Railroad space - Has yours expanded or contracted?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I guess this is more to the folks who have MR’d for a while. Everyone is different in their lifestyles and economic circumstances. In general, I guess, if you are young and live at home, your space is fixed for the most part.

Once we move into the workaday world to hopefully make our fortunes, what ever that may be, we can typically spread our wings a bit. If early on, we are apartment dwellers, space will be limited. If we marry and are still apartment dwellers then oops, less space. If we have our first child in an apartment…well there goes the layout, unless we move to a bigger apartment.

Once we get a home, assuming most all of us do, we definitely have more space until more kids come down the pike. Finally once the kids leave the nest and maybe we are in our third house, which is much bigger, we can really open up the throttle in many cases.

Fly in the ointment… Hard economic times? Kids having to move back in? Home repossessed or down sized to new, smaller home? These sad events can see MR contraction take place.

What is your layout history…space/size-wise?

My history? Age, 13 (1959) I had a 4X4 layout built from a seedling Varney " l’il joe" dockside trainset. discovered girls at 15, but the railroad bug still smoldered. Next layout was a 4X8 fold up in the barracks room when in the Air Force (1968). Next one was a 6X12 after the Air Force in 1970 in my grandfather’s old woodworking shop. Married, apartment dweller (1974-1977) no layout.

1977, moved to current home with wife (decided no kids ever! ever! Got 2 cats instead). Layout in fully finished attic area. (man cave), 1978, irregular shaped on floor approx. 8X10.

I moved my layout to the ceiling eaves as a 2 foot X 40 foot shelf layout in 1982. It forms a long legged oval around the entire attic area.&n

2

My first was about 12’ X 4’, and all one slab. I had to have a pop-up. That lasted one year, and then we finished the entire basement, so the first one came down. Next, in the same space, was the last one I had where it had a central operating pit. The reaches were both high and deep, so I had to have a three-step folding stool nearby. That one lasted six years, but only four before I wanted something more to my liking.

I then became the full-titled owner of the loft above our garage when my wife let go of the idea of plumbing it and offering it for rent. It is finished, although with hipped roof above it, so the walls are at an angle. The space measures 21’ X 12’ at the floor, but the layout will be somewhat narrower due to the angled walls.

Crandell

3

My teenage layouts were 2 4x8s arranged in an L, one in O-gauge, the other in HO.

My first and only adult layout started as a 5x12 table, on wheels so I could move it around the family room. I gained title to the rest of the room, understanding that the TV and couches that made it a family room would stay. I built a shelf along one wall, parked the table next to it and joined them up.

I still have expansion rights, and the nominal plan is to build a narrower shelf along the other wall and join it to the current layout with a removeable bridge for access to the window, AC and layout edge beyond. However, I’ll still be the better part of a year finishing Phase 2, and that puts me just about at my retire-at-67 date.

I like the house, the community, and even the climate, although I’ll admit that liking Massachusetts weather is a bit odd. But, with out daughter graduating from college and hopefully getting a job and a place of her own in the spring, this is really more house than we need. Another factor is taxes, as what we’re paying for this place is a lot for a retiree, and the Governor has submitted a Robin Hood budget, with me and every other working stiff as “the Rich” and his constituency as “the Poor.” So, we may start house-hunting sooner rather than later. I’d hate to do a lot of design and build a lot of benchwork only to have to move it before I ever get tracks down.

4

Excluding the teenage RR, my college years the RR was a 1’ x 8’ . After college and for the next 20+ years the RR was an L-shaped bookshelf design maxing out to an 8’ x 5’ plan with each leg being 15 inches deep. This was followed by a 10’ x 10’ for roughly 3 years until it had to be torn down due to a ‘life change.’ The current RR is a double deck 10’ x 13’ design on my garage.

Charles

5

I got back into the Hobby in 1977 with an expanded 4 x 8 when we purchased our first home.

I then rebuilt the layout into a 8 1/2 x 11 around the walls area.

Joined a Club in 1984 and we had 3 layouts going at the time (Lionel - HO - N) so this gave me a good base to learn from in those 3 scales.

In 1989 the Club moved out of the Mall room we had occupied from 1984 to a larger area 3300 sq ft (the Mall area was 2500 sq ft).- we were building 3 layout here also!

Stayed there until 1990 when a fire burned down the building.

Moved again into a 1875 sq ft place and again were building 3 layouts there and are still there after 22 years.

This gave me a really good knowledge base of how to build a layout the right way as the CLUB Layouts have to RUN ALL the time with the General Public PAYING to see trains run.

In 1999 I moved from the old house into a new Ranch style home with a 1875 sq ft basement and began building my current layout depicting the Western PA area from Dubois to East Brady PA.

This was being done in the 75 to 85 time period and would tax my modeling skills as I was doing the layout mostly by myself (although I had help from my 2 boys laying some of the track and they are also into MRRing)

I then added on a 16 x 16 room plus expanded into my Basement Office space (another 14 x 28 area) which was separate of the main basement.

This gave me a grand total of over 2500 sq ft of layout space. I have over 3600 feet of track down so far and still finding areas I need to add more.

Since I had most of the expense of the layout out of the way before retiring - I now can spend 40 hours a week in the basement having more fun that should be allowed!

None of this downsizing for me - I actually need a bit more room to make this layout closer to the real thing in design - but I guess I will just have to wait until I hit the Lottery! :wink:

BOB H - Clarion, PA

6

Interesting Question!

My first HO layout was as a teenager - a 5’ by 9’ ‘ping-pong table layout in my Dad’s 15’ by 13’ basement ‘shop’. The layout ‘grew’ 2’ wide extensions and was based on the old MT/MR PH&C layout - just a little larger and with 22" radius curves. That layout lasted through my military excursion to Vietnam. and was still there after I bought my first house in 1977. I did not have enough room to really move the layout and make it fit - And my parents home was only about 8 miles away.

A job transfer resulted in a 75 mile move to my present home in 1984. I have a 25’ by 20’ area dedicated to my layout. The job/house/trains all survived a divorce and I just removed the layout a few months ago. I am now retired and plan to build a new layout in the same area(retirement project). The layout room downstairs is being insulated/finished off this time before any layout construction starts.

I have had several friends go through job loss/divorce and it can be real hard. One does not even think about or plan for a layout very much. I did have my son move in for about 2 years, but he just moved out at Thanksgiving(He is in love and moved to be closer to his girlfriend). His old bedroom has been converted into my new modeling ‘Man Cave’(much warmer upstairs in this Minnesota weather). This has freed up more space for the new layout!

Jim

7

Dad and I always had a layout at home up until my teens. They were various shapes and sizes over the years, the scale was Treble O. It is close to “N Scale” and we had a lot of this stuff (I still have it). My attention turned to many other interest as in sports, seeing the world and working as many hours as I could handle for the feds.

At age 39 I discovered I could have a huge house in the country on acreage for the same price as my average house in the city cost. I saw train room and peace and quiet. I sold my expensive sports car and bought a bare bones Honda Civic for the commute into work. I then decided I should find a wife as I was not getting any younger. I am now 55, retired and have two wonderful kids age 11 an 14. While they are at school I work on my trains and do other things.

My train room is 15’ x 24’ and is HO. I can double that easily if I want to expand. I had planned on the expansion, however I am finding what I have now is more than enough based on my progress.

The house I had in the city was a good size for a bachelor to have a Train room in. But I saw a family in the future, so I moved first before I got married.

Here is the house in the city and where I am now in the country. Same price, bigger Train Room.

8

well, the first layout was 2’ x 4’ the next layout will be a 4’x6’ hopefully I did some re arranging in the bedroom. gotta go pick up some tupperware boxes to store everything that isn’t model train related in and place those in the closet which also got cleaned. hopefully I can get some curves that will do my passenger equipment some justice.

9

First layout was a 4’x7’ that came with a pre-war Lionel my folks bought from a friend of theirs. In HS, that table and others made up a larger layout in my own space in an old chicken house, mostly track and space. Afraid I didn’t have a lot of time to do much with it.

After a house fire in ‘96, wife pointed to a 13’x22’ space in the new structure and said “that’s the train room.” At the time I was working about 24/7 and had little time to build anything. In the fall of '09 I semi retired. Took a lot of getting used to having time to do things. In the spring of '10, son moved home, took over the space and more. Cruuently trying to figure out how to use some of the space in the basement. Sigh!

Have fun,

Richard

10

I had a 4x8 TYCO HO layout when I was about 6. It was torn down by the time I was 10. Didn’t get back into it until early 20s and made an L-shaped 8x6 that never got to the scenery stage.

Sold off all the HO stuff about 15 years ago and went to N-Scale and completed small 2x3 and 3x6 layouts. I’m currently in the process of building my benchwork (about 2/3 of the way done) on a 17’x14’ around the walls with center peninsula N-Scale layout in the basement.

It took a while to get that much space. I’m happy to have it, and I’m not sure I’d want much more.

Mike

11

Well, at age 11 I took over ownership of a layout my father had built for me, in the basement. That layout was a 14’ x 9’ “L” shape, each leg was 5’ wide.

Then we moved and I had a 24’ x 24’ basement in a split level, only had to share that with the HVAC and the washer/dryer.

Then we moved again, I was allowed to use an “L” shaped section of the basement 24’ x 36’, each leg about 12’ wide.

Then I got married and moved out - only lived a few years in “apartment” type housing (the old converted house kind, not the apratment complex kind), then moved into a rowhouse (townhouse to some) - had a 16’ x 30’ basement, but little time or money for a layout - spent more time at a club I belonged to back then.

Now, for the last 15 years, I have a 40’ x 22’ heated and cooled room above my 40’ x 32’ detached garage/workshop - and also have a large empty basement (with a low ceiling - 112 year old house) which I use about 1/4 of as a workshop for the trains.

When we retire, we plan to sell this big house (4000 sq ft, 2-1/2 story, Queen Anne, built 1901) and move into a rancher - all on one floor. BUT - it will have a basement, likely about 2500 to 3000 sq ft - so my retirement layout space might get bigger yet!

In this part of the country - most houses have basements - so a 2500 sq ft house, comes with a 2500 sq ft train room!

Most of my train buddies around here have layouts that fill all or most of their basements, so lots fo them have layout spaces bigger than my 880 sq ft.

Sheldon

12

rwell let me see from 1971 to 1977 i had an H.O. SCALE 4x8 & i got out of it girl cars life & then fast forward to 1994 my son was born & i bought my parents house i got back into it & we basically put wall to wall plywood with to holes in the middle, yep you heard right the WHOLE room was a layout [8D] but it still an ameuter deal.

my son & i operated that layout till 2001 & then i moved to a brand new house 3000 sqt ft [8D] so i built cheyenne downstairs with big boys challengers 800s & the like it was a huge L shaped layout with a 4x8 section just for the round house / turntable & yard well in 2012 my son graduated i got divorced & here i sit in florida in an apt with a closet full of trains & no layout[B)]

13

Wow that really makes one think. Lets see:

  1. Preschool I had a 4x6 on a hing over my bed. This is the layout I learned how turnouts with hot frogs worked.

  2. 2nd grade we moved to Kansas and my father tried to duplicate the layout in the basement. The outer curve ran off the end of the 4x8 and had to have a little “bridge” extension.

Divorce caused the lost of all railroad real estate. For many years I just put sectional track on the floor of my bedroom.

  1. Some time in junior high I figured out I could cut the corners off a 4x4 and fit it into my room. So that was my layout for several years.

  2. In 1969 I switched to N-scale and replace the 4x4 with a 2x4 but OOOH I had a double track main line and what felt like massive amounts of space.

  3. During the summer I got use of part of the garage and built a 3x4 with junk lumber from the house they were building next door. It was a single track main line with two passing sidings. It was my first layout with cab control that I could run two trains on.

  4. Thanksgiving sophomore year of high school I was actually able to afford to purchase a 1/2" plywood 2x8’ No more junk lumber for me. I had three different layouts on that board. It was the first time I cut the board to get some below grade scenery. That lasted all the way through college. For many years it was a “shelf” over my bed. That was the only place I could get 8’ of real-estate for it.

  5. That 2x8 eventually became a cookie-cutter base for my final N-scale Pine Ridge Railroad.

  6. In 1983 the Great American Train Show came to St. Louis and I built a 7x8 O-scale layout for it.

  7. in 1984 I joined the Platte Valley Model Railroad club so I didn’t need my own.

  8. In 1997 My children joined the Yout

14

I started with a 4x8 in the spare bedroom for 6 months until our first son was born.

Then a 6 x 61/2 in the master bedroom for 2 years when we moved.

In the town house, an 8x10 room in the basement for a year when we moved

First single family house, for 2 years never had a layout when we moved.

First 2 story house with basement. By this time I had 3 sons ages 2, 5, and 7. Didn’t have time or money for a layout for first 15 years, then had an 11x18 layout for 15 years and was adding a 14x22 space to it when I retired and we moved again.

Now have a 12x31 layout under construction with the rest of the basement available if I want - total of approx.1400 sq ft minus stairs, furnace, hot water heater.

I have a master point to point plan that uses most of the basement, that I am building starting from one end. That way if I find I’m happy before the whole thing is built I’ll just end it with a return loop.

Enjoy

Paul

15

Had a n scale layout as a kid. This is my second layout and is about 15x30.

16

My 1st layout was 40" x 55" and slid under my bed. It had no scenery, as it was mostly a test bed for learning trackwork. I was 12.

I didn’t get a second one until college, and it was 12" x 60" and set on the top of my college dorm bed’s bookcase. It was a simple switching layout.

After I married, I started a plan based on the Tupper Lake and Faust Junction from MR, IIRC Sept 1974. Never could get much done on it as I was still in school and school was generally from 6AM to 4-5PM, 5 days a week. I also had to work on the weekends, with most of my little spare time going into studying.

When we moved into an apartment, I had a 5X9’ in the spare bedroom. Basically it was a two level loop with plenty of switching. That one lasted until I got into another college for more education.

At the apartment we lived in at that time, we had another spare room, and in it I built a larger switching layout, a U-shaped 11x11’.

After I finished at school, we moved yet again, and I actually had a house that was mine. It had a room, that I built another iteration of the TL&FJ in. This layout lasted longest of all, it was 14x20’ and I had all the trackwork down, and was starting on scenery. When our second child came along, I purchased an outside building, had it wired, insulated etc. and started moving the layout into it. This version of the layout was 16x20’ and lasted until the wife was transferred. Now that was 7 layouts that never really got very far into scenery.

After the transfer, we were in an apartment again for another 2 1/2 years while trying to sell the old house. When it sold, we finally found something to our liking, and bought it. It wasn’t any bigger than the house we had before, but it does have one advantage, a basement garage that would be perfect for another layout. First the kids had to get out so I could use the space for other than storage of their stuff from school!

Finally after roughly 15 years of pl

17

Over the years, my layouts have shrunk in size. I never had one of those basement filling empires, not only due to lack of space, but lack of bravery to attack such a huge project. I just could not figure working for 10 or more years on just the same project.

The biggest layout I ever had was one of those dreaded 4 by 8. That was at the time after I got back into the hobby (which I never really left). It was just to try my hand again and was soon sold.Since then, I have built a number of small, shelf-type layouts in various scales, the last one being a mini-modular N scale layout following Japanese prototype.

Right now, I am tackling my probably last layout, which will be the smallest ever. Inspired by the British, who build complete layouts in box files, I am in the process of building a On30 micro layout in a box, measuring only 2 1/2 ft. by 1 1/2 ft. It will also be the cheapest layout ever for me, made completely of cheap or freebie materials. Total cost will not exceed $ 100!

A lesson I have learned is that the size of a layout does not determine the fun you can have building and operating it.

18

Most recently (if I can include around 10 years ago) my layout expanded. I have a bit more space I could expand into if I needed; but, I don’t see the need.

19

Hi !

My layout room has stayed the same 15 x 11 for the last 32 years. At one point I thought of putting a portal between it and the next room - but then I got remarried and that didn’/won’t happen.

I fully understand there are a lot of folks out there that would love the dedicated space I have. But man, I wish I had another 100 or so more square feet…

20

Over the past four years I have expanded 3 times so now it covers about 250 square feet. I had the space and I expanded into it. To be honest, I am slowly getting to the opinion that it is too big for one person finish and maintain. Not that I am thinking about a teardown and rebuild just yet but the thought has crossed my mind.