Too much space: is it possible?

[ptccox]

Oh bliss, all that space!
My particular dislike has always been the small radius curves that lack of space forces on railway modellers, particularly here in the UK, where our houses are generally smaller than yours in the USA, and where basements are not common. It is a great shame to see so much effort put into realistic modelling in other areas, only for it to be spoilt by the totally unrealistic appearance of stock negotiating two foot radius curves. Reading MR I see many inspiring model railroads, but it appears that even in your larger spaces so many people still seem to try to force in too much trackage and therefore too tight curves. Just spread yourself out more with long sweeping curves and nothing less than six foot radius - and I am talking about HO!

[Anonymous]

As the previous suggestions have said, a person never has to much space. You can start as small as you want and expand when you are ready. In the meen time you can use the extra space for whatever you want, it doen't have to be railway related.

[camarokid]

If I still lived in my Illinois house I would have twice the room I have now(24 x 16). So if I had your space I'd make it 48x50 and have a walk -in and a walk-around layout that would never be more than 4 1/2 feet wide so you can reach everything from the aisle. The possibilities are endless from double track mains out and back to single track with really loooooong passing sidings. Make your plan simple so most or all of the track is seen and easier to clean. Go DCC simply for the wiring ease. Enjoy your good fortune.

[trainnut57]

I wish I had your problem!! Not really. I have my layout, approximately 16X17X3 feet (U-shaped) in my basement wrapped around my furnace. All is fine until I have a problem, then trying to get to the "restricted area" around the furnace is a job for a first class contortionist. The Good Lord didn't make my arms 6' long so I am very adept with extra-long tweezers, grill tongs and anything else I can find. Too much space? NEVER!!

[fischey]

Assuming you decided to buy the barn with the auxilliary house, I'd sit down and write a list.

What do I want to see in a railroad?
If I have a prototype in mind, what parts of it do I like the best?
What operations? Local freight? Yard hogging? Hotshots? Name trains? Showboating collections? Short line or logging?

After my many criteria would be satisfied, I'd:

Build a modelmaker's shop and lounge area. Power and water essential. Keep a large shop area available.

Keep it very simple. Here is an opportunity to model a railroad going through its environment. An Example: Take John Armstrong's recent plan for the Sierra Railroad and expand it to fit about 60% of your available space. Or look at the Western Pacific articles done in MR a year or so ago, with the Keddy yard as an example, near the Keddy Wye. Simple, straighforward, but a lot of railroading to model. Consider interchanges like Koester has. Whatever your taste, take a simple existing plan and "cram" it into your larger space; don't "cram" more track in because you have more space. Wood and plaster is much cheaper than track, buildings, and accessories. Make scenery. It goes in real fast, too, without all that track and building stuff to mess with.

In your plan, simplify yards. If you want 20 classification tracks, build 12, and so-on. A nice, long 12 track yard impresses but does not become overwhelming. Avoid designing a railroad that fits all of your rolling stock on it; sooner or later it won't, anyway. Don't build switching puzzles on sidings or in industrial areas. Build sidings with simple access like the prototype does when they have the real estate to do it. Set up a staging area that is easy to access and place or remove trains, with re-railing tools/track handy. Have a test-track with power, coupler height gauges, and quick fix-it tools at ready disposal. Your maintenance days will prove to be a breeze.

Consider hosting a club. But first, join your local one first to see if the club members are fellows you want to bring home to your dinner table. I know this sounds snobbish, but I've been affiliated with clubs for 30 years, all of them filled with very different memberships, some who I could forget quickly and others I miss dearly. If this is not your cup of tea, consider gathering a crew of colleagues who you do trust and admire and learn from them while they enjoy a new challenge.

Buy a reliable touring motorcycle to get away from all this stuff when you think you have just about had it. It refreshes.

Be a participant in your wife's activity pursuits. One thing worse than a football (or motorcycle racing fan) widow is a MRR widow. Ask me how I know that.

Good luck and I hope escrow closes soon.

[CP5415]

While building any scale railroad in that space would be heaven, the costs of building & maintaining it would be enormous.
Building something smaller with a good sized wook bench & a lounge for when the crew comes over would probably be better.
This could be your "dog house"!!!!!!
YA, you could get the better half all upset & you'd then have to spend all your time in the doghouse!
Great idea!

Gordon