Hello, I have a question. has anyone, or know of anyone that has built a layout into a garage? I ask because I have a 4 car garage (just 2 doors) there is a space there that is about 25 x 40 feet I have open. and thought about building it in there, I just moved into a new house, so everything is in box’s still.
I know there might be a issue with moisture in there. But I thought maybe. (If I am correct) I can turn that area into a dry area. the garage has a hanging heater. that can heat the garage in less than 20 minutes.
I guess what I would like to know is what problems? or what can I do to utilize that space for a layout? I am stuck on this idea. can anyone give me pointers or ideas. I would not wish to build it and have to clean and oil engines every day.
Ray many of us have, mine has taken up the garage now at 19 X 13 layout. My garage is finished, drywall walls and ceiling. I have AC for the summer and gas heat for the winter. Bench is 3/4 plywood with 2 X 4 (a mistake, no such thing a straight 2 X 4) that is not painted. I leave no gap in the rail joiners. Temperatures here in IL with range from 95F to -15F. In the winter I keep the garage around 45F and by the garage door it will be around 35F when I am not in it. Frost will form on the garage door windows.
I have never had in warping of the layout, I know some here will chime in they had.
I had a layout in the garage and it was great because of all the room I had to work with and it seemed every modelers dream. I am not fortunate enough to have the garage climate controlled and during the summer months im sure the temp in the garage would reach over well over 130 degrees. The glue to some of my structures began to deteriorate and all the landscape got dried out and became very brittle. There was also a lot more dust out there than I anticipated and I found myself cleaning and dusting like Molly Maid. I did not leave any of my engines or rolling stock out there for fear of damage. So needless to say it became a pain carying it all out there every time I wanted to use it. I had to downsize and moved my layout back into the house where I’m having much more enjoyment.
But some some things to remember are to make sure you have your lighting and electrical outlets in place before you start building. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
I live in an area with no basements and spare bedrooms are scarce so I closed in 1/2 of my 2 car garage for my railroad. I ran a stud wall down the center and across the far end. I used standard studs and sheetrock. All walls are insulated and I eventually ran a duct from my central air/heat ducts to the room. Cheap carpet finished the room into a pretty nice place to stay for a day or so playing with choochoos. It turned out to be 9x17 which is much smaller than I would like but the alternative was no railroad. I installed the wiring for lights and plugs on their own circuit breakers and can shut off everything with 2 switches for safety of mind. I don’t remember the cost as it was done many years ago but it wasn’t a great expense at the time.
As to building a layout in a garage without insulation, walls, heat and A/C I would have to say it isn’t a good idea in anything smaller than O sale tinplate due to heat, dust, bugs & debris from opening/closing the gargage doors. At that I would still not do it for O tinplate!
I also have a layout in a detached garage. I live on the Eastern Shore of VA, 40 miles south of Ocean City MD. Chesapeake Bay on one side and the Atlantic ocean on the other. I sectioned off a 9 by 24 foot area and enclosed it. Studs and insulation, epoxy paint on the concrete floor then tile, and a full ceiling. I have one outside door and one inside door. No windows. I have a gas heater and a window A/C in the next room which has a duct to the RR room.
So my advice is, if you are going to build it into a garage, go for it, but do all the prep work first. Make it a separate room, finish it and insulate it. Here is a link to my small web page with a couple of room photos and links to more layout photos:
It is a good idea to make sure your garage is well insulated first. I also recommend putting matts under your car so that is is a lot easier to clean the oil rather than hosing it out. We modelers do whatever it takes to have our layouts!
before i bought my current home with a huge basement, i had my old layout in a 24 x 24 garage. i closed off both overhead doors with stud wall and took the doors down. the car just had to sit outside. before starting on the layout, i insulated and finished the walls and ceiling and put in central air and gas heat and hung a bunch of 8’ fluorescent lights.
the only thing i neglected was the concrete floor and that came back to haunt me later. i just couldn’t keep the track clean even with good air filtration and regular maintenance. an unfinished concrete floor generates a lot of fine dust and it goes everywhere, even when you vacuum regularly. once i figured out the problem, i sealed the floor with a product like thompson’s water seal and the dust problem went away and i had no more problems with keeping the track clean for years.
the more you can do for creature comfort before you start building the railroad, the better. any improvements like hanging lights or adding electrical outlets are much harder once the layout is under construction. temporary things have a way of becoming permanent. temperature and humidity control are almost mandatory if you want trouble free operation and stability. they are much easier to achieve if you get the “bull” work out of the way first.
i hear a lot of guys say that they just don’t play choo choo when it is extremely hot or cold. well, if it is too bad to be outdoors, then, that is when i would want to stay indoors and work with the trains.
You need to look at it as a clean slate. unless you have a basement with equally as much space or more it’s a no brainer. You have plenty of time to do the most important thing regarding our layout and also the cheapest cause it’s all free, research. With a garage that size you can of course insulate and dry wall plan electrical outlets and lighting custom tailored to your wants.Unlike many of us who now dwell in the subterranean levels of our homes and are limited to whats already there to work with. I have a 30’x40’ building on my property that I plan on expanding and putting a nice big railroad in there I hope to be able to do so with in the not too distant future. I have looked into several heating options just to throw at you. The first was radiant floor heat. They have many options to retrofit into existing floors without having to rip them up and the second was infrared heat. It’s pretty cost effective as it heats the objects in the space rather then the air. You see it used a lot in very large spaces like warehouses etc. My neighbor is an HVAC guy and when I built my shop i was all fired up to put in this monster HVAC system and he told me whats more important then that is to make sure the building is well insulated and “tight” free from drafts. He explained to me that a single draft can cause your heating system to just keep running as the air inside never fully gets a chance to heat up to temp.
I would be happy to be in your situation right now a garage can make a very nice train room good luck and thats a nice size too I might add.
I did a lot of research on this idea when I lived in Dallas many years ago. What I would suggest is to frame off the area you wish to use, add drywall and a drop ceiling. Of course put in plenty of electrical outlets, and seal the concrete floor. Living in Ohio, you are more concerned with heat than A/C, but both would be desireable. Depending on what’s in the house, you may be better off running a vent (and return) to the train area. You also may want to get a dehumidifier (or humidifier) too.
My suggestions are expensive, but will pay off over time in that you will have a “clean” room, and it will be isolated from the rest of the garage/house area. Put another way, you won’t have someone putting boxes of stuff on or under the layout to get them out of the way.
I moved to south Texas before I could implement my Dallas garage plans, and my RR is now in a spare bedroom.
The first story in our latest special issue, How To Build More Railroad In Less Space, shows a good example of an HO layout built in a garage in Miami, Fla., by Thomas Klimoski. Sectional construction even allows for parking a car – Mrs. Klimoski’s Mustang! – in the garage when the layout isn’t operating. The article includes steps taken to make the garage a more layout-friendly environment. The special issue with this article is available now on this website.
I have mine the “California Basement” too. I used cabinet grade 3/4" plywood for my benchwork. It was cheaper than I thought it would come out to, the 7 layer plywood is very stable for both temperature swings (20 - 120) and humidity (5% - 70% typically but not as bad as you have)
I live in Michigan and was fortunate to be able to build a two car 24;x24’ garage with a loft and an inside stairway. In order to accommodate the cold winters and hot humid summers, I installed a floor model air conditioner with a hose ,(to a hole in the wall), for elimination of humidity condensation that fills the tank. I have had no problems with the expansion or contraction. My around the room layout a smooth undulating peninsulas of 5/8" #2 plywood for the layout top. I happened to have four old four drawer dressers of 38" height, that provide storage space, and rigid support for the layout. For additional support, I use 2"x4" legs that are screwed to the wooden floor. I just received delivery of two “uncouple anywhere” box cars, that I ordered at the NMRA75 convention in Milwaukee. They operate from my Digitrax DCC throttle. ($57 each). I am anxious to try them out on my 260yds of track with 110 turnouts. Bob Hahn
Here are my thoughts from a previous email on garage layouts.
Two Car Garage Layout
When I built my two-car garage layout I got some good information from the War Dept. (my wife). She said, “Because I would be doing a lot of sawing and creating huge amounts of dust I should isolate my workshop which was in the garage from the layout”.
I built two walls with a door on each in the front corner of the garage by the garage door. The garage door windows provided a lot of light to the shop. The doors on either wall allow me to saw long pieces of lumber on my table saw. For longer pieces I open the garage door.
I finished the shop walls with windows and moldings so that it gives the appear
My garage is a two-car size in the Dessicated Desert, partially insulated (especially the east-facing door,) totally drywalled. Thanks to a gas fired hot water heater, I have vents open to the outside that I can’t block or seal. Translation - climate control is a non-starter.
Humidity isn’t a problem - except for the results of subjecting forest products to the almost total lack of same. The local weather weenies refer to humidity in double digits as, “High,” even when the digits are one and zero. Temperature IS a problem (at the moment it’s 113 degrees out there!) Careful construction (steel stud L-girder benchwork, leaving expansion gaps in trackwork…) has kept the temperature-related effects under control. Even when the temperature is at its height I operate successfully almost every day.
The conclusion? A garage is a very suitable place for a layout, but proper insulation and climate control will make it even more suitable.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in a Mojave Desert garage)
I live in Washington State and have started an around the walls layout. I managed to get 11 x 16 feet. However, a duck under or liftout is required. I also did the ‘L’ girder frame work but now wished I had just canterlevered them. It would have been much cheaper.
Make sure that you insulate the trainroom well. I hung 8 foot flourescent lights overhead and had enough wall plugs to accomodate me. Much dust from the concrete floor but you can paint it or coat it with most any sealing product. Carpeting seems to work for me. As I am just retiring, not yet sure of the possibility of AC. I am a smoker and plan to install an air exhaust. Hope it helps. Rich