Cost factors and space considerations aside.
I would give up HO and go fully into 2 rail scale O and build…and build.
Mark H
Hello All,
I’d incorporate my existing 4x8 HO pike into a larger coal mainline with all the associated industries.
Since I model the Rocky Mountains it would include the yards of Denver, Pueblo and Salt Lake city with all the mountain passes along the route.
Thanks for asking.
If I had a large amount of room it would be a size of a airline hanger filled with 9 cities. Complete with their own unique styles of train stations, rail yards, scenery and trackside industries. I had breweries, paper factory, farms, shipyard, oil refinery, coal mine, a few bridges and tunnels.
I have the plans but the exact size down scale. I thought of it during junior high 1999/2000.
Since then I scale down, it probably would have like 20 or more operators.
Currently My layout models about 15 actualy miles of track in real life (Denver to Golden, Colorado; the beer line). In HO scale that would be about 910 feet of track. I have approximately half of that currently (about 500 feet of track). Unfortunately quite a bit of it is in the helix.
My current layout is three levels (two viewable and the third is staging) with three interlaced helixes (yes it is bit complicated but works well).
My space is 12’x19’ currently. I would love to have a space about double that size. I would really love to model the Tennessee Pass Line from Minturn to Pueblo, Colorado through the Royal Gorge. I want to be able to model the Hanging bridge. Although I may not be able to model the full canyon it would be a fun piece of scenery to build.
About 8 years ago I took a 5 day trip and railfanned this line (even though it is deactivated but not abandoned). I took pictures of every little detail I could so that one day I would have a reference to build my dream layout.
My plan is still to have multiple levels but to design the layout like the mushroom style layouts. They are a little more difficult to design but really open up the operating possibilities and extend the runs. Ideally I would like to protolance each town along the line so that its track layout is similar to the real thing.
I grew up visiting Leadville Colorado all the time and really want to model it (and Malta) accurately.
The real line is about 190 miles. that would be 11500 feet of track. I think if I had half of that I would be in good shape. There are definitely a few place that could be cropped but there are some places that are a must have (for example, Tennessee Pass Tunnel, Malta, Salida, the Royal Gorge and several bridges along the way.)
I would guess that a person could end up with too much room and then never be able to fill it with the way to large dream layout. Keep in mind that it does take time to detail a layout to the extent that, most of us I would consider to be adequate. Money is most certainly a factor also. The age old adage, don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Then again, there are plenty of people who seem to be able to get far more done in a day than I can. But, I also look upon this as a hobby, something I’m involved in to have fun doing. So, those projects that I find less fun than others tend to take longer to get done!
Tough question, because the constraints are space, time, and money.
If space were not a consideration, I would move toward something along the lines of what I had in our last house. My space was 40 x 14, and I model N scale. It allowed 27” curves and plenty of space between scenes/towns. I would probably wish for something along the lines of 40 x 24 (roughly a 4 car garage) or so to add another wing for more mainline using the same philosophy, more staging, and a better branch line. I’m not sure I would add anything more to the locomotive or rolling stock roster, but would add a second decent sized city (and yard operations).
If I neither space nor time was a constraint, that project would get finished faster and I would tinker a lot with computer control and scratch build a lot more bridges and the like.
If space, time, nor money were constraints, I would consider either converting to HO (my eyes aren’
If I had all the space, then I would run out of time. One thing has been constant throughout this 10-year journey of model railroading: It takes me a month to do 1 square foot of layout. Now, that includes time spent builiding rolling stock and installing decoders, but still, it’s a month per square foot and more square feet means more rolling stock and decoders.
The plan would have more open space - farms and fields. But, there would be the occasional road with operating crossing gates, and those long runs would need signals to make them interesting.
A model railroad is never done, and the more space you’ve got, the more true that becomes.
If I had more space I would build a large comfortable “crew lounge”. Barcaloungers, beer on tap, big screen TV, etc etc.
Onewolf wrote the following post an hour ago:
If I had more space I would build a large comfortable “crew lounge”. Barcaloungers, beer on tap, big screen TV, etc etc.
Onewolf, you mean you didn’t plan for that in the new building? Forget it, now I’m not interested in coming for a visit when you get some trains running.
I’d switch to #1 scale. Continue to model the Maryland & Pennsylvania, but add a PRR mainline at both ends and the B&O at the Baltimore end.
Space required is probably around 60x100. This will require a pretty big budget since lots of RTR will be the order of the day.
Enjoy
Paul
Who of us does not dream of building a large layout?
Since my childhood days, I have been dreaming of that, but it always remained and always will be a dream only. Even if I had the space (and the funds) to build one of these empires, I would not do it. I don´t want to engage into a project I am certainly not finishing. These days, I even consider a 4 by 8 “large”. I like small layouts with unusual, creative designs and concepts, nicely detailed. Actually, more “working” dioramas than layouts.
I have learned a lot from being in a modular club (HOn3, NSNG in the Denver area).
I used to think that my ultimate HO/HOn3 layout would fit in a 24ft x 24ft space. After my modular experiences, I’m not sure I would still want to try building a layout of that size as a one man thing. Or even with a few friends.
One of the dichotomies the modular club has experienced is the difference in operations preferences. Back in the '50s, John Armstrong wrote an MR article that divided operations preferences into 3 categories - spectator, engineer, and dispatcher. Admittedly, we don’t have too many dispatcher types in HOn3, but we do have those who like to watch a train run through scenery (Armstrong’s spectator), and those who like to do switching (Armstrong’s engineer).
Since we usually have more modules available than room to setup at most venues where we have a layout (typical 30ft x 50ft space), the planner has to decide whether to put space between towns using single track scenery modules or lots of switching opportunities by reducing the number of scenery modules.
And that’s when the differences arise. “I can’t do any switching because too many guys are just running trains through scenery.” “I want to enjoy watching my locomotive and cars running through the great scenery club members build.” “Can’t run enough trains simultaneously because it’s too far between passing sidings, and some of the sidings are too short.” “We don’t have enough scenery, the towns are too close together.”
There is also the construction. To some, building a single track scenic module is boring, and they don’t really want to complete or store such a module at home. To others, scenery is their thing. One member developed a method to build very narrow - 8 to 12 inch wide single track scenic modules - to reduce the need to scenic so much area. A
Kinda hard for me to answer since my recently started 4x8 seems like an incredibly large amount of space to devote to a train layout. But, assuming I enjoy the layout as much as I think I will, I can imagine a few things. Around the wall/shelf layouts use space well but I don’t like them as much. You are limited by how far you can reach and, with an island, you can reach from both sides. I prefer 4’ wide. Otherwise, it would be like my current plan - lots of mountains, bridges, rivers, and different natural habitat/ecosystems - wetlands, forest, rolling hills, craggy peaks. Come to think about it, I would probably have several smaller size layouts. One in the Canadian Rockies, one in Pennsylvania, and another in Florida. Heck, maybe a red-rock southwest one too. Plenty of room for ops and switching, and plenty of long runs to just watch trains pass through some beautiful scenery.
Hi all
Well at 21’6" square avalable for a layout I am still wrestling with the monster space planning.
I don’t need more layout space so if I had more room I would add a dividing barrier.
Then some comfy chairs, coffee table and very long book case with sliding mini book cases atatched and long 8’ high storage cupboard for trains unbuilt kits etc.
if more layout space was avalable rather than resort to valium I would just increase distance between stations.
I am having enough problems planning a new double track mainline and branches layout to fit the space that is now avalable for me to use.
Even at that size things still have to carefully planned to avoid over crowding
I have got as far as “Yippie I can have 8 coach passanger trains[:D]”.[:(]
Oh! for less space to play with.
regards John
not sure it’s the amount of space but it’s shape. A 15’ x 15’ bedroom is 225 sq ft and difficult because of all the corners.
A 6’ x 37.5’ is also 225 sq ft, but would allow a 2+’ x 35’ run and sufficient aisle space. It would avoid curves, allow several sidings and industries, a small yard, … Of course it’s pt-to-pt.
What makes an outstanding layout? Just think of unwinding various layout plans you see in books.
My dream train room would go along with my dream house: a total of 4 40’ hi-cube shipping containers. Two (LH side) would be the house. The other two (RH side) would be my monster railroad room. That particular plan would give me the opportunity to build my dream expansion for my layout. It would give me a “home” for my tourist railroad and those tracks also would have a small transfer-type railroad. (The track plan and the transfer railroad is influenced by the CMR [Central Montana Railroad] here in Montana, which for those of you who don’t know, operates on ex-GN and CMStP&P rails. [Moccasin to Geraladine])
The issue is not space, the limiting issue is dollars. I have all of the space I could want (well, you know what I mean), but the dollars are the limiting factor.
But then, and fortunately, I am pretty satisfied with what I did build. So LION is happy. And it is good to keep your LION happy.
ROAR
Nothing special, just Los Angeles circa 1941, from Long Beach to Pasadena, San Bernardino to Santa Barbara
I’d switch to 7 1/2" gauge. Sit on a comfortable flatcar behind a battery powered locomotive (with sound) and enjoy the scenery as I pass through it. Occasionally I’d stop to stretch my legs and switch some industries, but mostly kick back and enjoy the clickity-clack. 