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How much space?

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Posted by rrebell on Monday, April 30, 2018 4:44 PM

College can be as cheap or as expencive as one makes it. In California you can go for free almost if you know what you are doing. There are grants and things so as long as you can go and live at home, you can do it on the cheap. Even if you don't get grants the first two years or junior college come out to about $2800 plus books. My daughter finished up at a university for free.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Monday, April 30, 2018 3:05 PM

1 based on what I've heard college is not a 100% thing I might not go, then again I might, I might go to an out of state college, I might go to LSU for a year of two, I'm not completely sure what I'm going to do, all I know is I'm not going to be miserable or poor.

This topic is dead as all get out, let it rest in peace.

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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Posted by JoeinPA on Monday, April 30, 2018 3:01 PM

Tinplate Toddler

This thread has become eligible for the

 

Ulrich

Welcome back. I've missed your wit and as in this case, your sage advice.

Joe

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Posted by Tinplate Toddler on Monday, April 30, 2018 2:26 PM

This thread has become eligible for the

Happy times!

Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)

"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Monday, April 30, 2018 1:09 PM

 how in the world is posting on a model railroad forum delinquency of a minor, I'm a bit confused,,

It depends on the advise given and being followed.  See below

BATMAN

One other thing, you say you are going to college next year. Unless you have that funding in the bank why are you even thinking about spending big bucks on a hobby?

I think it is the responsibility of parents to make sure their kids are educated, including post-secondary. However, by the time kids are in the later years of high school, they should be thinking of at least helping out with the funding and unless the funding is in place for college, outbuilding spending is a nonstarter. 

Deliquency, like anything has varying degree's.  ;)  I didn't think anyone here was encouraging you to do anything that would land you in trouble with the law, but still a fairly serious matter is that your energy should be focused on your future.  College is a lot more costly than when was your age and yet you are talking about throwing substantial sums at a hobby?  Just sayin...

I don't know but a major project like building a good sized shed and pursueing a hobby (both of which requires a substantial amount of financing and time) seems to be a major distraction from where your focus should be.  Again, just sayin....

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by BATMAN on Monday, April 30, 2018 10:51 AM

One other thing, you say you are going to college next year. Unless you have that funding in the bank why are you even thinking about spending big bucks on a hobby?

I think it is the responsibility of parents to make sure their kids are educated, including post-secondary. However, by the time kids are in the later years of high school, they should be thinking of at least helping out with the funding and unless the funding is in place for college, outbuilding spending is a nonstarter. 

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by NWP SWP on Monday, April 30, 2018 10:07 AM

One thing I'd like to point out, how in the world is posting on a model railroad forum delinquency of a minor, I'm a bit confused, I'm pretty sure model railroading is way, WAY down on the list of delinquent acts.Laugh

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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Posted by rrebell on Monday, April 30, 2018 9:17 AM

riogrande5761

Brian, we had things all settled down here and you came in and started again contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  Stop that!  Remember what Pippin said in Lord of the Rings:"Don't talk to it, Merry. Don't encourage it." when talking to Treebeard.

 

No, what we have here are peoples perceptions based on where they live. I have been rural to big city and all inbetween and the rules are like night and day. Even in urban areas the rules can be vastly different between places. Example in some locals you need a permit to change a defective light switch in the next county anything is OK as long as the price is below $500. In real rural areas you can even drive without a license under certain circumstances and there are no permits needed.

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Monday, April 30, 2018 6:36 AM

Brian, we had things all settled down here and you came in and started again contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  Stop that!  Remember what Pippin said in Lord of the Rings:"Don't talk to it, Merry. Don't encourage it." when talking to Treebeard.

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, April 29, 2018 9:01 PM

The great flood of 2016 had MHUs all over, Baton Rouge was the hardest hit by the flooding. FEMA has been EXTREMELY careful with their MHUs, that said mobile homes are LITERALLY everywhere here in Louisiana, trick is finding one in good condition, as in no leaks, water damage, ect. FEMA might be selling the MHUs I'm checking on that now.

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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Posted by railandsail on Sunday, April 29, 2018 8:58 PM

You might look thru a few of discussions concerning outbuildings.
http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/29136

 

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/16064

How did you "obtain" your layout space? | Model Railroad Hobbyist ...

model-railroad-hobbyist.com › Forums › Lets talk trains! › Dream and design
A basement is the ideal location for a layout room. That said, I don't have one. By luck we were given a 70's era 14' x 70' old mobile home. Go it moved to our property for $50.00. Before I even leveled it I was in destruction mode. Walls came down, doors were moved, wiring yanked out and then put back where it worked ...

 

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Posted by railandsail on Sunday, April 29, 2018 8:37 PM

NWP SWP

... another thing a mobile home is a pretty good idea! It'd work very well and if I ever wanted to extend just get another and make it another "division" Laugh

That mobile home layout I spoke of was in a 12x60 trailer if I remember correctly. Too bad someone else doesn't know how to look it up,...perhaps in MR past layouts they covered.

And I would think there might be a sizable number of 'surplus old trailers' down that way after the floods in New Orleans. The government has a way of misplacing things,...even new ones.

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Posted by rrebell on Sunday, April 29, 2018 11:10 AM

You say dreams don't come thru, the trouble is some people dream to small. I made a wish list at 16, live in a mansion, have fine furniture, family and not have to work for a living. Got all that at 29 and no it was not given to me. Wanted a large train room with a built up layout, my train freinds said I was crazy after all family is expencive and long ago had to go back to work, got that too. Now I just go after money for no reason, that is the trouble with thinking too small. Our op knows his limitations and his special skills and it would not surprise me if he gets what he wants and what he wants is not expencive, you got the skills a $2000 project, especially if you scrounge, that how I got the materials for my mansion, it is amazing what is out there for free.

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Posted by NWP SWP on Sunday, April 29, 2018 9:30 AM

Breakers? Conduit? Outlets?

That's easy. I know electrical, plumbing, framing, ect. My dad is a hotel GM with a degree in the field, he's been in the business his entire working life, I think he might have had aspirations to be a general contractor based on all the projects we take on, for example we have a shed, BUT that's slated to be a extended living space and is currently storage so no place for a layout.

I could build a building just funds are an issue, another thing a mobile home is a pretty good idea! It'd work very well and if I ever wanted to extend just get another and make it another "division" Laugh

Well only time will tell, I will keep setting aside funds and doing some small projects, thanks for all the advice!

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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Posted by bugman9317 on Sunday, April 29, 2018 9:19 AM

I agree with everyone that this is just a crazy dream that will never come to reality, but I am torn on just giving the advise to just move on. I am a big advocate on teaching my kids that they can do whatever they put the minds to. Don't limit yourself. If he has the will, he could do it.

I have done a ton of things in my life that everyone told me was not possible. The world needs dreamers and doers or we end up with a generation that don't want to do anything. 

If he did the building on his own, framing, roofing, siding all on his own he could probably do it for 4k-5k The biggest question is does he have the skill set.  I know how to tap a new breaker, trench for conduit and run it to an external building. With that you only have the cost of the breaker, wire and conduit. After it's in the building all you have are the costs of boxes, switches and outlets. 

My advise is to ask your dad if these are skills that he could help you out with and teach you some life skills with. My grandfather was a Pullman worker and my dad was a Steel Mill worker, but these were life skills they made sure I knew. 

I look at this as a good father son project that you can look back on and cherish some day.

 

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Posted by BRAKIE on Sunday, April 29, 2018 6:40 AM

Water Level Route
 
cuyama
Someone is being strung along, either him or the forum. 

 

I vote forum.

 

 

As do I.

In the case of fantasy vs. reality,reality will win every time.

I agree with Byron..Learn new  skills at the club.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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Posted by Tinplate Toddler on Sunday, April 29, 2018 5:25 AM

Rich, even in my age, I maintain the luxury of having big dreams - like a gauge 1 layout in a huge hall with all those fancy steamers KM1 produces, or living in a log cabin by a lake, with a view of the Rockies  and a red pickup truck parked in the driveway, but I would not dare to join a log cabin builder´s forum or a utility vehicle platform to talk about those dreams!

Neither dream will ever come true - sigh, but it´s nice to have them!

Happy times!

Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)

"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, April 29, 2018 4:14 AM

Tinplate Toddler

I remember making big plans for a big layout in a big building in my childhood days. My model railroading buddy and I would spend hours on designing layouts for rooms or buildings that didn´t even exist, but we had fun dreaming about them.

Of course, none of them ever came even close to becoming a reality. I guess it´s one of those things that come along with growing up - thinking big and acting small, within the means one actually has.

In the days prior to Internet, these "big" plans had no platform to be communicated to others, which I am thankful for. Any adult would have declared us as a mental case, had he or she found out what we were talking about.

The Internet has provided a platform to disseminate even the shrewdest idea, which quite often is not really beneficial at all. 

Ulrich, I think that you said it quite well.

Thanks to the Internet, forums and chat rooms, ideas of youthful exhuberance too easily find their way into otherwise sensible discussions. In this case, it's not that the OP is lying or exaggerating, but it is a waste of everyone's time to discuss projects that aren't going to happen.

Crazy ideas aren't limited to teenagers. I sometimes muse to myself about owning or buiding a large strucure to house an exact scale replica of all six large passenger train stations in 1950s downtown Chicago and the track work leading into them. The difference is that I restrain myself and don't start threads about projects that are never going to happen.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by Tinplate Toddler on Sunday, April 29, 2018 2:26 AM

I remember making big plans for a big layout in a big building in my childhood days. My model railroading buddy and I would spend hours on designing layouts for rooms or buildings that didn´t even exist, but we had fun dreaming about them. Of course, none of them ever came even close to becoming a reality. I guess it´s one of those things that come along with growing up - thinking big and acting small, within the means one actually has. In the days prior to Internet, these "big" plans had no platform to be communicated to others, which I am thankful for. Any adult would have declared us as a mental case, had he or she found out what we were talking about.

The Internet has provided a platform to disseminate even the shrewdest idea, which quite often is not really beneficial at all. The OP´s idea to build an outbuilding for his trains is certainly challenging even to an adult with a well-filled pocket book, but most likely utopic for a youth who has to earn the necessary funds by mowing the neighbor´s lawn.

I feel a little sorry for the OP. He has been generating a number of ideas, some of which made me smile, some of which made me shake my head, but other than over-spending on his welcome he has achieved little.

So here is some advise to the OP, before I shut up:

Think small, not big!

You don´t need a train room and you don´t need a layout filling that room to enjoy the hobby of model railroading. There are shelf layouts, mini-modular layouts, micro-layouts, none of them requiring much room, but a lot of creativity. There is tons of information available in the Internet! Here is a pointer for you:

Mini-Modular Layout

 You´ll find that thinking small, but acting big is much better than the other way around!

Happy times!

Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)

"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"

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Posted by rrinker on Saturday, April 28, 2018 10:43 PM

 There's a whole plan for one in John Armstrong's Creative Layout Design book.

Half of one featured in last month's (May) MR is in a construction trailer.

Guy I follow on YouTube has a 40 foot container he uses to store some of his cars. He even cut in a pair of windows in the end opposite the doors. It survived a New Hampshire winter with no leaks. 

                                   --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by railandsail on Saturday, April 28, 2018 10:37 PM

Does anyone else here recall that article and photos of a train layout constructed in a moble/trailer home? It appeared in some issue of Model Railroader magazine, and I had kept a copy, but could not find it.

The fellow acquired a used, run down moble home in which he constructed a very long train layout. I think he got the old trailer for a song as it was longer really up to proper living without extensive repairs/and addition of all new applances, etc.

Our fellow there in Louisiana might be able to find an old trailer home at a very attractive price and build his first layout in just half the length while getting some of his construction materials from the stud and siding from the other half.

And if he got extra ambitious he might be able to disguise that trailer home by making it look like a caboose. (can't post the pic I found)

 

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, April 28, 2018 9:21 PM

cuyama
The used ones available cheap are often not watertight anymore.

.

They are never watertight, even when new. They are also not rodent proof or insect proof.

.

There are better options.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, April 28, 2018 9:47 AM

Water Level Route

 

 
NWP SWP

I'm not planning on building a building right now.

 

 

 

Then you are wasting everyone’s time....again. In doing so, you are chasing away help from the forum for ANY of your projects. 

 

Like I said earlier, the forum is getting strung along....again. I’ll follow Cuyama’s lead. 

Steven, I wish you the best of luck in your modeling endeavors if/when you get to them. 

 

You have no idea what you are talking about! Now I don't know how bad his Aspergers is but from his writings I can tell it is there and you have no idea how this affects people. In this case model railroading might be one of his obsesions and the fact that he is social enough to comunicate with us is a plus because many do not.

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Posted by Water Level Route on Saturday, April 28, 2018 7:25 AM

NWP SWP

I'm not planning on building a building right now.

 

Then you are wasting everyone’s time....again. In doing so, you are chasing away help from the forum for ANY of your projects. 

Like I said earlier, the forum is getting strung along....again. I’ll follow Cuyama’s lead. 

Steven, I wish you the best of luck in your modeling endeavors if/when you get to them. 

Mike

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, April 28, 2018 1:14 AM

cuyama

 

 
rrebell
Cost of 12x24' building could be done for $6,000 or so for a pre fab $3600 for the building and the rest for the extras. We are talking a shed here.

 

When we started, he was talking about a train room with power, insulation, air conditioning, etc. So that it would be usable in the Louisiana summer, otherwise why bother? Pretty sure $6000 won't cover it. And the Original Poster doesn't have the dough, anyway. Or permission from his parents. Or the time to build it – he’s leaving for college in a year.

Otherwise, solid plan.

Once again, this Poster has the forum chasing around an impossible dream. How many more times will it be?

I’m out.

 

That may be as far as the run around, but having spent years in the trades and knowing currant prices, material costs on such an item would be around $3500,  including AC but for AC I am talking a boxed unit. Don't know about huracane tie downs, Now I do, around $500.

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Posted by maxman on Friday, April 27, 2018 11:41 PM

cuyama
I’m out.

You need to write 100 times on the blackboard:

I will not respond to this posting

I will not respond to this posting

I will not respond to this posting

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Posted by NWP SWP on Friday, April 27, 2018 11:09 PM

I do have permission to build it, but that said I'm not planning on building a building right now.

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

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Posted by cuyama on Friday, April 27, 2018 10:45 PM

selector
Don't overlook seacans....stackable sea containers.  Sometimes they can be had for a few dollars (few thousands, that is..., or less),

The used ones available cheap are often not watertight anymore. That's why they are available cheap. And its just the thing to bake the young man's models in the Louisiana sun and heat.

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Posted by cuyama on Friday, April 27, 2018 10:42 PM

rrebell
Cost of 12x24' building could be done for $6,000 or so for a pre fab $3600 for the building and the rest for the extras. We are talking a shed here.

When we started, he was talking about a train room with power, insulation, air conditioning, etc. So that it would be usable in the Louisiana summer, otherwise why bother? Pretty sure $6000 won't cover it. And the Original Poster doesn't have the dough, anyway. Or permission from his parents. Or the time to build it – he’s leaving for college in a year.

Otherwise, solid plan.

Once again, this Poster has the forum chasing around an impossible dream. How many more times will it be?

I’m out.

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