowers and paper palm trees of my own design.  It's very light and easy to store.

The overall look of the layout is "Thailand" but it's also "toy".  I'll post pics when things really get going, but right now about all there is to see is stacks of boxes and a green board leaning against the wall.  Big Smile

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Bayville NJ
  • 1,029 posts
Posted by AF53 on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 8:43 PM

John - Let me know what month that will happen, I'll document it!Laugh

Ray

Ray

Bayville, NJ

 

Life is what happens to you
While you're busy making other plans - John Lennon

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 6:25 AM

Penny Trains

It's not a question of gender.  Stick out tongue  It's about dissinterrested parties.  Huh?

Becky

Oh, I agree with you Becky, it's not about gender per se.  But, let's face it, the majority of the people directly involved in this hobby are men, so that is why I use the term "female resistance" coming from their wives when it comes to layout expansion.

But, resistance can come from anyone who occupies a house with a model railroader if, indeed, there is resistance.  I will say this.  If I were a bachelor, I would cover every square foot of that big basement sitting beneath me with a layout and adequate aisle space to operate it.   LOL

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    September 2010
  • From: Parma Heights Ohio
  • 3,442 posts
Posted by Penny Trains on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 7:31 PM

richhotrain

If I were a bachelor, I would cover every square foot of that big basement sitting beneath me with a layout and adequate aisle space to operate it.   LOL

Rich

Amen to that!  Big Smile

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
  • 682 posts
Posted by balidas on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 7:50 PM

I guess I'm lucky in that my girlfriend loves trains. Her dad, his brother's and her grandfather were all train enthusiasts, so she grew up around them.

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: South Carolina
  • 9,713 posts
Posted by rtraincollector on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 9:00 PM

My wife likes them but also wants her spaces her way so I was blessed with the den it could of been worst and almost was where I got a room that would of gave me about 10' X 8' now I have up to 8' X 16' just have to figure if I get rid of my desk (it huge for here) where to move the computer and do my paperwork I need have one idea but will see it would involve building about 32" wide work bench with computer at one end of it. it would give me room to work on trains and room for computer on one end it would be about 12' long so that might work but have to get rid of some furniture in here which wife has agreed to anyway it will go into the one small bedroom.

But till then its called carpet central rail road here. sat I will be running my first TMCC Steam engine on it ( it arrives Friday)Smile

Its new in box still sealed in plastic from 2004

i think I will have a carpet central railroad for a while and even after building may end up with one darning holidays anyway around the tree. Next year thou think it will be the G gauge set lol.

Life's hard, even harder if your stupid  John Wayne

http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: South Carolina
  • 9,713 posts
Posted by rtraincollector on Saturday, February 5, 2011 8:59 PM

Well heres the latest pics of carpet central RR I have switched engines out and added more buildings even the trailer park is now established by the train tracks

 

Life's hard, even harder if your stupid  John Wayne

http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Parma, Ohio
  • 97 posts
Posted by Cobrabob8 on Sunday, February 6, 2011 11:48 AM

"Female Resistance", yes I have that issue at home also. But, not too badly. I have a decent small layout, 8'6" x 13'10", which runs trains on three independant loops. I also have two old Ford Mustangs, although I will be giving my 29 year old son my 1977 Mustang Cobra II this Spring leaving me with only a 1988 LX 5.0 Convertible. I have a good amount of trains and I would probably have more if I was single. But, there are other trade offs when you have a wife.Wink

 Cobrabob.

Toy Trains, they are not just an adventure, they are a way of life !

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: SE MI
  • 915 posts
Posted by MichRR714 on Sunday, February 6, 2011 11:55 AM

Nice Job RT!

Charlie a.k.a. MichiganRailRoad714 (Charter Member TTC)      

 

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: South Carolina
  • 9,713 posts
Posted by rtraincollector on Monday, March 7, 2011 8:57 AM

Thanks Charlie as stated in another thread I'm now starting a round the ceiling standard gauge layout. This is all that needs to be done before the permanent layout begins as once its up its going to be impossible to do the ceiling work. Also need to decide what will be in the shelves in the pic as they will be come unaccessible once the layout is built unless I climb up on the layout.

Heres a pic of shelves and the start of ceiling layout With the standard gauge set on it already

Life's hard, even harder if your stupid  John Wayne

http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/

  • Member since
    March 2009
  • 492 posts
Posted by arkady on Monday, March 7, 2011 10:58 AM

So then, some of you have mates who don't appreciate your hobby?  Seems odd to me.  My wife has always appreciated my trains.  She doesn't care to be hands-on involved with them, but she likes watching me bring old locomotives back to life, and she's always fascinated by seeing them run.  And she always gets me some new piece of rolling stock for Christmas or my birthday.

I also collect WWII rifles, and she likes those, too.

I do envy those of you who have room for bigger layouts, though.  I have a roughly 4x8 FasTrack oval in the basement (with two manual switches), and it's the biggest Lionel layout I've ever had.  I can't even claim it as "carpet central," since there's no carpet underneath it.  Any carpeting on any horizontal surface automatically becomes a cat bed the minute my back is turned.

 

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month