Years ago I embarked on my first model railroad construction attempt. Over the course of a year, I put countless hours of hard work into it. It was a modified version of the 4x8 Virginian layout, which I converted into a 5x9. All the benchwork was meticulously done... track work done as well as possible. Even started installing the turnouts... and got to the point where I could finally run trains around it.Then... I realized that I was going to need the space for something else. It really wasn't the end of the world. In fact I stopped working on it 3 years ago.. Work, life, kids, all took precedence. Now I have a 50% completed build, with no scenery, and am trying to figure out how to phsycially and emotionally deal with taking this thing apart.I know I could sell the individual parts on Craigslist or eBay, but it would make me feel so much better if someone would come take the whole thing and finish it and get pleasure from it. The thought of taking a saw and destroying all my hard work is too much to bear!Has anyone been here before? What should I do? Should I take it apart gently and stick it in the attic, hoping that one day years from now I'll finish? Or should I just rip it off like a bandaid and not look back?Curious to know what others have done in this situation.Thanks for reading...H
I think at least 75% of folks on this forum have been through this,myself included.
Ten years ago I had to tear down my HO steel mill layout because of health reason. Goofed off trying to fill the model railroad void for a few years. No other hobby could compare.
My wife saw how miserable I was without a hobby. She asked ,why don't you try model railroading again ? Yeah,why not ?
Present day.
So for the past two years I've been scratch building everything needed for my new HO steel mill layout. Machinery,steel mill vehicles,overhead cranes,tugs & barges etc.
Don't give up.
I know it's frustrating seeing all your work destroyed. All you can do is salvage what you can.
Keep modeling after you decide what to do with your layout. Look at it as a new canvas to paint your imagination in the next ten years. Who knows where you'll be in ten years ?
Patrick
Fear an Ignorant Man more than a Lion- Turkish proverb
Modeling an ficticious HO scale intergrated Scrap Yard & Steel Mill Melt Shop.
Southland Industrial Railway or S.I.R for short. Enterchanging with Norfolk Southern.
Others with more experience will surely speak soon. I've gotten rid of four (admittedly small) layouts so far, two by Sawzall from childhood and two by cannibalism in adulthood. The most valuable thing I take from one layout to another is the education, the things I learn only by doing (and doing badly, until I learn to do them well) because there are so many facets to this hobby and so many skills to learn. The countless hours you've put into your layout will really serve you when you next choose to build again.
Also, most everything except scenery and some substructural elements can be repurposed in some way-- take apart what you feel will serve you well in the future and keep it. No matter how you feel about your current layout, the next one will surely be even better.
Phil
Yo, H, can you post a track plan and perhaps some pictures? What state are you in too?
I might be interested in taking it off your hands if that's the route you go.
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
I have been there quite a number of times in my "career" as a model railroader. I sold all the layouts I built either for parts or as a whole and I have learned a rather harsh lesson from that.
People have no appreciation for neither the money, nor the labor that goes into building a layout. Layouts therefore have nearly no sales value, even those, which are completed and highly detailed. If you are leaving the hobby, dismantle the layout, dalvage whatever has a marketable value and sell that via the usual channels. Expect to get cents for a dollar, though.
You could also donate the layout.
If you see a chance to rekindle your interest later on, store the layout safely.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Oh you can ask around, but you probably won't find any takers.
Best to salvage what you can and dump the rest.
I have done this many times. For example, I have legs sitting in my new basement waiting for their 4th layout. I have also reused track. About the only thing I can't really salvage is scenery and cork roadbed.
Paul
If not now, when?
If you leave it up until you die, a responsible party will dismantle and dump it.
So, that is what you should do now, dismantle and dump it.
Rich
Alton Junction
H,
Don't you think "tragedy" is a bit overly melodramatic? There are other things in life which the word applies to but not getting rid of a model RR. Is it a bummer? Sure, but not a tragedy. Perspective much?
I tore down my most "complete" layout yet a year ago during summer when my wife and I sold our townhome and moved into a house.
I put a lot of work into that layout, I got some good practice, I learned some things about scenery since I hadn't done it yet. There is nothing like hands-on to teach you skills and techniques.
No, getting rid of a layout is no tragedy, rather it is part of the hobby and part of the learning experience. You move on, you learn lessons, and you apply them to improve and build something hopefully more enjoyable and satisfying in the future.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
This is not a tragedy, it is an opportunity.
.
I have gotten rid of five previous STRATTON & GILLETTE layouts, and "lessons learned" have always gone into the next one.
Throw away everything you did not like and all unfinished projects. Save the prizes. Start over again when you can.
This is actually a little bit enjoyable.
Have fun!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
hominamadWhat should I do? Should I take it apart gently and stick it in the attic, hoping that one day years from now I'll finish? Or should I just rip it off like a bandaid and not look back?
Personally, unless your attic is a controlled environment, I wouldn't store anything MRR-related up there. The expansion/contraction effect from the heat & cold can wreak havoc on both your layout and locomotives.
As others have said: Salvage what you can, dispose what you can't, and take special care of what you do keep so that it's still usable if and when you should get back into the hobby again.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Here's another alternative. If there is a model rr club near you, visit them and maybe they would take it off your hands and you will know it will be put to good use. If not maybe put it in the want adds of your local paper. I can't speak for others but I for one, check want adds for train stuff.
As others mentioned, what you experience is not not a tragedy. Far from it! Here's a tragedy: get texts from boss about no longer having steady employment two hours after returning home from vacation (that happened to me three weeks ago). Oh, and experience that with three young children. There is a tragedy. Feel better?
Anyway, I had to dismantle my 1st layout for a move. It was sad to see it get tossed but I was excited about the opportunity to build a larger layout. Even better was reusing some of the stuff and applying lessons learned.
Those who walked away from the layout can attest that returning is very rewarding. Perhaps you need a mental break for the layout? There's nothing wrong with that.
hominamad Years ago I embarked on my first model railroad construction attempt. Over the course of a year, I put countless hours of hard work into it. It was a modified version of the 4x8 Virginian layout, which I converted into a 5x9. All the benchwork was meticulously done... track work done as well as possible. Even started installing the turnouts... and got to the point where I could finally run trains around it.Then... I realized that I was going to need the space for something else. It really wasn't the end of the world. In fact I stopped working on it 3 years ago.. Work, life, kids, all took precedence. Now I have a 50% completed build, with no scenery, and am trying to figure out how to phsycially and emotionally deal with taking this thing apart.I know I could sell the individual parts on Craigslist or eBay, but it would make me feel so much better if someone would come take the whole thing and finish it and get pleasure from it. The thought of taking a saw and destroying all my hard work is too much to bear!Has anyone been here before? What should I do? Should I take it apart gently and stick it in the attic, hoping that one day years from now I'll finish? Or should I just rip it off like a bandaid and not look back?Curious to know what others have done in this situation.Thanks for reading...H
Being in academics has alway meant the possibility of moving of moving. I've always looked upon it as an opportunity for my hobby. My current layout is about finished, but we are planning another move and that means it willcome down. Maybe I'll continue to model the same railroad or I'll go in another direction (more likely). Research and designing is a lot of the fun! It isn't a tragedy, it is a new beginning.
Salvage what you can to reuse on a future layout, if that might be a possibility, and scrap the rest. If you see no future layout sell what you can and scrap the rest.
I'm pretty sure that he didn't mean "tragedy" in the traditional sense...give the op a little more credit than that!
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Sound like you have only laid track so far. That is easy to dismantle and salvage. Most of us have gone far beyond that point with landscaping and that make tearing down a layout much more painful.
I suggest you shift to a strategy that give you more flexability in the future. If you like to build but do not have the space desired for a full layout, build modules such as the 2x4 standard module you see at train shows. These are much easier to stash away in the corner of a garage and can be pulled out from time to time to run trains. Somtime in the future when you do find the space you want, you can use these modules to become a starting point for a bigger layout.
I chose a different option to deal with my need to move occassionally combined with my lack of internal space for a layout. I took a 26' RV travel trailer, gutted it and built my layout in it. Allowed me to build a 8'4" x 23' N scale layout in a space that I can take with me when I move. It has already been through one move. I chose a travel trailer because it looks like an RV which most neighborhoods will allow to be parked at your home. A utility trailer can also work but may not be allowed in some neighborhoods. Although the initial cost can be an issue for many, that cost is sometimes less than the money and time lost in tearing down a static layout. I bought an old RV for $1500 and then spent another $1500 making it serviceable That worked for me.
Paul D
N scale Washita and Santa Fe RailroadSouthern Oklahoma circa late 70's
I was fortunate to be able to sell my Pennsy Middle Division Layout. It was quite the undertaking. Cutting it apart as carefully as we could to minimize damage was of the utmost importance.
It was bought by a buyer from Taiwan. Literally on the other side of our planet from me. It was advertised on eBay for $28,500. I never expected a guy from so far away to buy it. His cost to crate & ship it was about $20,000.
Below is a link to a few pictures & videos of the layout, the tear down, the move, the crating, and it's arrival in Taiwan, where it was dropped on the street before being loaded by crane into the gentlman's building.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/railroadkits/sets/72157699143470771
Amazing layout! Must have been very sad dismantling that.
Very helpful replies everyone. Especially like the idea of contacting the local club to see if anyone there is interested or maybe I could donate it as someone else suggested.
BTW - my post was intentionally melodramatic as an attempt at humor - of course this is not a REAL tragedy, but it is very sad having to admit to myself that this project won't be continuing anymore. I definitely plan on re-entering the hobby at some point in my life when I have more time to devote towards it.
Thanks everyone.
I have a Craigslist ad that has pics, etc. Am I allowed to post that here?
hominamad I have a Craigslist ad that has pics, etc. Am I allowed to post that here?
hominamadBTW - my post was intentionally melodramatic as an attempt at humor - of course this is not a REAL tragedy
Remember this is the internet and emoticons and other aids were invented because people can't always read others minds or figure out is someone is trying to be "funny" or as the Brits would say, take the Mickey out of us, which happens often here. If you want to avoid people misunderstanding, help us out or you may get a bunch of assorted responses.
.. but it is very sad having to admit to myself that this project won't be continuing anymore. I definitely plan on re-entering the hobby at some point in my life when I have more time to devote towards it.
Believe me, you are not alone. Just a few years ago I was accused of being a (dirty word in some train forums), wait for it, "collector" because I didn't have a layout - horrors, and has for years been working on building a train roster after tearing down my last layout, waiting for the day a new layout would be built.
I went through a separation in 2000 and had to tear down an almost finished 14x25 foot layout. After that I lived in small apartments with no room for a layout or no place to do constructions stuff for even a 4x8 for about 14 years. Thats a long time. So when I finally got a 10x18' room to build a layout, it was a long time in coming. But even that place my 2nd wife and I only planned on being there for about 4 years, so the layout I build there I knew was temporary. Thats the one in the demolition photo's above.
Anyway, most of us here on the forum have undergone the "tragedy" (hah) of tearing down labors of love, and moving on. Keep hope alive - it's even worth being accused of giving advise with now layout or being a collector, gasp.
The poetic justice of that instance of being about 4 years ago is I was giving some "advise" here at MR forums based on my experiences and someone came in and said, more or less, "hey, what business do you have giving advise, you don't even have a layout". Someone else, who knew I was well into a layout, came in and corrected the him. That guy had to eat crow, feathers and all.
Never, ever, willingly get rid of something you like, even if you can't logically forsee a near time when you can use it.
My layout was torn down because of a move. It's okay, I didn't like it that much anyway.
If you can attic the 5 x 9 benchwork, go for it. At the least, remove and save the turnouts and as much track as you can. They can be reused later.
Of course, if there comes a time when you can again operate a layout, your interests may have changed. Throw it out then.
- Douglas
If the layout is fairly easily transported, I would try to sell it on the local craigslist. That's what I did with my recent small N-scale layout. If you decide to give that a try, post some photos with the add after removing everyting that you aren't getting rid of with the layout. In my case, I saved all the trains and buikdings but left the scenery intact, including streetlights, trees, etc.
If, after a few weeks you have no takers, youj can always dispose of it in ways others have mentioned.
While a layout that is semi finished may not be storable in some environments, you can still save components for re-use. That is what I did.
After carefully removing the track, track nails, spikes, drywall screws and even pieces of wood for re-use, I removed the scenery shell and stripped the layout down to the "bones", the original basic framing. I saved it all for re-incorporation into a future layout. Some frame parts will drop right into the new track plan, others will need to be modified or cut to fit into places. This will reduce the amount of lumber I will need to buy and I've heard lumber prices have gone up.
Stacking track and componets:
Stripping scenery off to get basic framing:
Last of two 2x8 foot sections standing:
Draft of new track plan. Red gridded area's are where two 2x8 sections of old benchwork will drop-in when ready to start building.
I've had to tear down two layouts because of moves. The first time I had the layout only tracked and wired, no scenery. It was just the luck of the draw, as I just happened to be at that stage when I had to tear it down. The second move, I again had it to the tracked ane wired stage, but anticipated the move, so it wasn't scenicked. I did enjoy running trains on it for about four months before tearing it down.
My new layout room is under construction and I'm playing with various modifications of published track plans that will fit my space. I was able to salvage almost all of the track and turnouts from both moves and I kept part of the original track in tact on the benchwork, although I probably won't even go with the same track configuration and just remove the track and start anew. The benchwork and all the other components are in storage.
Like others, I say salvage what you can and either pitch, sell or give away the rest.
E-L man tom,
Same here. My first layout was only plywood with track down and trains could run. I was just barely starting on the scenery when I had to move. In that case it was a garage layout and built in sections that could be unbolted. I sold it to a guy in Kokomo Indiana and he brought a U-haul down and took it away. That worked out pretty well.
JimmyDeignan I was fortunate to be able to sell my Pennsy Middle Division Layout. It was quite the undertaking. Cutting it apart as carefully as we could to minimize damage was of the utmost importance. It was bought by a buyer from Taiwan. Literally on the other side of our planet from me. It was advertised on eBay for $28,500. I never expected a guy from so far away to buy it. His cost to crate & ship it was about $20,000. Below is a link to a few pictures & videos of the layout, the tear down, the move, the crating, and it's arrival in Taiwan, where it was dropped on the street before being loaded by crane into the gentlman's building. https://www.flickr.com/photos/railroadkits/sets/72157699143470771
Why did you dismantle the layout after it was published in MRR?
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
When I dismantle my first layout I tried to salvage the nails but I couldn't save the cork. Then I threw in the trash. I miss it but than it passes when I was building the new one.
I think my current layout will be scrapped. It's half way done too and I haven't touch it months.
I was fortunate to be able to sell my Pennsy Middle Division Layout. It was quite the undertaking. Cutting it apart as carefully as we could to minimize damage was of the utmost importance. It was bought by a buyer from Taiwan. Literally on the other side of our planet from me. It was advertised on eBay for $28,500. I never expected a guy from so far away to buy it. His cost to crate & ship it was about $20,000. Below is a link to a few pictures & videos of the layout, the tear down, the move, the crating, and it's arrival in Taiwan, where it was dropped on the street before being loaded by crane into the gentlman's building. https://www.flickr.com/photos/railroadkits/sets/72157699143470771
That was quite the layout. Reminded me of one i helped tear down near DC for an estate where the gentleman passed away and his wife wanted to sell the house. I salvaged the waterfront scene from it, and hope to incorporate it into my new layout.
Are you totally out of the hobby now?
There was a time a few years ago where i contemplated moving to Thailand to live with my Thai wife there. But now I'm retired to FL
PS: just saw you 'history' after I made this reply
BrianHere is one pic of that waterfront scene I salvaged
I wonder if it would be possible for me to save some of those images you had on Flicker??
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration