One day I hope to have a dedicated workspace for working on locomotives and rolling stock, building structure kits and general tinkering. For the past several years all of my off-layout modeling has been at the kitchen table. I have a small toolbox that contains my modeling tools and a few parts, plus a cutting mat.
E.L. Moore, a wizard of scratchbuilding with balsa and other inexpensive materials, favored a TV tray.
Of course, I’ve seen articles about huge, elaborate workspaces with paint booths, milling machines, and impressive wokbenches and cabinets.
Hello Dr. John
My work place is the kitchen table in the winter and the pateo table in the summer. I to hope to have a nice work shop out back of the house. but right now is not a good time for that, Im new to this garden rail roading, and havent got my trackset up to run yet. there is so much to get ready for befor you run a train[:o)]
My workspace is strewn all over the basement and garage. There’s not much order to it at all and I’m continually searching for tools and stuff. I have a habit of not putting anything away when I’m done. Paul Sr of OCC, would be yelling at me about now.
I’ve got a small cart that I can work on things in my trainroom. It’s on wheels and can be stored under the layout. Since it’s metal, I can use magnets to hold pages in place, etc.
As for painting people and buildings, I prefer the TV table, especially during baseball season. Makes watching my favorite team lose a bit more pleasurable.
I have a workbench and a desk each halfway under the (around the walls) layout, which is 45 inches off the floor. They are occasionally handy to stand or kneel on to reach the back of the layout or the trains on the wall behind the layout. Tools, parts, materials, and books are also under and flush with the edge of the layout.
I will work off the dining room table or on a coffee table in front of the TV if assembling a kit or for locomotive maintenance. Anything requiring paint is done in the laundry room with ventilation. A work room would be a very nice addition.
We have a 2 1/2 car attached garage with the 1/2 being walled off as a small shop and foyer for the rear entrance to the kitchen. When we moved in I installed premade generic cabinets and counter from Lowe’s, before I accumulated a lot of “stuff”. For major work I have a metal builing that also is partitioned with my train room taking a 1/3 and the rest for storage and an extra garage.
Behind the wheel of a farm tractor oh you said modle railroad work place its this student desk I have that shares space with the computor monitor and the bills now real hard prodjects the bills goto the floor so do the computor speakers . Not much space here heck wish I had room to make a perniment 4 X 8 layout instead of my 1" X 10" boards going around about a foot below the celing. Hey when you have it in your blood you’ll find somewhere to run your trains.
This is a good question. As I look around the basement, I find myself fortunate to be able to carve out some space. Interestingly, while I have a ‘recycled’ desk with a gooseneck lamp clamped to its edge which is supposed to be my workspace - that’s what my son and I used to build our plasticville kits a few nights ago - I usually stand at the concrete wall to the crawlspace where the layout rests and work atop that - it’s about a foot wide, well lit and the perfect height when I’m standing. I have a couple of top shelves on a metal shelf unit where my tools and misc. stuff (like tons of wooden coffee stirrers, a huge bag of n scale ballast, window screen rolls - great for fencing) is stored - above the reach of the baby - I usually park a step-stool below the ‘river’ I use to crawl back when a train derails - found the baby climbed up the stool and onto the layout when I turned my back the other night …
My mom is a haridresser, although she hasn’t actually been in business as such since I was born and just does our family’s hair. In the middle of the basement (toy trains at one end, HO at the other), she has her hairdressing cupboard with a big mirror attached. It’s become my workspace, with tools, trains parts, etc. filling up most of the top of it, with hairdressing stuff squished in on a little space on the edge. I sit in the hairdressing chair in front of it while I work on my trains. Don’t worry, though, here’s another cupboard, a set of shelves and a cart that my mom has most of her stuff on, so I’m not crowding her out.
My permanent workspace is in the trainroom on a 3x6 workbench with all the stuff I need right at hand. However, I have to admit I prefer to work in the kitchen right on the island counter in a well lit area. There is a TV nearby if I want to turn on a ballgame and the frig is right there too! The only problem is having to clean stuff off the counter after a work session. My family would frown on eating dinner in the middle of my train stuff even though they love my trains otherwise! [:D]
I have a small work shop in my basement of my house. It is my space, have a stero, and tv.The larger projects I do in my rec room which is in the basement. Size and the way the work shop is equip, as long aperson is comfortable in it. My work shop is about average. I wish I have a garage, but I do not, so I make the best of it.
I work out of town and live in a fifth wheel camper during the workweek. When I’m out of town is when I do most of my train maintenance rebuild activities. My work space is in the camper at the dinett table or on the picnic table outside. The folks in adjecent campsites have commented on the sounds and smells of the locos!
Run area will be in my bonus room above the garage, work area is in my workshed in my backard, a nice 3 x 5 table, all my tools and extremely well lit. Plus, out there I can have 5 beers but tell the wife I only had 1.
