Is this normal?

[steamhead]

Door..?? We don't need no stinking door....I took the door mechanism down (just left the side rails) and boarded the whole thing up, sheetrocked & painted it and now I got a nice(r) train room....
So the car sleeps outside... :mrgreen:

 

[Kevinkrey]

I plan on becoming a carpenter and want to build my own house. I can plan, build, wire, light, etc, all around a model railroad. That will be quite a ways down the line though. Glad to hear your decision gary, I want to see your finished layout.

 

[CNWman]

Everything to the right of the blue line was added on after the fact.

You added a workbench and a car?:mrgreen:

 

[Gary S.]

Russ, thanks for the wisdom in your post. I am the only operator, so a layout twice as big as the current one would require much more work for me. I think the current layout will serve me well for several years at least. As for the garage, this one actually has TWO garage doors and we park TWO vehicles in there!

Steamhead, my wife actually mentioned closing up the garage and building a carport on the front, but I decided against it. I figured I needed the experience of battling the dust and the spiders, so if I ever do get a dedicated train room, I'll appreciate it all the more!

Kevin, I appreciate your interest in my layout, and I hope to not dissappoint you. As for actually getting finished, that may be awhile. I was going really strongly for the past two months, but have slacked off lately... instead of working on the structures and scenery, I have been running trains.

CNW, thanks for the laugh! That, along with a couple of other things here at The Gauge have put me in a good mood. :mrgreen:

 

[CNWman]

As for actually getting finished, that may be awhile.

I'd like to see a layout that's actualy 'finished'.

CNW, thanks for the laugh! That, along with a couple of other things here at The Gauge have put me in a good mood. :mrgreen:

Hey, no prob, I just couldn't resist:twisted::mrgreen:

 

[nolatron]

Why not just expand in the Garage?

I don't know if you've ever seen this layout:

Kirkwood Subdivision Index

But it's garage double deck around-the-walls layout which has a peninsula in the middle, and still allows room for the cars to park.

This was an idea I was tossing around for a layout, but I couldn't get "land rights" to the garage.

 

[60103]

Gary: there's one other consideration: how much layout can one person maintain? After a few years you start to have problems -- switches don't contact; electric bits don't work as they used to; wheels come off where they never came off before -- and the larger the layout, the more goes wrong at once.
So try the current size for a while yet.

 

[Gary S.]

Nolatron, thanks for the link to that site. I looked through it just a bit, I'll go through it more tomorrow. I had considered a peninsula awhile back. But I'm over the expansion bug now.

60103, yep, all those issues helped me to be satisfied with the current layout. And besides, I'm not even close to completion, so it is way too soon to start something new.

 

[Nomad]

Gary, your a stronger man than I am.

Loren

 

[Gary S.]

Hey Loren, I ran trains tonight... getting some switching scenarios ready for my openhouse. If I get any visitors, I will let them run the trains and try their hand at some pick-ups and set-outs using the magnets. And once they get the hang of that, they can do a full run starting at the intercahnge with a cut of cars and drop them off at the industries. The layout is actually pretty fun to operate. I'll eventually get my car card system going, or alternatively I will pick your brain some more about that software for switch lists.

 

[Nomad]

Sounds like fun. Wish I could be there.
By all means pick away, I will be glad to help.

Loren

 

[Gary S.]

It has been fun. Only thing is, I'm at the stage where you were awhile back, just running trains and not working on the scenery.

I wish you could visit and run some trains with me. That would be cool!

 

[Nomad]

No doubt! And, I would like to get a good look at your wooden control hangerssign1

Loren

 

[Gary S.]

Here ya go!

 

[Nomad]

Hey, pretty snazzy!:thumb: They work better than mine. I don't have coiled cords and mine keeps hitting the floor, I guess I will have take them off and try something else.:cry:

Loren

 

[Gary S.]

On a serious note, I do need to get some small clipboards (or cut down some normal size ones) to hold the car cards or the switchlists. Then I'll put some hangers on the fascia so I can hang the clipboards on them. I saw a cool setup in one of the mags... the throttle was also attached to the clipboard.

 

[Nomad]

I tried using a clipboard and it didn't work for me. Since I need to sit down when I am operating, it is easier to have a big paperclip to hold the switchlists and hang it from a cuphook. I hold the throttle in my hand and hang it from an eyelet when not in use. I have cuphooks and eyelets in front of my major industries and move the switchlist with me as I work the layout.

Loren