Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

why does everyone hate 4X8 layouts?

17182 views
192 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Pacific Northwest
  • 3,864 posts
Posted by Don Gibson on Thursday, December 22, 2005 8:38 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by UPFEF

Is a 4 x 8 "Z"scale layout to small and constraining?


If you cut it's width to 3 feet (or less) you can shove it against a wall, have passenger friendly curves, and still reach everything.
Don Gibson .............. ________ _______ I I__()____||__| ||||| I / I ((|__|----------| | |||||||||| I ______ I // o--O O O O-----o o OO-------OO ###########################
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Pacific Northwest
  • 3,864 posts
Posted by Don Gibson on Thursday, December 22, 2005 9:33 PM
jeffers_mz

Thank you for the pictures. I think they make the best case for 'N' gauge I've ever seen. I'm going to guess that your not married - at least not presently - and you're a man of many interest's and hobbies, most of which are occupying the same room. Your 'Train aisleway's double for reaching storage. Very resoursfull.

Your room makes a good case for the 'Murphy Bed' principle (fold up), or 50" high, so you can store things UNDER it. I'm sure you've already thought of it, so my first recommedation is probably the best one. Store your HO and build an 'N' replacement, which for you should be easy to do. A 2X4 against a wall might also give you more room... And at today's prices a case of your friend J.B. might even cover the costs.

Cheers!

Don Gibson .............. ________ _______ I I__()____||__| ||||| I / I ((|__|----------| | |||||||||| I ______ I // o--O O O O-----o o OO-------OO ###########################
  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Friday, December 23, 2005 8:57 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

The second picture shows a nook that might be hard to deal with if you go strictly with the perimeter. I think that is what he is referring to.


Chip we will start with that nook..Then we have want appears to be a closet door..Now if that closet is like the average closet no way will we get that door to swing in because most closets I have seen isn't big enough to walk in let along open a door into the closet space.
Now,all isn't lost.[:D] A small "L" shape layout could be built between the doors after removing the shelving like you suggested....And that is where I would build a "L" shape industrial switching layout since it appears there isn't much room for a decent size curve turnback..[:D]

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Friday, December 23, 2005 9:25 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by BRAKIE

Originally posted by SpaceMouse


Chip we will start with that nook..Then we have want appears to be a closet door..Now if that closet is like the average closet no way will we get that door to swing in because most closets I have seen isn't big enough to walk in let along open a door into the closet space.


I thought from the way he talked that we were looking at 2 passage doors, but...

Remember who we are dealing with here. Holes can be poked (and fixed later). He thinks in terms of staging. So you pull the door and put the staging in the closet.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Friday, December 23, 2005 9:42 AM
Chip,That would work but,I would still opt for the "L" shape layout with staging..

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
  • 11,251 posts
Posted by SpaceMouse on Friday, December 23, 2005 9:46 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by BRAKIE

Chip,That would work but,I would still opt for the "L" shape layout with staging..


Maybe we should get his floor plan and whip something up for him. [:D]

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

  • Member since
    November 2005
  • 1,223 posts
Posted by jeffers_mz on Friday, December 23, 2005 10:39 AM
Don, are you suggesting that women can't appreciate trains in the dining room and a woodshop in the kitchen?

Brakie, you're right, swinging the door in would cost six feet of shelf and clothes hangar space, and wouldn't open all the way even then because the closet is 24 inches deep. I think that's a 2-4 door. The closet's currently full of the kid's camping gear also. Every closet, and just about every lineal foot of wall space in the whole house is either full now or spoken for. There's an eight foot couch I could hang shelves above, but most of that is window, otherwise, the place is full up.

The good news is that I talked to my neighbor last night. He owns a Case 4400 Extend-a-Hoe, and I'm first in line for him to dig the footers for the pole barn when the ground thaws come spring. By Christmas of 2006, space issues for the trains, the studio, the camping gear, and the servers shouldn't be a problem any more.

Chip, I've thought of running a spur through the left wall in the first pic, to display staging on the bookshelves on the other side, but that was when I still thought I could get away with stacking the layout under a bunk bed.

Regarding bigger holes in other walls, one time we showed up on a jobsite around 1 pm, with orders to gut the existing residence to a bare shell inside. Sheetrock on the exterior walls and the center bearing wall were to stay, everything else must go, and the owners were living in it while we were to do the work.

Around three o clock, the salesman who had sold the job showed up, took a look at our progress ( we were nearly finished) , and pulled me outside. He said he charged them two grand for the demo, that we were making him look real bad knocking it out in two hours, and asked us to please slow down. No, if holes are needed, that won't be a problem.

:-)

That's it for me. Break time's over. Less than 10 more more presents to wrap, then dishes, vacuuming and laundry will run me till time to pick the kids up this afternoon, and from there till Sunday night, the madness will rule to the point I doubt I'll be online. Monday I'll be catching up on sleep, so if I don't see you all till Tuesday, have a good Christmas.

  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: West Australia
  • 2,217 posts
Posted by John Busby on Friday, December 23, 2005 10:46 AM
Hi all
I notice a lot of people referring to flat layouts on sheets of ply wood
BEEEP!! fail[:D]
You have no chance of building a proper layout on a flat sheet of ply it is a pain in the[censored] when you want scenery below track height
Far better to use open frame bench work of some type so scenery can go above and below track easily
You only need a solid ply base under towns and track etc
so it is also possible to vary the track height if needed as well as the scenery.
There also seems to be a lack of imagination in some of the replies
perhaps that is bought on by having too much space to play with[:D]
The term model railway and the word finished don't belong in the
same sentence.
A model railway may be completed but it is never finished there is always something that can be done to improve it or if space permits be added to.
regards John
  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Friday, December 23, 2005 12:00 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by John Busby

Hi all
I notice a lot of people referring to flat layouts on sheets of ply wood
BEEEP!! fail[:D]
You have no chance of building a proper layout on a flat sheet of ply it is a pain in the[censored] when you want scenery below track height
Far better to use open frame bench work of some type so scenery can go above and below track easily
You only need a solid ply base under towns and track etc
so it is also possible to vary the track height if needed as well as the scenery.
There also seems to be a lack of imagination in some of the replies
perhaps that is bought on by having too much space to play with[:D]
The term model railway and the word finished don't belong in the
same sentence.
A model railway may be completed but it is never finished there is always something that can be done to improve it or if space permits be added to.
regards John


John,By using a piece of 4x8 foam you can have that scenery below the track height you talk about..
Is there a rule stating that all layouts must have mountains or scenery below the track height ? Layouts come in many flavors last time I looked.[:D]

As far as a layout never being finish our club layout been finish since 94..[:D] I have finish several industrial switching layouts over the years and 1 N Scale hollow core door layout..

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Pacific Northwest
  • 3,864 posts
Posted by Don Gibson on Friday, December 23, 2005 6:42 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by jeffers_mz

Don, are you suggesting that women can't appreciate trains in the dining room and a woodshop in the kitchen?

YOU NEED TO ASK?

Your wife's been gone a long time, hasn't she.
Don Gibson .............. ________ _______ I I__()____||__| ||||| I / I ((|__|----------| | |||||||||| I ______ I // o--O O O O-----o o OO-------OO ###########################
  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: West Australia
  • 2,217 posts
Posted by John Busby on Friday, December 23, 2005 9:43 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by BRAKIE

QUOTE: Originally posted by John Busby

Hi all
I notice a lot of people referring to flat layouts on sheets of ply wood
BEEEP!! fail[:D]
You have no chance of building a proper layout on a flat sheet of ply it is a pain in the[censored] when you want scenery below track height
Far better to use open frame bench work of some type so scenery can go above and below track easily
You only need a solid ply base under towns and track etc
so it is also possible to vary the track height if needed as well as the scenery.
There also seems to be a lack of imagination in some of the replies
perhaps that is bought on by having too much space to play with[:D]
The term model railway and the word finished don't belong in the
same sentence.
A model railway may be completed but it is never finished there is always something that can be done to improve it or if space permits be added to.
regards John


John,By using a piece of 4x8 foam you can have that scenery below the track height you talk about..
Is there a rule stating that all layouts must have mountains or scenery below the track height ? Layouts come in many flavors last time I looked.[:D]


Hi BRAKIE
No rule as such but you just have to travel a couple of miles down the track in the town you live in ( I assuming there is a railway there) to realise the the so called flat ground just isn't flat and that the undulations go below the track level even if its only the cess.
And that there are small cuts and banks that the railway travels on and through.
the effect of the rising and falling ground looks a lot better that a billiard table flat layout.
We are not talking mountains and valleys hear just undulations up to but not over 1"
in HO scale and mostly in the 1/2 to 3/4 inch range at that.
Give it time and some one will find something to change improve or add to the club layout some one always does[:D]
Where the industrial layouts truly finished or did you just decide it was time for a change[:D] was there absolutely nothing that could be added or improved.
regards John
  • Member since
    October 2001
  • From: OH
  • 17,574 posts
Posted by BRAKIE on Saturday, December 24, 2005 10:31 AM
John,,There are exceptions ..I can show you a urban industrial branch that is as flat as a pancake for miles no bridges,no hills and lacks normal road bed.
I can happily report NS an the CFE both run through town..[:D]

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 24, 2005 7:19 PM
You can still build a 4x8 or 5x8,10, layout without the"around & around" effect. Just run 3 staging tracks on the back straight-away,behind a backdrop,(using curved switches on the corners to make each staging track long enough to hold a train). Then you can run three different trains through the front scene & in different directions & still get spur tracks through the middle for switching. Just a thought.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!