Layout Sizes

[UNCLEBUTCH]

 What difference would it make,as to what you call it ?

 We each have a space, is it large or really big,  compared to who's.

Can you build 50 sq. feet.   but not 51. or maybe only 49

We each have a budget, mine is not as big as yours, but I 'm sure its bigger then that other guy's.

Build as mutch of what you want/can afford, call it yours. Putting a size lable on it will make no difference.

[RR_Mel]

I agree with the above info.  It’s a very arbitrary subject.  My layout in our two car garage.  It is 14’ x 10’ and I consider it small.

 

 

My layout above has 122’ of mainline HO flex track in what is referred to as a “Twice Around” configuration.  It has a double crossover to allow continuous single loop on either the upper track or the lower track.  It also has a loopback for reversing the direction of a train.  The minimum mainline radius is 32”.

 

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[hardcoalcase]

Pretty much arbitrary.  I tend to think in terms of a 4' x 8' as the centerpoint for "small", filling a average (?) size spare room as "medium", and filling a two-car garage sized space as the starting point for "large".  But these are just my own perceptions, which I'll readily admit don't take the model scale into consideration.

My own HO layout fills a 22' x 18' room, which seems overwhelmingly gigantic considering my slow rate of progress... and way-too-small when I'm operating it!

Jim

[cuyama]

I should mention that the best indicator of time and cost is not simply size, but complexity. One could build a desert short line with a few small towns in a large space, filling the room with mostly scenery and a dozen-or-so turnouts. This would likely take much less time and money than a dense urban layout with a hundred turnouts in 200 square feet.

Turnout count is a (very) rough indicator of scope – and thus, time and cost. And in any case, the models (rolling stock and structures) may well be the most expensive part of almost any layout.

[cuyama]

Welcome to the forum. Your first few posts are moderated and will be delayed. But stick around, and that passes quickly.

The size definitions are arbitrary. It seems like the question you are actually asking is different, which is about how large of a project should one consider? If you have a very large space, it can be tempting to consider a layout to fill all of it. But the commitment of time and money to build a large layout is substantial.

If you’ve never built a layout before, constructing a smaller layout first would help you build skills and gain an appreciation for how long things take for you (which varies by the individual) and how much they cost.

Hollow-core-door sized layouts work well in N scale. This would be 30”X80” or 36”X80”. There are lots of hollow-core-door (often abbreviated HCD) N scale plans on the Internet. 

Best of luck with your layout.

Byron

[Sodj]

Hi everybody,

I keep seeing all these references to "large layouts" and "small layouts". I'm wondering if there's some sort of threshold that takes one from one size to the next, or is it all arbitrary? I work in N scale and am trying to figure out the parameters for a layout that's a few years in the future, and some guidance as to "how big is big?" would be super helpful.