I have a career and a hobby that don't see eye to eye sometimes. I have a really good job that often moves me from place to place around the country - and I am addicted to HO Scale model railroading (where many a paycheck has gone to indulge my 1:87th scale interest - never really liked N Scale).
Since I get moved a lot, my layout has (up to this point) been the typical "flat golf course" analog EZ-Track setup on a sheet of plywood and grassmat. It's no Pelle Søeborg layout - and building a modular layout from scratch is currently out of the question (due to time).
I know ... half the fun of model railroading is the journey you take building the layout. And I know I could join local model railroad clubs (sometimes there aren't any nearby, sometimes they have so many membership requirements that it isn't worth it).
But there are times you just want to sit at home, and run your trains ... usually after dealing with annoying, clueless people all day long.
Anyway - I saw Terrain for Trains - out of box it looks modular enough to be bolted together (although they say "glue" together). Has anone tried to make Terrain for Trains (the HO layout) a modular finished layout? And if you hooked DCC up to it, how did you go about wiring it?
At first glance, Terrain for Trains looks like a good middle ground between my career and hobby - until I finally get to a point where I've settled down to build my "basement railroad empire."
Never run it, but it looks good. Might be a good choice.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
I know what you mean about lack of time. Fortunately, my job only requires occasional business travel and not re-locations. I believe the Terrain for Trains Kit is more of a stationary semi permanent configuration as it is still 5'x9' in size and not easily movable when considering stair cases, door openings and other obstacles encountered during a move. Also, although convenient and nice for simple around the table running, it offers little in terms of operational possibilities.
Prior to my current layout project I did some research and found a layout builder and designer specializing in modular construction and the pricing is reasonable depending on the selected materials and level of detail you are looking for. I have since opted not to go modular but I think that this type of layout solution would be ideal for you and would withstand frequent moves much better. http://www.mindspring.com/~cadenza/
Good luck!