Although this topic maybe could have been posted in Layouts and layout building, the fact that there are 905,000 posts in the General Discussion Forum, as opposed to only 193,000 in Layout and layout building Forum means that far more people will have a chance to respond here in this Forum. So…
When I started my layout in 1988, I was 38 years old. I designed it with an eye simply towards getting the job done. Not necessarily getting it done quickly, just doing things in as efficient a manner as I could. Now that I am 63, I can see that I should have considered making the layout easier to move, if we ever move; or, get rid off for the wife in the eventuality of my death.
I do not want to burden my wife with the task of tearing apart my present layout and my two sons have busy enough lives without burdening them with the project! In my parents time, they lived in homes with never a care towards moving to other places; or, homes. Although, from the time we moved from my birth home in 1967. My parents moved (with me) to an apartment and eventually to a much smaller home. My mom lived for another 17 years in the smaller home, after my dad died and before moving to a new community. Once in this new community, she moved 4 more times and finally ending up in a nursing home. The longevity my parents had at homes they owned and indeed the fact that I have now lived in the same house my wife and I have owned for 35 years, is no longer common. Today’s young folks are very much more mobile and indeed the ability to pick-up stakes and move across the country; or, even to new countries, is part and parcel to life in this world today.
So, what am I getting at?
I’m interested in how people are preparing their layouts today, given the fact that we are such a mobile society and maybe admonising new layout builders to consider this eventaulity. Over the years, one of the people
LION lives in monastery. Has big layout in former classroom above library.
Every time the Abbot gives me money to buy something he reminds me that when I die the whole thing will be thrown out anyway.
LION makes list of what is valuable and how it could be advertized when it is time to sell stuff. As for the rest, there is a big burn-pile in the back yard, and that is where much of my previous layout went.
The layout which I hopefully be able to start building was designed for full mobility, as I know I will be moving soon (maybe a couple of years from now). It´s a “layout in a box” design, actually consisting of thee boxes, linked together by traversers. Each box can be easily handled by one person.
Have to agree with the Lion. The rolling stock, locomotives and structures have some resale value but the layout itself is mostly of value to the one who spent long hours designing and building it. Can some layouts be sold intact? Probably, but not very many. Mine is in a 14’ x 14’ shed that conceivably could be moved intact but the expense and logistics of it would discourage most buyers.
A few years back the wife and I came to the conclusion we might not want to stay in the “Dream Home” forever.
The “Dream Home”, perchased when we were in our late 30’s, is a 4000 sq ft Queen Anne Victorian built in 1901. 2-1/2 stories of turn of the century splendor - pocket doors, beautiful mill work, flying staircase, majestic corner turret, etc. We are now in our mid 50’s.
We spend tens of thousands (dollars and hours) restoring it to its 1901 spender and modernizing its infrastructure to make it functionally new. Here is a photo:
This project including building a large detached garage with an upstairs room just for a model train layout - 880 sq feet, heated and cooled - only two small windows, and its own sub panel - you can see part of it to the left in the photo. And after the house was done, layout planning and construction proceeded - until we started talking about moving one day.
Then I stopped building the layout, came up with a modular design for the same concept (which took about 4 tries) and have now begun rebuilding the layout in a form that will allow it to be moved.
Ironically, when we do move to a smaller house, I may actually have a larger layout space. So I designed the new layout to be adjustable in size and shape somewhat, and to be potentially expandable.
Basically, when the idea of moving came up, I simply decided I was never going to “tear down” another layout - all future model railroading efforts on my part will be movable.
I build most of my layout in 28"x96" modules and smaller modules. The 28" width will allow them to go through a 30" interior door. So if needed (and desired) I can disassemble the layout cutting the track at joints and move it.
But this is my retirement home. We lived in the prior home for 30 years and expect to live in this one until we die or are too infirm to keep it up. So I probably won’t move the layout. After I die, my wife or kids can sell off the parts that are worth something - locomotives and rolling stock mainly - and scrap the rest. Some time over the next couple of years I’ll have to do an inventory and identify the pieces that have some value.
My layout is being built in a modular design, that was suggested to me by an ex forum member. He and some of his friends came over and built it for me.
Every layout I built has been movable…My planned 1’ x10’ ISL will be portable.
When I leave this world I will go knowing my oldest Grandson will get my models and the layout can be sold,given to Goodwill or can be taken to the curb-their choice.
My current room filling layout was started in 2008, and I was 64 years old and retired. I built it with the view that it was the last layout I would build, and therefore wanted to do everything as well as I could.
While I have longevity on my side, I could get “hit by a bus” tomorrow. Or worse, live out my last years mentally incapacitated. Who knows what can happen.
My wife and one of my sons are very familiar with Ebay, and the better HO stuff and books and Lionel postwar will go that route. Or, if I am able, maybe I’ll do that myself ten years from now…
The thing is, when you pass, you are gone. And frankly, before one worries about stuff, they best make sure that all those end of life legal papers are done and in order. And there is a heck of a lot more than just a Will.
I have no intention of moving…ever. We are both retired and this castle is paid for. What becomes of my layout after I go that great fiddle yard in the sky is not my concern.
My bench work is built in 8 ft x 30 inch segments that are bolted together with 1/4 20 carriage bolts.
I think most folks today, due to our mobile society, make modular layouts of some sort. They may not be fully modular like a club mobile layout, but they are built in sections that can be seperated and moved with minimal desruption of the scenes on the layout. My plan is to make each base section no more than 6’ long, will be 2’ to 2 1/2’ wide. bolted together at the joints. The scenery on the surface will cover the joints and the rails will probably have to be cut at the joints, if ever moved.
My hope is to be able to move it from it’s current small space I have been pushed into, to the larger space once told was the train room. I don’t have a lot of hope at this time, but can always hope and plan for such a pleasant occurance.
If you family is not particularly interested in the layout, discuss this difficult topic (after I’m gone) with them. Make sure they know how best to disassemble it and that the layout itself is not particularly valuable. That will give them a head start on the disposition.
This topic is something we all will face eventually and probably none of us have given as much time to as we should.
Have fun while you still can, let the family know you have enjoyed it and that you hope the :“best” disposition of it will take place with the least problems for them.
The attitude: When I’m dead and gone, I will not give a rip what happens to my layout, while it may be true, seems shortsighted in the dealings with the family.
I’m glad that it appears many of you started; or, changed your layouts to make them movable. At 38, I really gave no thought to this, as I figured back then, I was probably going to live forever! Also, I had no idea I’d still be in this hobby this far into the future; so, I had no plans towards any eventuality.
Enough attempting to explain my lack of future planing! My guess is I am certainly not unusual. If I am unusual, then you guys are smarter that I am.
My current layout a-building is a 7.5 foot x 2.5 foot plywood sheet-on- frame (for a switching yard) with attached folding table legs I got at Home Depot, so I guess it is portable-although I am 6yrs from retirement and don’t wish to be, myself (portable)! I told my wife and daughter that I will select a set of cars, a caboose and an engine and set them up on a track as a small static display, so that if and when I am gone, that will serve as a happy memory of my being a model railroader. Hopefully, that will live on in my daughters home when she has a family. Other than a happy memory, what more can any of us leave behind that speaks to who we are/ were? Cedarwoodron
In my 40 years in the oil bizzness, I spent 3 years in each of 4 different houses, until I moved here 32 years ago.
I never built a layout with the intention of moving it. My thought was that “I’ll have more room and resources at the new house to build a bigger and better one”.
Of course my situation is not the same as others, and obviously each layout owner has to figure out what is best for them - or not.
I’m one of those who’s not too worried about what happens after I’m gone.
That said, dealing with the “layouts of the dead” (sounds a lot like a horror film, doesn’t it? [}:)]) and making provisions for portability in a layout are two somewhat different design goals. After one’s death, it’s unlikely that anyone will buy a layout just because it’s portable, while moving a layout in real life is something that is pretty likely to happen. The former is more about easy deconstruction, while the latter is more about ruggedness and ease of reconnecting the various pieces/modules.
I built the current layout as a “lifetime” project. Some 20 years later, it’s pretty much where I wanted it be, but life isn’t as “permanent” as I thought it would be after job changes, etc. I really don’t intend to move it, but have made provisions so that the biggest, most complex areas, like yards and station areas with all that wiring I hated doing can be removed. I put a 3’ wide door (should’ve made it even wider) on the layout room and built the wall of my office on the way to the stairs out of the basement so that it can be removed to take out long sections.
So removing the layout whole is something I doubt my wife would bother with if I go first. In that case, I’ve made it clear that ebay is her friend on this. Locos, rolling stocks, kits, and DCC gear are all obvious. But there are valuable parts to many layouts that are worth salvaging. I’ve got over 100 Tortoises and we know those aren’t getting any cheaper, along with a couple of dozen Shinohara dual-gauge and many more HO and HOn3 turnouts. I’ve made a point of saving the boxes for locos and rolling stock, to help that process along.
Beyond that, I will say my motto is “model for myself today and don’t worry too much about maximizing value after I’m gone.”
I am one lucky man, my wife is my partner in our railroad building. She builds and weathers all the buildings and does about half the scenery work I do the bench work, track work, maintenance and with that said we had a 2600 sq ft home with a walk out bonus room on the bottom floor. As I aged my legs and knees said no more to the stairs as it got to pain full to go up and down. Thirty years of climbing ladders for the phone co. will do that to you. We decided to down size and sold our home and bought a one story 1500 sq ft three bedroom home. It broke our hearts to tear down our 14’X14’ L shaped layout after 10 years of building it, but it was time. I missed it so much that I am buildingt a 16”X 13’ switching layout along the spare bedroom wall. I was able to keep a queen size bed in the room for quests and grandkids and I also built a work bench with lighting and power inside the closet which is the two sliding door style (too cold in the winter to work in the garage), with room for two stools so we both can work on projects. The layout is based somewhat on the Gum Stump and Snowshoe, I made it out of furniture grade pine so it looks nice with a fold under control panel (like the Virginian layout) so no one would bump into it if the got up in the middle of the night. We kept the 60+ buildings as our previous layout was a city scene and all the rolling stock. We recycled everything from the old layout from turnouts to flex track, maybe the flex track wasn’t such a good idea. I have a enough scenery supplies and track, buildings etc left to build at least 5 or 6 more switching layouts so I’ll keep that in case I want to build something different. I also made it so the layout which is built on two inch foam and dropped into the pine frame can be lifted out and another foam layout can be dropped right into the existing frame. I run DCC so the wiring is pretty simple.
I do miss running my big boy and cab forward along with my mighty diesels, and yes I miss sitt
While I am not completely insensitive to the task that may be left for someone regarding my possessions when I die, my desire for a movable layout was not motivated by that, or any concern about “value” or selling it later, or anyone else reusing it after me.
I simply have reached a point in this hobby after 43 years where I know EXACTLY what I want from a layout, and I know EXACTLY how to successfully build it, and I only want to do it this one last time in my life.
NO MORE STARTING OVER - SIMPLY STICKING WTH THIS PLAN AND CONCEPT UNTIL THE END.
I know how to lay perfect, bullet proof track, I know what track construction standards will give me the operational results I desire, I know what I want to model, I know how to model it - I don’t want to redo it again - building the last and best (for me) dream layout that can go wherever I go from here.
I think everyone with kids, or who is retired with kids out of the home and who doesn’t want to burden his/her estate with probate fees and the anxieties it might lead to in those kids, should have a will. Sit down and discuss your wishes, as stated clearly in the will, how you want your estate dissolved. Things like that big monstrosity with wires down in the basement and how it should be disposed.
I don’t really care what happens to my ‘things’, but I would like to please my kids by offering them those things of mine that they admire or would like for sentimental reasons. Ideally, no two of them would claim the same thing. They need to sort such issues out between them. I an my siblings sat down and went through a list of valuable things that my mother couldn’t bear to have disposed any other way when she passed away due to cancer 11 years ago. It was painless and civil. Not always so in other circles, apparently.
I would like to leave my trains to my two young grandsons who, due to my influence, insist that their mother sit them down at a computer two or three times a day so that they can watch train videos on youtbue. Hey, it was a small thing. [swg] No big deal, I tell my daughter, who grins but rolls her eyes.
I did build the layout to be unhitched and moved if needs-be. I don’t seriously expect it will fit into a place next time, but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a reasonable goal, and that we shouldn’t try, my wife and I. Saves money and time, gets me up and running more quickly. Each layout is the best one going at the time, so I feel I should make an attempt to salvage what of it I can, including the entire thing if possible. It will fit into a good size double garage with room to spare for a vehicle, for example.
That’s as far as I go. I won’t be making a big deal out of having a layout if we have to downsize. It’s a fact of life.
