loather’s response on fsm1000’s post titled "Final run of the FSM RR’ of "why did you tear it down?’ got me to thinking of the reasons I decided to or had to tear down some of my layouts over the years. These reasons included things like: relocated–that became the most prominent rationale during my apartment dwelling era; remodeling; space became needed for other utilization; my most recent layout I demolished a year ago because it had been gathering dust in the second bedroom of my mobile home for seven years and, following my second marriage, it was in the way and I finally reasoned that there was never going to become operational again–I guess this might be another “space became needed for other utilization” reason.
Share with us as to why you found it necessary to tear down a previous layout?
I’ve had 4. The first was dismantled because of relocation. The second was because I decided to take a new approach and started over (it was a wise decision). The third was not dismantled; I gave it away - because of a move. The fourth is still operating.
Being no-longer-married and 51, with no offspring, I occasionally ponder what will become of this layout when I die. Then I remind myself that I won’t be there to care. Still, it would be a shame for it to just be thrown away. I’m leaving everything to my alma mater (see avatar), so they might hire someone to put it and my brass locos, tools, etc. on the market.
Who knows? For now, I’m planning to live forever.
I’ve always thought that there’s something sadly poetic about the way John Allen’s layout burned up a week after he died - almost like he took it with him.
1st layout in the spare bedroom of 2 bedroom apartment - 1st child is born, he gets the room.
2nd layout (in the master bedroom amazingly enough) - we moved back from Germany, gave the benchwork to the beer and coke delivery guy since he was a model railroader too.
3rd layout we moved.
4th layout we moved.
5th layout needed space for cub scout den meetings
6th layout built for my son in his bedroom - he grew up and lost interest in trains
7th layout basic loop just to have a place for trains. Will make way for 8th layout.
8th layout under contruction - pre-retirement layout to see if I like point to point.
9th layout when I retire and we move to our retirement home.
I’ve had three. The last one I tore down because we moved. I now regret that I tossed more rolling stock and structures that I wish I’d have saved. All I have room for now is a shelf layout but as soon as my oldest son “moves on” I will take over his room to expand on what I now have.
Even though I have had a 2’x4’ layout and a 80"x36" hollow core door layout (both in N-scale), these were really just test layouts with no scenery. I still have them and they are operational, but will be given away to friends who can give them a new home. I am currently building my first “real” layout, also in N, which fully occupies a 19’x9’ room and features two levels plus a staging level. We have been toying around with the idea of moving in the next year or two so the kids will be in better schools. If this were to happen, I would salvage as much track and structures as possible but all benchwork and scenery would go–yikes! While I don’t like the way this sounds on face value, I know that the next house would have much better layout space so I don’t even worry about it at all–just enjoying what I have today. Of course, with the current credit crunch and declining home values, the chances of us moving are now rather slim. Jamie
1-Moved. Changed scales.
2-Built a bigger one.
3-For the life of me, can’t remember what happened to this one or the all the trains I had.[D)]
4-Moved. No room on truck. Gave it to a neighbor kid instead of tearing it down.
5-Dismantled and incorporated into current layout.
My first, and to date largest, layout was built in the parent’s basement when I was in high school. After my junior year, it became apparent that it was not very well executed, was consuming a massive amount of space, and would have to go by the time I was headed off to college. It lingered on for most of the winter, but I was encouraged to remove it by my birthday (end of April) in exchange for a keg party. (This was back when 18 was the age when you stopped drinking illegally) The track and turnouts were salvaged, the structures and details boxed up, and the benchwork went out to the curb.
After that, I never built much of a permanent layout, although I built a bunch of little portables. I didn’t do a permanent installation again until my current layout about 5 years ago.
Several layouts in my parents’ apartment were aborted by lack of space, shifting gauge ideas and, finally, my departure. (One of them was an early 5DC in 1:196 scale.)
A half-dozen or more were casualties of military transfer orders. It wasn’t until my final assignment that I got smart and built a module that I could take with me.
Three expansions on the module succumbed to civilian moves. Another was wiped out when the spare bedroom I was using had to be made available to a freshly-divorced offspring.
The next to last layout, in half of a two car garage, met a happier end. It was abandoned to be recycled into the layout that now occupies the entire garage. (Part of the recycling effort involved rotating one table 180 degrees.)
Present plans call for the present layout to be my last in this lifetime, fueled by my and my wife’s mutual intention to stay in this house for the rest of our lives. Whether that intention will govern remains to be seen.
Impossible to maintain 4 scales at once. Not enough room for O-scale. It came with me through two moves and I even tried to keep it outside for one summer but finally gave up. I let the N-scale go just due to not having enough time for 4 scales. I’ve expanded to a larger layout. In 1970 I switched from HO to N. Most importantly, well lets see, not enough room, not enough room, and umm not enough room.
My first layout was a 4x8, I build it when I was like 10 myself, so it wasn’t stable benchwork and wasn’t amazing but it was some fun times none the less.
When I got older I expanded the 4x8 and refurbished it improving the benchwork, trackwork, and doubled it in size. I tore this one down to start fresh with a new layout that would be designed not build on the fly.
My third layout and most recent one was the largest and best designed one but before I could finish it I had too tear it down because the room it was in needed to be used for other needs.
Currently I’m on my 4th layout still in the planning stages.
Garage layout. Same space, same area as present layout. Jerry-built benchwork with nails (I’m no carpenter even in the BEST of situations), homosote base (or what I THOUGHT was homosote, until the rains came, LOL!) 24" minimum radius for articulateds, 2-10-2’s and 4-8-2’s and 4-8-4’s. Not a good thing. Grades that I thought were 2%, turned out to be anything between 1-4% with no warning. Helper district yard and turntable most of the way UP my major grade (shades of a real Rio Grande operational disaster for a time on Soldier Summit), everything that was wrong WENT wrong. Ran it for about four years with everything squealing around the turns, then decided “even a dummy like ME can do better than this.”
I did. Tore it out. Everything. Even got rid of the lumber.
I like the present one. Not perfect, but one DARN sight better than the old one.
As a very little boy, I had a pair of 4x8’s in an L, just loaded to the max with Lionels. Rocket launchers, tie-jectors (remember those?) and elevated sections on spindly legs. They sat on the floor, only the width of a 2x4 from the tile. (Or was it carpet? Long, long time ago, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile, but I don’t remember the floor covering.)
I sold those when I was in my early teens. I built my first HO layout, which I had to tear down when I moved away, and my Mom sold the house and went to a retirement community somewhere near where Orson Wells said the Martians landed in New Jersey. I did put them all in boxes, though, and those trains from the early 1960’s comprise most of my rolling stock today.
This is my third layout. I’d like to keep it going. It’s not attached to the walls or otherwise rendered unmoveable, so if I have to go elsewhere, I can transport it without too much damage.
I tore apart more layouts than I can count due to moving at least 15 times and living in 8 states altogether. I had a nice HO 1900 era layout maybe 20 years ago or so. It was a whimsical railroad, and lots of fun.
Now, I’ve learned from experiences. My current layout is being built in sections so it could be moved if necessary.
Didn’t rally have my own layout until after I got married and stationed back stateside. built a few for others though. Being military, the ever present thought of moving was always there during planning and construction. I built a 5X9 then tore it down to do an around the room in a spare bedroom. Only a small portion of it ever got sceniced. I transfered to another base, my wife and layout stayed for a little while until new plans unfolded and I told her to tear it down. We only saved a little bit of the wood and the turnouts. She moved into a new house and I will be joining her, finally, in about 5 months when I retire from the military. The new house includes a 14X24 room waiting for the next, and hopefully last layout. Fortunately at my last two bases, I’ve hooked up with so great modelers and help build a club layout at the first and modules at my current location. Should help me avoid some mistakes when I finally start that next layout.
Not so many really. First layout, late 50’s small, fit under my bed at college. Second layout, after college, moved to Topeka Ks from Oklahoma, with the layout base strapped to the top of my car, giving new meaning to being an “okie”. It was set up in the apartment I rented. Then I moved to another house, new layout. got married, moved again, new layout. Changed jobs, moved to Kansas City, new house, new layout. 8 years later, new house moved again, new layout. That layout is my current one, it was started in late 1979, has been rebuilt once in 1988, that is the current layout, and I will not be moving again(except to the ground), so it is the last.
I also found time in 1989 to start a garden layout, it is still thriving outdoors, has had fairly extensive rebuilding two times, once related to weather.
But now I am enjoying operations on the HO as well as the garden layout (yes, they can be designed for operation just like HO).
In 1977 I started a N scale layout. 1980 I switched to H0. I’ve build several European layouts. Each time I started a new one when the operation was not satisfactory.
With my US-style layouts I went with modules. So I changed the layout style when I had more modules. At last I build the layout in segments. Only one module - Third Street Industrial Distict - is received from the previous layouts.