SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
The answer to the original question "
The answer is at the point you have a lot of money, and I mean A LOT. Even 20 years ago it cost in the range of $50K to $150K to have a decent layout custom built for you. At todays prices you are probably talking $100-200 grand for a custom layout.
Ninety five percent of us never even ask that question because the money simply isn't there. You probably have to be in the top 3% earning category in the US to afford a good sized custom layout. I knew a guy in Indiana who claimed to be in that category and he was building himself a large basement layout, but he was buying a lot of brass steam engines etc. and doing his layout the cheaper way, getting some help.
Yes, you will find most people in this forum will advocate DIY, and mainly because thats the only way most average schmucks can even come close to affording a layout is to build it ourselves. That said, if you have enough money to afford the very expensive costs of having a layout custom built, don't let the members of this forum intimidate you from doing what YOU want. Plenty of people in the hobby will try to make you feel you are doing something wrong if you aren't doing it their way.
IMO, the hobby is all about having fun, and if you buy your trains all ready to run out of the box and pay someone to build your layout for you; if thats fun for you then go for it!
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I suscribe to the school of continuous learning. Therefore am a big advocate of build as much as you can yourself for the adventure of learning and doing. If you don't have a lot of skills or tools, spend some money on tools. I recently built bench work using pretty much a DeWalt compound miter saw, a DeWalt battery powered drill and both scrap and new lumber. Cut the tops with a 7-1/4 circular saw and a couple of curves with a Bosch saber saw from 1/2 inch CDX grade plywood (the cheap stuff but not as cheap as OSB). My bench work may not be the best but it will get the job done for me.
Most importantly, have fun! Its your layout and you should do what makes you happy and satisfied in the end product.
I think the more important thing I have win whith the construction of my layout in Nscale is....satisfaction.
Ordering a layout to a custom layout builder have strictly no interest for me, it's not a critics, but it's like you order a car, you just have the satisfaction to have it, to drive it, but never able to say look what I have accomplish, what I am able to do.
I feel it's something we found in our sad modern world, just buy it and you have it; we are slowly formated to lose any interest to accomplish something by ourself, but in place buy it......ndlr, we see ready build structures to buy!
May be I'm from the old school, from an another time, a time which seems to me to dissappear, the time of a personnal satisfaction by myself.
Of course friend of mine have help to build my layout and I not include them in this speaking.
Building a layout is for me a three step accomplisment.
Of course I don't speak about money because it's too personnal.
First, of course you need a room where to build the layout and here comes the three step process,
First planning, lot of planning, take your time, plan the layout but also the accomodation in the layout room, like the ceiling, the valence, electricity, painting of the room, carpeting and everything which can interact whith the layout construction and his future maintenance. Not forget something can be a real challenge by itself.
Second is the construction of the layout in the finished room, small layout are more affordable than a big project; whith my 492 feet mainline in Nscale I have work for the coming 20 years for sure, so be sure you have the potential and the power to finish the project, I'm sure to have the flame but you never know what can happen, take consideration of that.
Third, you learn a lot, everyday in train modeling, you are a carpenter, and elctrician, a fellow electronician, an architect and a crazy dreamer!
And this is real for everything you accomplish by yourself, a feeling you could never approach by buying it!
We have two mainline step in our life, family and our work, but something really personnal to accomplish is rare, so if we have one, for instance for us here a layout, don't lose any chance to do it.
JAMES MOON I recently built bench work using pretty much a DeWalt compound miter saw, a DeWalt battery powered drill and both scrap and new lumber. Cut the tops with a 7-1/4 circular saw and a couple of curves with a Bosch saber saw from 1/2 inch CDX grade plywood (the cheap stuff but not as cheap as OSB). My bench work may not be the best but it will get the job done for me.
I recently built bench work using pretty much a DeWalt compound miter saw, a DeWalt battery powered drill and both scrap and new lumber. Cut the tops with a 7-1/4 circular saw and a couple of curves with a Bosch saber saw from 1/2 inch CDX grade plywood (the cheap stuff but not as cheap as OSB). My bench work may not be the best but it will get the job done for me.
The O.P. asked the question: “At what point is it feasible for a novice to build his own layout empire vs having it custom built?” I would postulate that it is always feasible for any novice to build his own layout empire. However, it is only feasible for a novice to have a layout empire built, if he/she can afford it!
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
Hey, guys, we old-timers spent 50 years or more fighting the people who insisted on calling model railroading "playing with trains" like we were running Lionel, Marx, or American Flyer. I literally cringe every time I hear some guy on "Tracks Ahead" telling the uninitiated that he "likes playing with trains."!!! Even the old-timers--and there were a LOT of them--who started out in the '30s and '40s with Lionel, Ives, and American Flyer "O gauge" equipment didn't want to be branded with the "Playing with trains" image. They worked on their locos and rolling stock, built scenery (well, a lot of O-scalers and early HO-scalers either didn't get around to it or only had rudimentary scenery) were still working at "model railroading." Yes, play baseball, basketball, tennis, golf or cards, but no matter how much fun we have running trains, please don't tell people you're playing with trains. My 2 cents.
Deano
When is it feasible?
Good question and there are some real answers to look at.
1.The builder is dangerous with any power tool since he lacks the needed skills.There are those out there.
2.Those that lack carpentry skills to take on such a project..I fit into that group since I have enough skills to build a simple 4x8' or a switching layout.
3.The granddaddy..The modeler is handicap and can not do the needed work.One may be surprise how fast one's "friends" or family can find other demanding chores to do on a routine bases when asked to lend a helping hand..
If I were rich I would be more then happy to have my dream ISL professionally built because of my limited carpentry skills and limited use of my right hand..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Yes, it all comes down to money if it is feasable. End of story.
Cheers!