The Staten Island West is coming down to make room for remodeling of the train room and bathroom to make them accessible to me. I am in rehab cannot be there to supervise the teardown. My sister in law who is good with arts and crafts and delicate things is supervising the handling of my fleet and salvaging structures trees etc.
I am making no effort to salvage track as the SIW was built with ez track and can do better. I will begin work on the new SIW around the first of year it will be a shelf layout probably L shaped but that's a subject for another post.
Joe Staten Island West
Hope you took pictures. I had to bring down my layout in February for a remodel that messed with the basement too much.
Prep work for the second one has just started ... And this time the order of build won't be track -> bench work -> drywall -> paint -> lighting. It will be in the correct order.
Curves es will be 30" minimum and levels and grades will be actually designed in rather than eyeballed. All isn't bad when a layout has to start afresh
NP
Yes, it's kind of sad. But you've said your next effort will have improved track. And the old layout is no help to you if you have access issues as a result of keeping it. So the future holds a more usable, better layout. So maybe it's more apt to call it bittersweet. Great to know you have somebody there to look out for your equipment.
Tom
Yes I have plenty of photos and the wife took more before the tear down . She has been most supportive of my hobby and a god send during this rough surgery even making sure I have train decorations in my room here at rehab.
Tom is correct, bittersweet is more apt. I too had to tear down my old layout, but is was for a move to our retirement home. It was poorly designed, too cramped, narrow aisles, and had zero operational interest. I did learn much from building it and developing my skills.
My new layout is in a basement room that I finished with model railroading in mind, and access designed in. I am very happy with the new layout so far and am spending many happy hours in my train room.
I can see that there will come a time for me that I will no longer be able to venture down as freely as now, if at all. That will be a sad time for me. Model railroading has been a big part of my life.
Hi Joe
I just wanted to convey my best wishes to you for a speedy recovery and hope that you get home and back at your layout in quick order.
Very nice of your relative to over see the dismantling process. Those who don't build have no idea of the time and love we put into these creations.
I have just come through a lenghty health issue of which I continue to have to live with other problems that came up through the treatment process. But the main thing is I am still here, enjoying my Family. I am very fortunate as well to have a loving Wife, of 42 years of marriage, (not her age as I couldn't keep up if that was the case.) who cared for me well through this trial.
I was lucky that my layout just waited for me to return and as of yet there has been no need for any adjustment. I possibly see one in the future, but I hope not. That is I have a two bridge duck under to get into the room. It is about chest to shoulder high, so now it stays as I have no problem there yet.
Keep smiling and keep trying then, JUST GET-R-DUN......
Johnboy out.......................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Joe:
Just think of the wealth of knowledge that you acquired building the first layout. That is guaranteed to make the second one much better and it will be built faster. Far less head scratching involved!
I do wish you a speedy recovery. I have been there, done that, and it is very frustrating to be down for a long time. At least I had the hydromorphone to keep me entertained! Maybe we should start a thread on halucinations.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critter Joe: Just think of the wealth of knowledge that you acquired building the first layout. That is guaranteed to make the second one much better and it will be built faster. Far less head scratching involved! I do wish you a speedy recovery. I have been there, done that, and it is very frustrating to be down for a long time. At least I had the hydromorphone to keep me entertained! Maybe we should start a thread on halucinations. Dave
Dave: Thank you It is going to be fairly long recovery. I saw the surgeon today and they said that I need more physical therapy than I am getting. So they upped my presciption.
The new SIW will be a switching layout. My BH sketched a diagram of the room for me and it appears that I will have an L shaped area along the wall with a minimum depth of 19" and maybw a little more say 28" on the ends One Side will be 60" long the other about 41" By elimination of the roundy roundy factor I will still be able to stay in HO guage. I am exploring MR's database to see if a plan strikes my fancy or if will freelance.
If you ask me, today is a happy day.
Getting ready to build a new layout.
Rich
Alton Junction
Joe323,
There's always some sadness involved in tearing down a layout. Regardless of size a layout is full of memories and a part of the builder. Good that your gem of a sis-in-law is helping.
If you're considering an ISL type of layout in the future check out Lance Mindheim's website.
Best wishes and get well soon, regards, Peter