Well, like a lot of us here, I’m 65 - BUT - my present 4x8 won’t be my last!! We’re planning a move to South Jersey next year to a “retirement” village. No basements!! Oh well - the garage it will be!! A lawn shed will be the workshop for the table saw etc, with the “train” tools in the layout room. The door will be closed off & insulated, a floor of some type will be added (no cold feet for me!) and an around-the-room with at least one peninsular, and I will keep all my UP stuff, which included the 119 (golden spike) to modern. There will be several towns, each with a different time span - 1870’s, 1900’s, 1930’s, 1950’s, 1980’s, today - OMG!! - that’s 5 towns!! I will also try to include all 4 seasons, desert, mountains, and some New Jersey looking scenery!! Aside from all my rolling stock, I have the original Victoria Falls Hotel (unbuilt), some 1970’s Life Like “structures”, 3 or 4 EACH of Superior Bakery & Weekly Herald, and more than I could list here!! Cars & trucks from the 19-teens to modern (50+ 8 1/2 x 14" plastic cases full!! and loads of figures, lighted signs, crossing signals, etc, etc, etc!! The plan is in my head, and I’m a build-as-you-go type, so a basic loop will start the running, with each section finished in turn. Now let’s see if this will ever happen!![8D]
Definately Middle-Earth ( the land of Lord Of the Rings ) Imagine all of the scratch built everything that would have to be made - Being as how I would have unlimited time and funds (Yeah, right) So I could incorporate as much detail as possible, would have to be dual scales, Probably HO fro the Hobbit and Dwarf sized stuff and O for the Men and Elves areas. Of course the Wizards would have developed some power source to drive the Boilers of the “steam” engines… This could go on and on as it’s own thread. Imagine…
Oh well, back to work…
Earl
Good luck on your new venture. Are you going further south than Toms River? I was there last week and heard tell that they had a railrosd show there. Other options might be to start or join a modular group. That is what I did when I first moved to Memphis.
Peter Smith, Memphis
Like others, my age means my current version of the Santa Fe in Oklahoma is the last. It is 28ft by 35 ft, three decks, HO. It was started in late 80’s, and is basically finished, although I do replace structures, and re-work track and scenery here and there as I have a better idea. I also try to correct some mistakes in the orignal design as time permits.
I just turned 72, and my doctor, who is also a modeler, says I should be operating and running for 10 to 15 years, as my only real medical problem is arthritis which can slow me down.
Also have a garden railroad in the backyard, but I am not sure how much longer it will survive, the stooping and bending is a problem.
Bob
If I could sell all my stuff and start over? Ah… I would actually like to do that… I’ve learned so many things by messing up on this layout… (i.e. #4 turnouts are bad, 22" radius curves are a huge pain, yards don’t have mainline style roadbed, etc)
I’d model a similer railroad, a shortline in 1997, except it would run on trackage rights out of Worcester, MA on the Guilford line to Ayer, then run onto it’s own trackage in Clinton, MA via the interchange track. The railroads track would be that line, running through Clinton, MA, as well as Berlin, Northboro, and whereever it goes past that.
That’s currently a CSX line, which goes against my philisophy of freelanced railroads not taking over active lines, but it’s not a CSX mainline, so it could have been part of thei rmovement a few years back to spin-off non-vital branches and such.
The actual layout would be a sectional/modular layout, where the main towns and such are sectional and can only fit one way, they would be connected by the “twisty bits” as described in MRP 2007 (I think it was 2007, anyway).
Ahh…it’s fun to dream… [:)]
Nice thread topic. It’s got an interesting mix of philosophy and practicality.
I’d certainly like a bigger layout. And yes, it would be around-the-walls, not an island like I have now. I’m very happy with my mass-transit options - subways and trolleys, and I’d certainly like to continue and expand those. Right now, I’m working towards a dual-era layout, 1960’s and 1930’s. For me, that’s a nice combination, and lets me run different equipment without stretching anything too much.
Whenever I see someone’s layout with a harbor, I’m jealous. So, I’d like to add that to my wish list.
I want crossing gates and working signals, with bells, too. Not a lot of them, just enough to see that sort of thing working.
And I’m going to make a deal with the Devil. He can have me…after my layout is finished. [}:)]
Already doing it. The Local Clubs take care of the big stuff.
I would want to build a huge large scale outdoor empire. My wife plans on building a mrr outside once we retire… Not for 30-40 years though. [;)] I love the natural look in the outdoors.
Mike
Well, I am 64 now and have just started over, on my last layout.
My new room is 9x24, single car garage size. I have switched scales on this home layout from TT scale where I had to scratch build everything, to HO with DCC and sound. I am building light weight and modular just in case we decide to move. I am building the Chesapeake and Atlantic. Of course, even though I have a defined track plan, nothing is ever set in stone until it has been built, so I expect some changes along the way.
The big thing is that I have a direction and purpose and I am working on the layout, and not just sitting in front of the TV turning into a couch potato.
i’m 54 and planning my way (or so i say) towards my first layout . this may or may not also be my last , depends when i actually start
i figure you need 3 things for a layout
time
space
money
i’ve never managed to have all three at once (and still don’t) so i haven’t started building yet
i’m collecting HO stuff , but if i had to start over i’d go with On30 , starting with the bachmann 2 truck shay , it calls out to me anytime i see one at the LHS !
ernie
I’m 53 and barring any moves, this is probably my last layout:
I’ve wrestled long and hard to get to this point. Now that I have all the track in the Port Tyler section up and running, and half of the scenery landforms roughed in, I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
The only thing I would do different if I was sure this is my last layout would be to expand it into other portions of the basement which are currently “off limits”.
Which I may do anyhow! [swg]
-George
Hi!
I’d like to add a bit to my original posting…
I really put a lot of effort into doing things right on the existing layout (that may not exist in a few months), but a couple of things turned out to be obstacles. The first is a large reverse loop that takes up too much space and hinders structure placement. The second is that three levels is one level too much, and a new layout will have a main level and a lower staging & storage level. Lastly, while the existing wiring is pretty good, a new layout will use more color coding and be wired either for DCC or for DC that could more easily be converted. Oh, one last thing… turnouts will be fully accessable!!!
Another comment to add is that I have always had a bad case of “I want it all”. By that I mean I want a long double mainline, a nice sized yard, good sized loco facilities, and lots of industrial sidings. Industry wise I want the stations, cattle pens, icing facilities, oil terminal, a few small factories, grain towers, etc., etc. And scenery wise I want streams/bridges, mountains and tunnels, farms and industry, etc., etc. Well, that all sounds nice, but the hard fact is you can’t have all that on an 11x15 HO layout. Therefore, very hard decisions have to be made, and that ain’t easy!!!
Hey, thanks for all the wonderful comments and input. It is a pleasure to hear from so many folks in “my age bracket”, and that I’m not the Lone Ranger in my situation.
ENJOY,
Mobilman44
Well, I am 61 and have started what will NOT be my last layout. This layout is to try out the shortline point to point concept in my current basement to see if that’s what I really want to do in retirement which is already planned to involve a move to a different house.
But for my last layout I want the following:
Finished layout space before I start.
Bathroom on the same floor as the layout.
Separate workshop.
Windows in the layout room and the workshop.
Someplace else in the house to store stuff rather than under the layout.
As for the layout itself I would like to recreate the Ma&Pa in S scale with a mainline long enough to include both terminals full size and 4-5 towns in between. This is assuming that I like the concept - hence the current layout to try out a small point to point with one small terminal and two towns.
I would also like enough room to do a 5 x 12 Lionel layout with all the action accessories I can afford.
Enjoy
Paul
Finished, completed and ready to run. But other than that something in the modern area like the wheeling and lake erie but up in the wooded area of the USA with a logging trian excursion trail like the cass senic and a museum.
mike
Last? dunno. I gots time, but hopefully I can build a layout that won’t need to come down. And it would be CMPA witth 2 staging, one east, one west, with out and back loops and storage for my other RR intrests. One of which probably being parts left over from my smaller layouts.