I was wondering if any of you know of any Children’s Hospitals that have layouts for their patients… As a doc at one and a model railroader, the idea just occurred to me that it would sure be fun for the sick kids… maybe a big stationary one in a play room, as well as a portable N or Z scale to take to the bedside for them to play with. Better for kids (encourages group play, cooperation, etc.) AND not full of violence, graphic scenes, etc. I figure we could get the local MR chapter to maintain / build it… Just wondering if it has been done at any Children’s hospitals? Let me know… Would be a great MR/NMRA initiative or not, eh?
Well, I haven’t heard about it being used specifically in childrens hospitals, but I have in old folks homes. Keep in mind though, with children, you’d have to keep the scale rather large (G, maybe), because it isn’t hard for a few kids to ruin small parts. I still find myself ruining small parts from time to time.
Yes… the idea would be to have a docent or operator around for times the “room” would be open, to keep things from getting smashed, crashed or otherwise mangled!
Dallas Childrens hospital has a G scale layout that was built by Malcom Furlow and his crew. I think that it is still there. MR had an article about it many years ago. You might want to loook it up. I’ll check with one of the guys that I work with. He was on the crew that built it.
The Isaac Walton Killam (IWK) childrens’ hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia has a multi scale layout in one of the lobbies. The layout was built about ten years ago and is operated and maintained by a club specific for this project. Members operate the layout weekday mornings for the children An upper level has Lionel O scale trains, while a lower level has HO trains. The whole layout is enclosed with walls and glass windows and viewing ports, so it can be viewed even when it is not being operated. I know some of the club members, and took some photos during a visit last summer. I’ve placed them in a Yahoo Photos album in case anyone would like a look: http://tinyurl.com/pjmwy
The layout is entirely supported by donations and by the members of the IWK Model Railroad Club, a very worthwhile activity!
Yes the there is a G scale layout at St Judes. Also the Memphis Society of Model Railroaders has a portable HO Scale layout that they take to Several venues in the area including Hospitals.
I sell medical equipment so find myself in a lot of Children’s Hospitals. The Dallas layout is still there. They have it in a special “train lobby”. It has deep canyons and lots of levels so there is plenty for the kids to see. When I was there, a couple of early teens with their IV poles had come down to watch and were having a great time and fun with the trains.
It seems that the trend in kids hospitals is to make them fun and welcoming, so most have lobbies with kids art, animal figures and climb on areas. Many have the obligatory G scale loop of track around the ceiling. St. Louis Childrens is a good example of this. These are not exactly scenic layouts, but the kids seem to enjoy the trains coming past.
I believe there was recently (past year or two) an article in the Model Railroading Is Fun Section of MR where someone had built an N Scale layout for a children’s hospital. He enclosed it in a glass case to keep the trains safe, and designed it to be very clean on the outside for the patients. I believe he set up interactive features as well as a scavenger hunt.
Thanks, guys. We hope to build a new children’s hospital here in a few years, so maybe I can have them make a space to have a layout in the lobby or such… Knowing that other hospitals have done it already always makes it easier for those that follow :). Thanks!
Brian
P.S. Bob thanks for the photos… looks like lots of fun for the sick kids!
Many World’s Greatest Hobby ambassadors routinely visit children’s hospitals, veterans’ hospitals, retirement homes and some guys have even built and donated small layouts for Boys’ & Girls’ Sheriff’s Ranches, orphans’ homes, neighborhood & teen community centers.
Often, if you are involved in a community or charitable project, some WGH manufacturers will donate products. Sometimes, all you need to do is ask.
My daughter’s still in the hospital and I’ll bet that would go over very well there. Due to space/protection issues (I think it would need to be enclosed) I’ll work on some N-Scale plans to see what I can come up with.
I’ll get them all hooked on the NH!
I’m guessing running several trains at a time with tunnels, overpasses and interesting scenery will be the driving factor here. I’ll probably do a couple of non-connected loops, no turnouts needed.
Make them so they can run and run and run; loops are best, not only because of constant movement but because it’s easier to make the trackwork bulletproof.
Set up timers so no one train is operating too long and count on needing spare or replacement locomotives. N scale would be fine for a small layout that could be set up in a ward, but HO or a larger scale would be better for a layout in a specific area. Tunnels and bridges are great; kids love them.
Lighted structures and details like operating grade crossing signals are also good. If you add some features that can be operated by pushbuttons, the kids will enjoy them.
You will probably need to be very careful with your wiring. Hospitals aren’t big on exposed wiring or sparks and will likely give you a set of requirements.
It would certainly be possible to get some donated products, both from manufacturers and local hobby shops, but first get an agreement with the hospital for the project. That way, you can have a document, such as a letter, from the hospital stating the charitable nature of the project. If you get turned down, don’t get mad; manufacturers get lots of requests.
Then be sure to follow through and finish the layout. Chances are the hospital staff will likely be telling the kids what’s going on and it’s likely there will be patients who will be in and out during the duration of the project.
Incidentally, if you can have a club member on hand for “operating sessions” that’s even better. They can not only handle any mishaps, they can talk to the children and answer questions about railroads and model railroading.
building in public places is a great way to share the hobby and do a good deed. I recently built a small 4 by 6 layout for a local adult day program. for the disabled older folks, seeing something like this go from bare plywood to scenicked layout is great. A lot of them just enjoy the newfound compnay while other will be intrigued and will submit ideas to make it better. I had a lot of help from many people and companies while building and it helped me a lot.
A few thing to keep in mind : make sure you use the less messy methods for building. carving foam at home is a cinch but when u have to do it in a public place, that pink dust goes EVERYWHERE and has a tendency to make people freak out
also try to favor long distance mainline over operation. people like to run trains but few ever get to the point where they crave operation
steer clear of reverse loop and other stuff that require some know- how. direction switch and a throttle is enough
inspire yourself from toy train track plans. they are usually simple and allow for a long of running
be willing to ask people for help and consider they opinion. When i built the layout i built it hip level for me, a lady came up in a wheelchair and i realized the layout was way too high. i hacked 6 inches off and it was perfect.
talk your project around, get people help and attention, ask for donations. youll be surprised by how much stuff u can get if you ask around. some people have old train set they dont use, or an uncle might love to go to flea market and hunt for treasures for you. the more you put it out there the easier it becomes.
I recall seeing this in an MR article a while ago, too, and I thought it was a fantastic idea. I wanted to get some experience building my own layout before I try to do that, but I think if I talked to a couple guys at the MR clubs around here, I could probably get some help. I’ll bet the company I work for would also throw in some money to get their name on it as a sponsor. Add in the LHS and the odd manufacturer, and I bet it wouldn’t take long to come up with a decent layout. We aren’t a big enough area here to have a children’s hospital - its just part of the main hospital, but I’m sure they would still enjoy it.
The Dallas Childrens Medical Center does have an awesome layout in thier lobby. But it would be really cool to have a layout the kids could use. Sounds like a great volunteer job for someone!
Great point about layout height; that’s super-important.
As to carving foam on-site, it might be best to do this type of construction off-site and deliver the semi-completed section to the hospital for plastering and completion. Even if there’s not an appropriate truck among your group members, it would probably be easy to arrange the loan of a truck from a local merchant.
From the doing well by doing good department: Building the layout is sure to attract attention from local media. It’s a great opportunity to promote the hobby while you’re doing something good for the children.
One of the reasons I was thinking N-scale is that it could be contructed entirely at home before taking it into the hospital.
The plan would probably be two separate loops, not connected at all, one at a higher level than the other for a couple of overpasses. I’d do “mountains” on either end, with a tunnel for each level, one at one end and the other on the other end. Put a town in the middle, and then just run the trains.
I’m not sure it’s necessary to have a double-track on either or both levels, but it would allow trains passing that are going in opposite directions. Lifelike has a good set that includes a working crossing gate and some other goodies for about $100 so I thought that would be a good place to start. I didn’t even think along the lines of donations, except from family who are always thinking of what we might be able to do for the hospital.
I’d like to put it under plexiglass to keep it safe, but I’m sure it will still get bumped so I’ll need to come up with a way that people can get in and put the trains back on the track. I suppose a couple of rerailers would be a good idea as well. Wiring would be internal as well, although again I think access to the bottom would be helpful.
Good idea about the push-buttons. I’ll have to look for some inexpensive sound options so they can push a button to sound the horn, etc. I didn’t think about power, I’ll need to have something mounted, and preferably simplified. Is there an easy way to make a pushbutton option that simply turns it on and have the throttle set already so they can’t run it too fast? If there is a momentum option on the power pack and the throttle is turned up would the trains take a moment to get going if the switch simply turned on power?
This would be a good opportunity to experiment with foam landscaping (which I’m considering using for my layout). It would make the unit lighter and easier to move if they need to.