That looks like so much fun! I miss the days when I would play with my LL train set on the floor way back when... Except I was pushing a dummy loco around because the powered one worked so poorly. Good times :-D
I just need the track to stay together and get it to run and it'll be set. It's such a hassle to move around in such small space I have to have my little brother handy lol. That's as big as it gets.
I'm with the one who wanted to post "it's complicated" I started out like most kids in the 60s with a Lionel O, then later an AHM HO set. LOVED it, but for reasons forgotten to time, never did stay with it as a 'hobby'. Never enough time, or money, or this or that. 4 years ago it REstarted with a tiny little Z scale around the tree layout. Just a loop with one siding but what a blast (extremely hard to see though LOL). My wife said after Christmas, "why don't you get your HO stuff out and put it on a board in the extra bedroom since you're having so much fun with it." OH my goodness...she didn't know...COULDN'T know...what she was saying. It was like putting a bottle of Scotch Whiskey in front of a 30-year recovered alcoholic. I tried to discourage it, once, twice...three times. She INSISTED. And so it began..... I started out with the biggest board I could cram into the room, plus some extensions to cover more room. Found out later that bigger (wider) isn't necessarily better, as in I can't even reach into the middle! But..YES it is a learning curve that continues. My second layout is portable, built as a display layout for work. It travels to one or two fairs a year. I dream now about my "dream" layout, with wide, sweeping curves and room to run. I am having more fun with this hobby than most anything else I can think of. Wish I had gotten back into it sooner!
I started out with a Marx key-wind set and graduated to a Marx powered unit. This went on until I was about 13 when I visited a neighbor at his request. That's when I saw my first HO. he had a room full of it. No scenery to speak of but he had track. Oh, yes, he had track. And I was fascinated! I even went with him to deliver and pick up repair jobs from hobby shops. There wasn't room in my house for a permanent O27 layout so I made use of our attic. I graduated high school and went into the Navy. The train set/layout was disposed of. Fast forward several years and I was now married. I decided to build a 4x8 layout for three of my sons. It was on over and under and I bought all of the materials at Woolworth's. It was a good time but it didn't last. neither did the next one for two more sons. In 1980 I owned a train shop and discovered that it wasn't my boys hobby, it was mine. In 1983, the shop was closed and my layout was begun. It has grown since then...
Yes I have an h.o. train layout recently repositioned in the train room, (basement), man cave. I'm trying to keep it away from the heating ducts (more head room). The layout has been idle for some time, while a few scenery up grades were established and improved on. As you all know, its difficult to do this when your running trains through out the layout.Well, finally, there is some satisfaction with the upgrades and improvements and also the location in the basement,man cave, train room. Although I do'nt remember exactly how it was wired up to distribute power to the rails of this simple dc layouttrain board system Sincerely, tr1*
You started with a Marx key-wind set? Holy cow. Did you sail around the globe with the Great White Fleet when you were in the navy? :teeth:
in between layouts, sort of. I ditched the 2 x 4 I was working on, all the stuff is back in storage. while I build up money, get another job, finish my schooling, and move.
unfortunately, the trains are not running at this time on this simple dc layout train board system; however: I'm quite confident, the problem will be rectified shortly and I promise to upload some images for your veiwing pleasure at your leisure,wish me luck Sincerely,tr1
This is a cool thread! I have a layout currently , but it is too hot to work on. It sits in a garage in central Texas. This is my second layout, on my own. In high school, I belonged to a n scale modular group that was made up of fellow high schoolers, no parent, cept for transportation. Lol. I also help construct numerous layouts back then. So far as to frame in a room, tape and float the Sheetrock, and everything else that is needed to bulid an enclosed layout space in a basement. Had alot of fun in the 80's. So fast forward to 2003, I got back into n scale with a micro trains table top set. And now I am sitting at 900+ freight cars and 60+ locos. And a layout that measures 17'-2" by 21' by 11'-6". Two level with lower level staging and the top level for ops. And those are not the final dimensions,,as I plan on making a 4th section about 14' long. But as Doug said earlier, to each their own. You can have what I have and then you could also have a lazy boy with a magazine rack by it stocked full of different MR mags. Either way you are model railroader. Adios Wyatt
I chose planning one. But thats only due to it being a small room, with all my other hobbies in it (Lightbar collecting, FD/PD/EMS agency patch collecting and lego building)
Hi All I looked at the results, and realized that the No's, in between's and the planning one now's (which includes me), actually do not actually have a layout. That doesn't mean that we are not model railroaders. It means IMHO that we are model railroaders who have unfulfilled aspirations. Jim "Live long and Prosper."
Yes, I have a layout. I've always had a layout, at various stages of development. Check it out for yourself. The particle board and plywood central. Officially the H&P Railroad of the Williams and Ashfork Division. A free-lanced railroad with as prototype equipment as is available. More of such today then we've ever had in the past. [video=youtube;p7RUjdcGen0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7RUjdcGen0[/video] Want to see more? How about six other layouts in my neck of the woods? http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine...Valley-Model-Railroaders-Announces&highlight= See you!
I'd like to inject personal experience here.... If you can run one train, then you HAVE a layout. "Having" a layout says nothing about its quality, its completeness, its scenery, or anything else other than a train is able to be run. I've had eight layouts since 1947. On one, the latest, the scenery is about 75% complete. The one just before had 20% scenery. The previous six had no scenery whatsoever, but they had wonderful track work. So, have I had eight layouts? You Betcha !!!!!
I'm workin on my 3rd layout (In 30 years). The track is about 95% down. Been running the heck out of it- to tweek and tune it to our satisfaction. Then it will be time to start on the scenery. Oh- it's a 9' X 14' N scale. SP set in the 50's. Enjoy, Wolf
