I have all the trains and stock plus quite a bit of track for HO scale so this money wise is the best option but do I have the room. I hear about 4x8 HO layouts which i know is a tight squeeze to do much scenery with so I’ve included a graphic of my room plan for your thoughts. i have the room but it would be tough reaching across the layout past that third foot since i won’t have room to walk around the layout. I also need to be able to somehow stand this up vertical and walk it through the door if we move. so if i go above 6 feet much it might be a tight squeeze to get it through. obviously i could do multiple layout boards as well.
The desk can be moved anywhere say for an example a layout would work better on the wall it’s currently on going into that corner. Only thing I’d have to do is run some co-axle cable from that corner little nook and cranny area to the right of the desk to where it is for the cable modem. i have electrical ayouts on every wall.
the closet is also optional … i can get away with not using it if i need to block it with a layout table. what are your professional opinions on this 
? thanks
ALSO THE FURNITURE IS SCALE! If that helps know how much room moving it around would take up and putting a layout around it as well.
signed someone really eager to start laying track yesterday and can’t make up his mind now.
I would do an N-scale layout running along the walls from the entrace door to the closet door. I’d make it about 2 1/2 feet wide which would probably allow you to run a continous loop. Just my two cents.
If I did N Scale I think I’d want to use the Kato Unitrack and I was talking with someone in another post about how I could connect multiple layouts together possible using this. I’m assuming this layout is L shaped and would require more than one board right? How much width (or depth) do I need to allow time to turn the track at one end of the board? Thanks for the help.
Yes, the layout would be L shaped and you could use two boards. There are various options for how much room you need to turn in N-scale but 2 1/2 foot width would be plenty wide for a complete turn.
I highly recommend Kato unitrack. There is an extensive line of Kato track available for N-scale. Here is a link to a .pdf file with all kato n-scale options. Check it out. Threy even have starter sets with predesigned track plans.
http://www.mgsharp.com/images/PDF/Kato_N_2006_Unitrack_List.pdf
The problem I’m trying to figure out is IF I do that type of layout how do I connect the boards together with the unitrack if I have to move the layout (ie: when we buy a house). since it snaps together it’d be really hard to snap both sides of the straights together using the boards since the unitrack would be glued onto the board.
First of all, I recommend using a layer of foam board over your plywood (or if the foam board is hard enough, it will do by itself). Kato Unitrack snaps together straight and you pull it slightly sideways to pull it apart. One option is to just not glue the track right near where the boards meet so that you can slightly pull it sideways to take it apart. Even if it is glued down, just use a sharp hobby knife to slightly loosen the track where you need to to pull it apart.
Another option is to modify the rail joiners of the unitrack. Just pull out the standard unitrack joiners (called unijoiners) and use regular track joiners with the tops open so that the track would just pull up when you need it to and go right back down when you need it.
Does that help?
so are the unijoiners easy to remove? didn’t pay that much attention when i played with them at the show except putting them together and taking them apart. and when you mention tops open what do you mean by that? sorry! it’s been a few years since i’ve done this!
It’s alright JJ, I can’t sleep anyway. The unijoiners are easy enough to remove if you CAREFULLY pull them out with a small pair of pliers or just pull really hard with your fingers. I have broken one or two using the pliers method but it’s easier if you’re careful.
If you look carefully at standard rail joiners, you’ll see they are slightly open on top to allow two rails to fit together. You can spread that opening up with a very small screwdriver on one side so that now when you use that joiner, one side will be free to lift up and down. Does that make sense? It’s an old modelers trick for being able to remove bridges and such for maintenance.
I didn’t realize you had all HO stock and stuff. You know you could fit an HO layout in the same space I suggested but it would be tight.
I could do a 4x8 behind my desk but you’re right very tight. thats when i thought well i got that space to the right of the desk i might be able to use also. any thoughts with that? obviously i don’t want the layout going right up to the back of my chair either how much radius do i need to turn a HO layout. i’d like to run two trains on the layout with a double loop if possible.
You need a minimum of 3 feet to turn HO and that’s a tight turn. If I were doing HO in that room, I’d use the area to the right of the desk for a loop, through the closet as tunnel, out from closet along the wall and use the corner of the room as another turn around. I don’t know if you could make the turn in that area to the right of the desk and still make it into the closet, though. Tough to tell.
You might even be able to still use alot of the closet, just watch for trains coming thru.
Only problem with that is that we are renting this condo and I wouldn’t be able to make a hole in the closet for a tunnel
Then if you want HO, only choice I see is a 4x8 behind your chair with an extension going towards the entrance door for industrial sidings or yard, etc. Very tight for HO.
I’d sell my HO stuff on ebay, buy N-scale and build an empire. And that’s coming from a guy who swears by HO scale but I have alot more room. You’re just very tight with that space.
I have about 4’8" to 4’9" inches between the back of the chair and the wall behind me at my desk. So I could do a very tight squeeze 4ft wide HO layout, however, the only part I couldn’t figure out is HOW to access the back of it without breaking the front of the layout once I started doing scenery.
You need to make a ‘lift-out’ - a hole in the center or back of the layout which can literally lift-out so you can access the back of the layout. Or design it with a duck-under - a duck-under is just a permanent hole in the center or back of the layout and you have to ‘duck under’ the layout to get to it.
definitely too complicated and a lot of hassle just for that so i think my best is probably N scale. I don’t have the time or the experience to build a good table so I was thinking about buying those table kits from woodland scenics. 2 3x3 sections would make it very easy to transport. then if i wanted to add on i could later.
I was also given the website http://www.sieversbenchwork.com/ as another option but they are more expensive. I haven’t been able to figure out if they are higher quality and that’s why though.
I think the WS table kits are great. I looked at them at one time but my layout was way too big to make it cost effective. They are perfect for what you need and include everything to build very nice sections for a layout. In fact, I was going to suggest them to you. [8D]
N scale is definitely a good plan for you I think. You’ll have alot more options and I think you’ll be pleased with the Kato Unitrack. I use the HO unitrack on a 16’x12’ layout and love it so far.
Good luck JJ, I got to get some sleep now. Talk later… [zzz]
Looks like you have room for an N scale hollow-core door layout! You only need about 30" for a turnback, but if you can come out 36" (the widest door at Home Depot or Lowe’s) you can have some very broad curves (for N scale that is).
The question becomes if I did that which I’ve heard great things about since the doors are built well do I have enough room to get the layout out of the room if we move since the door is probably the same size as the door coming into the room I assume?
JJ, you’d probably have a heck of a time trying to remove the layout if it’s built on a hollow door. I like the idea of hollow doors except that they can also be quite noisy. Since the door is hollow, it reverberates and amplifies the noise of the trains and can be rather loud - even with foam roadbed. I think you were on the right track with the sectional tables from woodland scenics.
Yes you can. The door layout is very portable. I not only get my layout out the door, but around the corner, down the stairs, and out the front door. My suggestion is to use folding table legs and put handles on the end so that you can tilt it on its side to bring it into and out of the room.
You can see pictures on my website (below) to see how that works.
Also, I do recommend a foam layer on top not just for sound deadening but to allow for easy construction of below-track terrain like ditches and creeks. I have no problems at all with excessive noise.