As my winter break from my freshman year at college comes to an end this week, I am preparing to leave my trains once again for the next couple of months. At the point that Im at with it, I realize that I am more of a collector than an actual model railroad as I do not have a layout, instead I have been left with nothing more than a 20’ by 9 track yard to display what cars and engines I have. Right now I have 10 locomotives ranging from my only 4 wheel engine, a GP38-2 to my second smallest, a SD60m. The remainder is filled with Dash 9’s SD70Ms, AC4400s and my newest, an C45ACCTE by Tower 55. Im up to about 250 cars, 60 coal cars, 45 double stack, 60 grain, 15 ethanol tankers and the rest basically manifest. I have about 15 structures/industries that are built or close to it mostly agricultural related. The problem that Im seeing is, being only a freshman in college, Im 5 years from a semi-perminent home where I can finally build a layout. Im finding it quite hard to decide what to buy or build for a layout that hasnt been planned in a garage or basement of a house that doesnt exist. And although my ‘display yard’ has filled up and has become congestes matches the prototype Union Pacific, I am discouraged at not being able to move anything and my investment sits idle.
Feel free to post any thoughts but this was just basically rambling on my part. Thanks
I am in similar situation. I am military and have been away from my permanent home for several years now with a couple more to go. My wife is getting our old home ready to sell and looking for a new house that will give us the room to do what we want, including a layout room. I continue to collect, although at a much slower rate, and mainly concentrate on building and detailing my existing fleet. This works out well since she is there and I am here and modelling gives me something to do and it keeps me out of trouble[(-D]! I have a prototype, era, and location that I will eventually model so I can purchase stuff now that will end up on the layout. The nice thing is, I will be able to concentrate on benchwork, laying track and building scenery when I finally get home and get to my new layout room. I found local clubs at my previous and this assignment so I’ve been able to still do some modelling and run my trains. Good luck to you.
I am in a home with a full basement and a single car garage door for bringing stuff in so for the first time in almost thirty years I finally have the space. Unfortunately fixing up the upstairs, work schedules and volunteer work for church and other organizations has me completetly booked for at least another year. In the meantime develop the theme, collect the rolling stock and other items you need so when the day comes you only need to buy the structure it will sit on.
I took a few years off from layouts both in college and while stationed in Korea. During those times I had a theme for a layout planned in detail and built the models (trains, structures, etc.) that would be needed later. I understand why you can’t plan your actual trackplan now, but you can decide on a theme (prototype, freelance road, era, locale, etc.) and start building structure kits and collecting trains for that theme.
Then, someday, when you can start construction all your buildings and trains will be ready to go, and construction will go quickly!
I know what that’s like. I bought a house back in September…and the layout hasn’t seen much action since then. I just don’t have the time to work on it. Even though the house was spotless, and I haven’t had to do much heavy work, I still have things to do. Of course it’s not helped by the fact that some of the electrical outlets in the train room don’t work!
I am returning to the hobby after many years. I had O and N stored at my parents, so I went and got the N. I live in a small residence with only crawl space, no garage, no attic. I am also on disability so finances are tight. The N I thought would do the trick on a 4-2x4 30"x60 layout. But I have ALways Always wanted HO, and found myself “collecting” HO items, if they were inexpensive. It seems everyone says one must have at least 4’x8’ for any HO layout. I have 0x0 room for a 4x8. I also MUST have at least one loop to let the train go round and round, so a narrow point-point was out.So I am now working on and bound and determined to have an HO layout that is small…like 3’x4’ that is a definately more than just the xmas-under-the-tree single loop it started out to be!.
I expect to prove it can be done! I hope in a month or so to be posting pics here of the layout many said could never be!
Also, college is by far just a few years compared to the rest of your life! Enjoy it too.
There are layouts called time savers that are small portable switching layouts. They pose switching problems that you try and solve as fast as you can.(move these cars here, move those cars there.) You can detail it as much as you want and they are pretty small. Something you could take with you and keep under a bed.
I’ve been there… exactly there. And I can tell you that the semi-perm housing doesn’t automatically arrive with the diploma either, there will likely be a series of apartment moves.
My solution was to build a portable layout. The design was two 2’ x 4’ sections built on a frame of 1’ x 2’ lumber with 1/4" plywood tops, each had a 1’ x 6’ “backdrop” and a “sealed” pegboard bottom. When setup, the two sections were connected end-to-end by two 1’ x 2’ rails bolted to the sections. To keep the wiring simple, each section had its own switches for block control and switch machines, the only inter-section connections were banana plugs for AC and DC.
By itself, it was either a big diorama or a switching layout; or it could serve as the center for a simple layout. Simple options would be to make it part of an oval running behind it, or have reversing loops at each end. When it needed to move, the two sections were separated, one turned 180 degrees and flipped over, and the two formed a box - track protected on the inside, pegboard on the outside.
This traveled with me for years until I finally had a “permanent place” for a layout. Then I moved again … and again … and again. [banghead]