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http://delray1967.shutterfly.com/pictures/119 (if this link doesn't work, please let me know)
What should I do with this layout? I've recently started to build a 2x12 switching layout conforming to Free-mo standards and this layout is just taking up space in my basement. I operated this using DC, then an NCE Power Pro DCC system until I needed the system for my new layout. This layout lives in the Metro Detroit area. When I moved this layout from my parents house to this one, I had to cut it in half diagonally (along the backdrop) to get it into my new basement so some minor cosmetic 'flaws' are visible (check out the pics). I've outgrown this 4x8 layout; 20 years ago I built the layout seen here on the benchwork my Dad and I built (when I was 3 years old; I still remember handing him screws). The benchwork is sealed so its easy to wipe down and keep clean.
This layout was based on a track plan (and article) in MR in the early 90's (Cripple Creek?). I've changed a few things to improve operations and cater to my tastes. This fictitious railroad is called the Somerset and Westmoreland Railroad. It is located in the counties of the same names in south central/western Pennsylvania along an old route between Laurel Hill and Trent (no prototype existed, this was my attempt at a freelance storyline), with connections to Latrobe (Conrail) and...I can't remember the eastern connection I intended, one of the major cities in this area of Pennsylvania. Everything works fine: Code 83 track, Shinohara #4 turnouts (caboose industries controls turnouts within reach, twin coils control the others, all rails have feeders, frogs powered using micro switches (which are mostly hidden, and the ones exposed would be easy to cover with scenery), all track is negotiable by a six axle BLI C&O 'Dragon Lady' and 89' Accurail autoracks (pretty good for 22" radius curves!). All structures will be included, no rolling stock or DCC system (it's ready, all you need to do is wire the two leads to your control system, DCC or DC should both work fine). I have operated this layout by myself; each operating session lasted at least an hour (up to over 2 hours) using a simple system described in the series of articles in MR. Two possible connections to staging or expansion provide room to grow. Tipple 100% scratchbuilt after researching prototype photos, other structures built and kitbashed as my techniques expanded and improved. This is a great layout (if I do say so myself.lol); it was a great learning tool, trying several techniques along the way. The scenery needs to be finalized in places, but is 100% operational. I built a temporary frame from scrap trim to hold the plastic over the layout; it was never intended to be permanent, but has endured over 5 years. It has been covered anytime it wasn't running (and most times while I was running trains). In the last few years of operation, I ran the railroad a couple times a month. I know old, existing layouts don't have a great history of being sold, what should I do with it? I have figured well over $1200 has gone into this layout, what do you think? Should I tear it apart and save what I can or would someone else be interested in it? Mostly, I wanted others to see how long a Model Railroader project layout can last and how much it can teach!
http://delray1967.shutterfly.com/pictures/5
SEMI Free-Mo@groups.io
Can you get the layout out of its present home without major surgery? If so, you might look into donating it to some local youth group.
If the layout can't be removed intact, well, over the years I've had to dismantle/salvage/scrap out a number of layouts in various states of (non)completion. Then you salvage what you can (buildings, rolling stock, track materials, structural members...) and dumpsterize the rest. Granted that there's a lot of history and happy memories in the old layout - but that's still a lot of floor space that can now be reused.
Here in my home town an occasional building of historic significance is renovated. More usually, the shell is gutted, CDI is called in and sometime in the wee hours it gets transformed into a trash pancake.
NOTE: I do not recommend using a controlled implosion to dismantle an old layout.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
If you've outgrown it as you say you have you can try selling it, but already built layouts are notorious bad sellers as what worked well for you doesnt necessarily work for others. If you think you can't sell it then I would salvage what you can, save what you can reuse on the new layout and sell the rest for seed money for the new layout.
I too have dismantled 3 layouts in the last 10 years and sold off a big chunk of my stuff over the years, including alot of scratchbuilt items that i simply didnt have any more room for. I try to remember this is just a hobby, and theres nothing thats so important that I can't rebuild it or replace it later if needed. I just made sure what I kept was very reusable on my new (and much smaller) layout.
Have fun with your trains
That's a nice looking little layout. I like the muted, realistic colors and the fact you didn't try to cram a basement's worth of stuff into a 4x8. I hope you can find a home for it. Can't wait to see your shelf layout.
On a completely unrelated note, are you still using Internet Explorer 4? it's showing in some of the junk data next to your link.
This layout looks like a gem and should not be torn apart. You may be able to salvage some of the material, but it certainly would be a shame to see all this excellent work being destroyed.
A 4 by 8 layout may sell, but don´t expect to get much money out of it. Why don´t you donate it to a person in need, who´d love to go into model railroading, but does not have the funds to do it. You could win a friend for life ...
Thanks for the kind words on the 4x8, it was a great layout to build (and operate-that's why I chose this particular project layout; sometimes those layouts look nice, but don't offer long term operational interest (Love the Beer Line track plan!).
I've been trying to keep it for years, so I'm finally at the point where I'm comfortable to see it go (I probably should have gotten rid of it during the first move). The trouble with donating it to a 'newbie' is that they won't learn much from it; not to mention, re-assembling it, it will surely require the knowledge and skills of a seasoned model railroader to cobble it back together (at least it would help, anyway). Still, it's nice to have something to run trains on while work continues on a new layout.
It's not too hard to take it apart, just a few splice plates underneath, and it should go back together relatively easily, with minor tweaking/shimming of the rails (the close up shot of one turnout ,by the rock cut near the tipple, shows the result of my last reassembly. Due to the projects in a new (to me) house (like finishing the basement for a bigger layout), and a move to Ohio (I'm renting an apt in OH and keeping my house in MI), I never got around to touching up these areas (only cosmetic work to do).
I could salvage most of it (those turnouts were recycled from my old layout, about 1976), but I guess I'm looking for the easy way out...i.e. someone comes and takes it all away in 2 pieces (and a few boxes of structures).lol
As for my link, I'm using Firefox. When I made the 4x8 photo album, I copied the address and pasted it in my post. I wasn't sure if it was going to link visitors into my account (lets others make changes, etc to my albums). Is there a better way to do it? I figured if I just had a link to shutterfly, no one would be able to (easily) find my album. Thanks for the feedback, I always wondered if it worked for others' - glad you could at least see the pics of the layout (and maybe the other pics there too). FYI, all pics were taken with a Canon A540.
I have a free-mo setup 4/20-4/22; I plan on posting pics when I get back (but I am a bit of a procrastinator, so don't hold your breath.lol). My module set is not much to look at right now (pink foam, no ballast, not even a fascia), only a pad of plaster where two of the buildings will go; heck, I haven't even finished installing all the missing ties yet (scratchbuilding large structures sure does take more time than a kit!). I want my module to match the others so I'm (patiently?) waiting to see what everyone is using.
Thanks again for the input everyone!
I'll vote for donating it, given what you've said about the age and your desires. Is there a kid's hospital, museum, or doctor's or dentist's office that might want it? Even if it's just a static display, I think kids would appreciate it (and probably a lot of adults too).
You *might* be able to write off part of the value on your taxes.
I must say for a 4 x 8 layout, I was impressed! If we had away to get it to where I live, I would be proud to add it to my layout. But, layouts don't ship to well.
Contact some Church's or Boy Scout's units. It is to nice to cut up!
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
That is a very nicely done layout. It looks liek the track plan allows for soem decent switching, and the scenery is all very well done. It would be a huge shame to tear something like that apart. I too vote for the donation, if you just don't have the place to keep it.
Dunno what your situation is, but the layouts we had when I was little were always temporary, we didn;t have the space to build a permanent one. I can pretty much tell you though that if I HAD a permanent layout from that time, I'd still have it, somehow, some way, as a reminder of building it and runnign ti with my Dad, who passed away when I was still quite young. Certain locomotives and cars, even though they are pretty much train set 'junk' by today's standards, I can't bear to part with, and while I don't run any of them (and I can't bring myself to modify them so I CAN run them) I will NEVER get rid of them. It's one of the strongest links and memories I have of my Dad. My plan is to one day put them all in a display case, maybe even finally finish the basic one I built in wood shop in 8th grade - although I think I discovered after I brought it home that I didn;t allow enough space between the shelves to install track on roadbed. I did use it to ohold those cars and locos not ont he layotu around that time, not my Mom has knick knacks on it, still attached to the wall in what was my bedroom.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Nice layout. I can see why you kept it for so long, appears to be high quality and 2 involves memories of activity with your father. I would see about putting an add in one of the model railroad magazines, your local hobby shops, etc to see if someone might not be willing to buy it from you. You may even find that a hobby shop may wish to use it as a display layout in their store. The hobby shop I patronize is more than 100 miles away and they have more than one layout on display in the store.
As to not doing well with the sale you don't know until you try. As an example of long shots I will relate the following tale. Last week I stopped into Discount Model Trains in Addison, TX and it was discovered that 5 of the 6 customers myself included were all from the area around Pittsburgh, Pa. The ensuing conversations and exchanges of information yielded a model railroad club in HO scale about 16 miles from my house. I have lived in close proximity to that club for 15 years and did not know of it's existence. I do plan on joining that group after going in and meeting with them the day before yesterday.
Just because they odds are not good for a sale does not mean you should not try, if you do not try failure is guaranteed.
I will have to agree with all the others, a nice layout, too bad you can't hang onto it. I know it is a lot nicer than my first three or four. I will also have to go with the majority in that it may be be a good thing to look for someplace to donate it to, the local boys&girls club maybe or some other organization that can put it to good use in teaching young kids some very good skills.
While I do not feel adequate to give you a recommendation on what to do with a layout that clearly has been a good fit in your life for a goodly long while, I can share with great empathy all that you are considering. I too have a 4x8 layout that started as a project layout in 1961 with my father doing the heavy work. It has moved numerous times over the years, and is now being rebuilt for the fourth or fifth time. Somewhere under the current scenery is the original 3/4" sheet of plywood!
All of this is simply a preface to an observation that what we build gradually becomes not just a representation of real or hypothetical parts of the 1:1 scale world, but also combinations of memories, experiences and small patches of delight. It is that blend of self created and resolved puzzles ranging from how do I build this and why dont the rented electrons behave themselves that generates the satisfaction that makes what we have much more than so many other activities that become hobbies.
I have only just had the pleasure of running my eyes over all the photos of this awesome little layout. This layout really allows me to see how much detail and industry can be utilized within such a limited sized area. This little gem appears to me to be no less than an inspiration to small layout builders I would expect. Thanks for sharing the photo album.
Cheers...
Chris from down under...
We're all here because we're not all there...
Well, I spent the weekend packing away the buildings and loose scenery (trees), labeling wires before cutting them and removing the fascia. Next time I'm home (about 2 weeks), I'll remove the two halves from the L-Girder benchwork and break down the benchwork. then everything will be ready to carry out of the basement. I'm going to see if I can donate it to a retirement village or use it as a raffle prize or something...I'm trying my hardest to keep it out of the dumpster.lol
Thanks for looking and sharing the kind words.
Hope it stay out of a dumpster! I just looked at your photos again, amazing for the size.
Ken
delray1967 I'm going to see if I can donate it to a retirement village or use it as a raffle prize or something...I'm trying my hardest to keep it out of the dumpster.lol
I'm going to see if I can donate it to a retirement village or use it as a raffle prize or something...I'm trying my hardest to keep it out of the dumpster.lol
Try your local senior center.