Layout idea's

Where is the simple question!!

What's typical? Some of these new build homes have "spare rooms" I would say are only big enough for a shoe cupboard! Older houses like mine have decent sized spare rooms, my small "spare" room is 12 ft x 9 ft.

How big is your spare room?

You have to decide what you want to do Sean. If you want a continous run / tailchaiser layout, then from my experience you will need as much room as possible to an extent. I will be building a breeze block "shed" in my garden that will be about 10 ft x 25 ft for a tailchaser. This will have a double track main line plus some yard sections for stock shunting etc, the usuall hidden fiddle yard, a depot, a through station etc etc. I had a 12 x 9 ft one in the house, it was not big enough for me! However, the room is big enough for my end - end layout, which is a play / shunting layout.

Go to a few exhibitions have a look at both the big tailchasers and the smaller end - end layouts, see which you think you would be happier modelling and playing with!

Simon

As Simon already said, there is no "typical" spare room. However, if I may offer a general comment, I found that end-to-end layouts along the wall(s) are well suited to a variety of room sizes. Build it in sections or modules, one station first, then a section of the line, then the fiddle yard (or the other station) - that way you can already operate your railway a little even if it is not finished yet. It is a matter of personal taste, of course, but table-top layouts tend to look a bit crowded, partly due to the necessity of tight curves while a layout along the walls can catch the atmosphere of the "real thing" much better.

Jan-Martin

Lets say a medium sized room I have to find a good place to move to first so i can get that room, I use to have a one car garage that had a big sized board in and had some simple layout, but would like to redo one and get some mountains and a good signalling system.

Some layout ive seen in the shows are to drull at, yeah maybe that big, but then again bigger is better lol. But to start of just something basic and work my way up.

Yeah they have them every year here, maybe ill ask one of the guys there, Thanks Simon!

sean

Piemanlarger said the following on 19/04/2006 09:37:

I wish I had *any* room 12ft x 9ft!!!

You know thats interesting, I always thought of having a house and doing that sometime, and run the trains around the house or room.

Thanks sean

I have a space 7M x 3.5M encumbered with a stair well to one side. I have managed to incorporate a pair of terminal stations which are actually adjacent to each other, three secondary terminals of which two are for auto trains and also an elevated carousel track which can go through mountain or viaduct or tunnel as I choose. I have access to most of the exterior limits and a small workshop area inside the teardrop loop. If you are interested in lifting any ideas then just drop me an email and you can have sketches and / or photos as you wish.

Peter A Montarlot

I thaught it was ok too at first, but our club layout is around 12 x 26 ft, so when you have run 7-8 coach trains round this you (or at least I) soon find 12 x 9 too small with 4-5 coaches!

I sugggest that you think small but with the potential to add on additional modules, eg a small terminus with the potential of adding on a scenic stretch or small industrial siding, intermediate station etc

Having been lucky enough to have had two quite large spaces available for railway use I made the mistake of being too grand in my plans which meant it was hard to see much progress and I never had the prospect of running trains through completed scenary in the foreseeable future. It is more satisfying and encouraging of further work to operate on a smaller project and stand back and admire ones completed handywork.

Mick P

Personal view would be to fit shelving round the walls, about two feet deep (so you can reach the far side) and run a double track main line round the room. As time/funds allows add a station, then perhaps a fiddle yard on the opposite side (I have a preference for a visible running line in front of the fiddle yard, and I quite like adding an industry in front of the fiddle yard, so it isn't just a blank bit). Then add an MPD (engine shed and associated facilities) for all the locos you will buy. Then you need some sidings to store stock that isn't running, then you might enjoy having a small goods yard (to do some shunting), perhaps some lineside industries - after that it's knock a hole through into the house for the branch line . . .

Mike